Episode #122
Alexis Redding on Designing Better Transitions to College
As we think about how students transition to college, how do we set expectations, how do we support students, and how is this all changing with social media – including for the better in some ways? We talk through these questions with Alexis Redding, developmental psychologist at Harvard's Graduate School of Education who co-leads their Transition to Adulthood Lab and edited the new book Mental Health in College: What Research Tells Us About Supporting Students. Discover how to dismantle perfectionist myths, support students through typical developmental hurdles, and build a stronger sense of campus belonging. Episode Highlights include: [04:33] Debunking the mythology of the best four years - Alexis Redding explains why normalizing the difficulty of transition is essential for student success. [08:31] Rethinking program calendars with the W-curve - Why colleges need to extend student programming beyond orientation week into the mid-semester dip. [12:45] Leveraging sense of belonging as a key outcome - How meaningful campus connections ensure struggling students are noticed and connected to resources. [23:37] Decoupling developmental challenges from clinical mental health care - A five-question framework to help faculty distinguish expected struggles from crisis situations. [30:53] Centering student voices in campus design - Why institutions must gather and act on student feedback from day one to preserve institutional resources. The book Alexis edited: Mental Health in College: What Research Tells Us About Supporting Students https://hep.gse.harvard.edu/9798895570753/mental-health-in-college/
