Weekly classes. Three-hundred-person lecture halls. No parental supervision.

These are some of the obstacles new students may be confronted with when first attending college.

“There’s an assumption on the students’ part that their high school or community college’s classes are the same as the ones at NIU,” said Brent Gage, assistant vice provost of Enrollment Services.

As a result, the Office of the Provost is sponsoring a mid-semester check designed for new students who are struggling with university-level academics.

Julie Schaid, director of Academic Advising, said that the program will present a lot of useful information to students.

“In a very short period of time, they’re going to learn a lot of tips and skills that could save them time,” Schaid said.

The program consists of two breakout sessions. During these sessions, students will be able to choose between four different presentations made by various NIU faculty.

For example, Schaid and Sandi Splansky, director of Academic Advising for the College of Health and Human Services, will teach students important academic dates and maximizing their grade point averages.

Writing Center Director Gail Jacky and math professor John Beachy will show how to write essays and study for math tests, respectively. Mike Stang, director of Housing and Dining, will show students how to balance academics with other extracurricular activities.

ACCESS Director Shevawn Eaton said the implementation of a program like this has been one of her dreams.

“Northern has a whole lot of support services for students, but the university can be very complex at times,” Eaton said.

Freshman engineering major Austin Pietrobon said he’s handling college well.

“I think I’m doing pretty well,” Pietrobon said. “I could put more effort into it, but I’m doing well.”

Pietrobon said the only time he struggles is in his physics class, which is in a lecture hall-type setting. He finds that he has to do more studying on his own “rather than waiting for the teacher to give me the answer.”

Although the program hasn’t been held yet, Schaid, Gage, and Eaton have expressed interest in holding and expanding the program for next semester.