Living Learning Program specifically Freshmen in Transition for Ferguson College of Agriculture

Here at Oklahoma State University, there are many different types of on campus living options. 15 residential halls are dedicated to LLPs. That stands for Living Learning Programs. They are described by the university as “specialized living environments that connect students inside and outside their academic experiences”(Okstate Website). There is a long application process that goes along with this option that is also based on criteria like major or age. Students that get accepted into one of these programs have a direct outlet to experiences within the classroom and outside events and programs. Joining a LLP is a great way to make friends and build connections with people that have similar interests to you.

The specific LLP that I want to take a deeper look at is the Fergusons Freshmen in Transition or FIT program. This is a specific living learning program that has some requirements and some specifically for Freshmen in Transition is obviously the student has to be an incoming freshmen. They have to be enrolled as a full time student within the Ferguson College of Agriculture here at Oklahoma State University. Applications open up in October once you have been accepted as a student at Oklahoma State University. The process is a little long but worth it. They release acceptances in waves, and the first wave happens in December. How FIT works specifically is that the application opens and stays open through the summer but once it fills up, then people are placed on a waitlist. New waves of acceptances happen every couple of months.

Today, I am a student here at Oklahoma State University and I am enrolled in the Freshmen in Transition program. I went through the application process and was accepted. I applied at the end of January and was accepted into the program in early march. I have some insight that might be beneficial to incoming students in the future. The person I decided to interview is Markel Harris, the head director of Freshman in Transition. I decided to interview him because he was a student in FIT when he went to school here and became the head director a couple years after that. Markel Harris attended Oklahoma State University starting in 2015. In the interview he started to tell me that he was a first generation college student and African American. He was already intimidated with the college process so when he got accepted into the FIT program it took a little bit of stress off of his shoulders. He found out about this living learning program through his connections with FFA. He was a state officer and some of his fellow officers were a part of FIT before he enrolled at OSU which led him to apply. When asking him what his definition of a living learning program is, he responded with “a place where you get the out of class experience as well as the in class experience.” He goes on to say that it is beneficial to participate in an organization like FIT because you are surrounded by people that share the same interests and are all going through the same experience that you are going through. Having people back you up makes the transition into freshman year slightly easier.

I was going to follow up by asking how he heard about this program and his experience applying but he answered it while talking about the significance of this program. We have similar experiences with how we both heard it from our peers. I knew who my roommate was going to be before I moved into the dorm hall. She had talked to me about wanting to be in this program together and I told her as long as we both get accepted I am fine with living in the FIT dorm. Luckily, we both ended up getting accepted and becoming roommates. I had then asked Markel what his experience was like when he was a member of this program back in 2015. He told me many stories about how it was overwhelming because they expected too much out of the students and it was difficult. He stated “While trying to balance school, we had many assignments we had to submit, they thought it was benefiting us but it was making all of our lives a little bit more difficult.” He continues to say that minus being overwhelmed we would never take back the opportunity that he was given. He enjoyed the community aspect as a whole and the experiences that they went through. It was super interesting what was soon to come because I asked him how the program has changed and how he views the program now that he is in charge of it.

He told me that he felt like he had a leg up because he has experienced the program and knows what it is like to be an overwhelmed freshman. He went into detail about how the director at the time didn’t make it a priority to get to know the students and what they were involved with. He wanted to change that. He also took out silly things that he didn’t see the need for to help make the college transition less overwhelming. “I have better insight because I have been in the students’ shoes, I have been a first generation college student trying to figure things out, I know what helped me, I took that in order to increase future students’ experiences.” He wants to make it his priority that we get the most out of this program to set a good foundation for the rest of our career here at Oklahoma State University. He said one of the most important jobs is that he wants to challenge us to grow as individuals and academically without stressing us out too much. He wants to support us holistically rather than just making sure we succeed academically.

Not a whole lot of people know about Living Learning Programs and I think that needs to change. It is a great opportunity to get plugged into a community that is experiencing the same thing you are. I have enjoyed just these short seven weeks here at Oklahoma State. There is a great resource that can be found on the schools website but I feel that advertising for Living Learning Programs could be improved. Many people I talk to on a daily basis have never heard about FIT or LLPs in general which doesn’t benefit anyone if they have never heard about it. There are fifteen here at Oklahoma State University and I only know about three of them. It is significant to find a great community that will support you as you continue your path during college and also helps you develop great habits and leadership skills. The bonds you make with the people when you first start college will most likely be the people that support you until you graduate or even for the rest of your life time.