What is meant by jumpstart? Well, the name pretty much says it all.
Jumpstarting is the process of giving something a boost via an external power source. Sometimes in life, we can get bogged down or trapped, which causes us to perform or enjoy life less than we once did. You can try to jump-start by incorporating more meaning and fulfillment into it, cultivating gratitude, or even just relaxing and taking a vacation from the stress by engaging in meditation or other activities.
The new jumpstart program at The School of Professional Studies (SPS) operates similarly.
As stated by SPS Associate Dean of Students Sarah Gallagher, “we assist students in learning about US laws and regulations. To get them to “Adapt, Adapt, Adapt! is our goal.”
Students will eventually adjust to this environment, but let’s do it now so that it happens sooner rather than later. We anticipate that students will leave their homes and will learn things on their own, but we also anticipate that they will experience anxiety that may keep them from entering the real world. In movies, everything appears to be simple, but in real life, it’s a completely different story.
The Jumpstart program was a two-week pre-orientation course created to help our incoming graduate overseas students find their way around their new campus and the SPS classroom. Students enroll in seminars that immerse them in US educational and cultural norms and attend workshops on academic and professional skills including resume development and maintaining balance.
The work we’ve done so far to help our students adjust to living and studying in the US has truly inspired Jumpstart. Due to the limited amount of information that SPS can incorporate into its orientation programming, we wanted to give students the chance to settle into Worcester, obtain their One Cards, set up their computers and phones, and accomplish other tasks that they often must complete before beginning classes.
For students to begin their careers at SPS on the strongest foot possible, we hope that more students will start to take advantage of this program in the future. Our objective is that the students who participated will really prosper and will share with their friends. Students who participated in this program received an academic and professional advantage.
After speaking with a few students, we learned that although students conduct their research before moving to the US, some of it is either lacking or inaccurate, which might cause them problems. For this reason, we are here. We are here to assist the newcomers not only with Clark’s policies, but also with the knowledge that they might not consider vital, such as the fact that there are three different types of police, which they might not consider looking up. We provide them advice on how to shop, what to eat, how to behave on the road, where to go, and everything else needed to live comfortably in the US and make them feel at home.
