Tips for the Class of 2030 from Dean of Students Danielle Morgan Acosta ’05, MAT ’06, and Hannah Oh ’27, CDP ’28
Being a first-year college student comes with a lot of questions: What clubs should I join? What’s the best way to make friends? How do I find my way around campus and Worcester? On this episode of Challenge. Change., Assistant Provost of Student Success and Dean of Students Danielle Morgan Acosta ’05, MAT ’06, and Hannah Oh ’27, CDP ’28, offer their best advice for navigating the transition to college.
“When I first came to campus, because I was so homesick, I kept pushing myself into that hole of, ‘I just want to do what’s comfortable for myself.’ But the shift that I experienced of actually feeling like Clark is another home for me was when I started trying more difficult things and going outside of my comfort zone,” recalls Oh, who majors in biochemistry and molecular biology, minors in health, science and society, has a concentration in ethics and public policy, and is part of the Prehealth Advising Program.
Acosta encourages students to routinely expand their horizons as they get acclimated to life at Clark.
“Transition is a psychological process, and it takes time,” she says. “Absorb feeling okay in the uncomfortability, because that is growth and learning, and there are good things that come from it … I challenge every student to do one thing that’s different or outside of their comfort zone every week if they can.”
Challenge. Change. is produced by Melissa Hanson for Clark University. Listen and subscribe on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Find other episodes wherever you listen to podcasts.
