It goes without saying that the first year of college is a new and exciting adventure. It's a chance for young adults to make new friends, embrace different experiences and take huge strides toward independence and adulthood.

All too often, it's also a time ripe with challenges and pressures students have not yet had to face alone. The workload is likely to be heavier and more intense than high school. There is less "hand-holding" by instructors and more personal responsibility when it comes to attending classes, meeting deadlines and balancing competing demands on time.

Denise McCory, Dean of Student Affairs at Cuyahoga Community College, said failure to successfully navigate these first-year challenges contributes to freshman dropout rates. Nationally, one-third of students do not return for their sophomore year of college at four-year institutions, according to an annual survey conducted by college entrance exam test maker ACT. At two-year colleges, 46 percent do not return after the first year.

"College is an entirely new system, an entirely new culture for incoming students," she said. "As educators we may take for granted that they are going to be ready for the rigor or the responsibility, but they have to get acclimated to it."

Concerned educators have responded with a new crop of programs aimed at helping incoming freshman transitions more smoothly to college life – most under the name First Year Experience (FYE). Some institutions, like Tri-C, go as far as making FYE a requirement for every new student. McCory said the reason is simple: If a student fails to complete a degree or program, the college fails to meet its central mission.  

Tri-C launched its FYE program last fall. Along with a traditional new student orientation, students are required to attend convocation, which is a less formal, one-day event that includes introduction to faculty in their chosen major and a chance to connect with peers in a social setting. A FYE course during the student's first experiences gets into the nitty-gritty of time management, study skills and career development.