ACCEPTED STUDENT'S DAY

One of the Youth Development event’s I participated in this semester involved going to the Accepted Students Day at Rhode Island College.  This was an opportunity for students accepted to RIC that fall to learn more about the campus and what it has to offer.  Students and their families are also given the chance to learn more about the majors that RIC has while in the SU Ballroom.  Here, tables are set up to represent different majors and current RIC students are there to help students and their families with any questions that they may have.

I, along with a few of my classmates, was able to represent the Youth Development major at this event. This was definitely important since YDEV is a new and upcoming major at Rhode Island College, and spreading the word about it is imperative to its growth.  I was able to speak to students and their families about YDEV and a few of them seemed really interested in this major.  On the other hand, some students seemed very uninterested about the program since they already knew what they were coming to RIC for.  Throughout the day, it was fascinating to see how much influence a students’ family has on them.  A lot of the students I spoke to were pressured into inquiring about majors that they were indifferent about.  This might have had to do with the fact that their parents followed in a similar path or the jobs associated with the major were a bit more prestigious.  Either way, I thought it was interesting that they still followed through with their parent’s wishes, even if it was something they weren’t passionate about.

Accepted Students Day at RIC was all in all a great experience. It was wonderful having the opportunity to spread the word about Youth Development at RIC, particularly since this was our first year in attendance.  It was also remarkable watching the interactions between students and their families when deciding on a major to inquire about.  Adults have a lot of influence on what their child does, when they do it, and how.  As youth development workers, I think it is important that we give back to the youth by providing them options while also allowing them to choose for themselves.  They are definitely capable of making decisions on what makes them happy, and I think it is time that adults realize that!