The purpose of this project is to reveal what may not be included in freshman orientation regarding campus involvement, managing finances, and social skills to make the transition from high school to college much easier for students. When leaving family and friends behind to start college can be exciting but also a challenge. The AVID program is a college readiness system for elementary through higher education that is designed to increase school wide learning and performance. Connections is a peer mentoring program at UNC Asheville designed to promote campus involvement to freshman and transfer students who are, but not limited to, minorities and/ or first generation college students. College readiness is not only focused around academics. The program of AVID provides academic readiness for the students, but some necessary information is left out that can be revealed through sharing from other’s experiences. These three group engaging workshops are designed for the students to ask questions and mentors to share what they wish they knew the first year of their college experiences. Mentors ranging from former athletes, transfer students, and including all class status’ with various backgrounds each AVID student can better relate to a presenter; which may result in a better outcome of receiving the information. Connecting with the high school students may decrease the fears of the next step after high school and increase the chances of success after the transition.
