WVII interviews Dean Dana, student about high school to college transition
Robert Dana, University of Maine’s vice president for student life and dean of students, and Brianna Payne, a senior psychology major, spoke with WVII (Channel 7) for a report about what it takes to make a successful transition from high school to college. “It’s challenging because you’re coming into a whole new world where people are thinking differently, looking differently, acting differently,” Dana said. Payne said making the adjustment her first year was difficult. “It was hard to go from living in a small household to a floor with like 40 other girls and guys, and it was overwhelming,” she said. Both Dana and Payne agreed that the most important thing to do to ease the change is to get involved, according to the report. “I was having a hard time adjusting, then I got involved and started to meet new people and it got a lot better,” Payne said. “We know that if you’re engaged socially, academically, intellectually — if you have friends — you’ll do great,” Dana said.