Used to be when I was in college, aeons ago, not only was the first week of the first year of one’s undergrad career deemed the time for Frosh orientation, but it was also the only time. Were we really prepared for the rigors of the first academic semester? Didn’t matter. You had only one week to prepare.

Now, many Minnesota colleges and universities are aiming to change that. One of the most problematic aspects of the pandemic was the wrench thrown into the development of college bound high schoolers’ preparations and plans for the future. The sheer numbers of students and the problems they experienced with academics; personal and social relations; and care of self suffered. These institutions are trying to rectify that.