The seminar “Are You on the Road to Success?” hosted by the Office of Retention Wednesday aims to ensure the class of 2016 will be successful in their education at Florida A&M University.
The seminar, which was attended by close to 200 students, was the first of the Rattlers First freshmen series where freshmen receive advice from faculty on how to have a successful matriculation at the university.
Students were informed on time management skills, academic advisement and choosing a major.
Brenda Spencer, the director of retention, served as the moderator for the event.
She believes it’s important to help students and for them to be proactive.
“We want students to be successful,” Spencer said. “We want them to start off well.”
The hosts of the event were freshmen Tia Coleman from Jacksonville and Amir Hall from Miami and included four panelists who shared their experience in college and what it takes to be successful during the first year in college.
When Spencer asked the panelists the definition of success, they replied that success is how you carry yourself, setting goals, believing in yourself, and working hard.
During the question and answer portion, students had an opportunity to tweet questions using the hash tag #FAMU16Success.
Students began to ask “How do you request a transcript?” “What personal advice can you give to freshmen?” and “How can I change my major?”
Justin Griffin, a 19-year-old freshman business student from Tallahassee, said he received good information at the seminar and it encouraged him to be more inquisitive.
“I feel students are generally too lazy to ask questions,” Griffin said.
He also said that as freshmen, students don’t know about the different facilities offered, so it behooves them to ask someone for help.
Jade Martin and Kordell Wilson, both 18-year-old freshmen business students from Tampa, agreed that the seminar was informative.
Wilson said he’ll take advantage of the resources on campus.
“I can be lazy and take shortcuts,” Martin said. However, she now knows that she “should work and study hard.”