TCU first-year students adjust to college life, but call for stronger academic readiness

By Megan Esparza, Staff Writer

Published Oct 2, 2025

Students walking on the TCU campus. (Photo courtesy of TCU Admission)

TCU students are a month into the 2025 fall semester. The first-year students are adjusting to college life and getting used to all things TCU. Some first-year students mentioned that they’re adjusting great, but wish there were more for first-year students to engage in and prepare for when entering TCU.

“I have been adjusting to college life a lot better than I thought,” Kamryn Winter, a first-year movement science major, said. “I would say TCU could do more fun freshman activities during the school year, such as events with free food or fun in-person things.”

One thing first-year students didn’t mention was anxiety or homesickness while adjusting to college life.

Students said that TCU is great at making them feel welcome and included. Frogs First, held during TCU’s Welcome Weekend, introduced first-year students to the many TCU traditions and hosts fun activities.

Still, some first-year students said they encountered challenges as they jumped into the school year.

“I kind of think we were just thrown into it,” Blake Schimmels, a first-year business finance major, said. “I think some workshops before classes would help. One of those days in that first week would be good to go over D2L and how to use it.”

Students study together next to the Mary Couts Burnett Library. (Photo courtesy of Ella M. Mercer)

Some students said they wish that they could learn more about the academic side of TCU to feel better prepared for the semester.

“I wish that we had a schedule blocking workshop to make sure that I was able to create a schedule that would work for me,” Lorely Saldivar, a first-year biology major, said. “Just to make me more productive throughout the school year.”