{"id":17911,"date":"2017-06-14T15:18:45","date_gmt":"2017-06-14T19:18:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=17911"},"modified":"2018-01-12T13:08:45","modified_gmt":"2018-01-12T18:08:45","slug":"moc-nothing-truth-incoming-freshmen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2017\/06\/moc-nothing-truth-incoming-freshmen\/","title":{"rendered":"Moc Up: Nothing but the truth for incoming freshmen"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A cookout, a scavenger hunt and living in campus housing were all part of the week-long Moc Up.<\/p><\/div>\n

Chris Ledford has coined a nickname for himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like to call myself Mr. Rough Around the Edges,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Having graduated from Knoxville\u2019s Hardin Valley Academy last spring, he\u2019s heading to UTC in the fall with hopes of sanding those edges down a bit. Although confidence doesn\u2019t seem to be a problem, Ledford is savvy enough to realize that he has a lot to learn in college. And not just in class.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope it can tell me a few things that are core to my beliefs,\u201d he says. \u201cI hope it will help me exert my passions. I hope it will create new connections \u2014 which should be a given \u2014 help me grow my character and help me prepare for the outside world.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Chris Ledford, right, jokingly calls himself Mr. Rough Around the Edges and hopes UTC will smooth some of those off.<\/p><\/div>\n

His goals are among many expressed by incoming freshmen who recently completed the first-ever Moc Up program. Over two weeks, about 70 students each week were on campus where, along with cookouts, scavenger hunts and living in the dorms, they were shown the realities of college, not just the fun-filled parts.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t a social-based program; it\u2019s academic- and info-based,\u201d says Jason Harville, director of Student Transition Programs. \u201cThey realized they\u2019re not just here to have fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether they wanted to receive all the info was up to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those who cared to listen, students were introduced to such topics as: How to handle money now that you\u2019re on your own. How to utilize the support systems in place at UTC. How to maintain study habits and good grades.<\/p>\n

At the end of both weeks, students were given tri-fold pieces of cardboard, art supplies and magazines, then told to create a personalized display containing such information as their majors, their goals and mini-bios, plus any other eye-catching elements. Among the added attractions were words such as \u201cinspire\u201d and \u201cengage,\u201d pictures of pizza and, of course, the Power C.<\/p>\n

Displays in hand, the students presented themselves in the University Center\u2019s Tennessee Room. Faculty and staff were invited to come down to talk to the students about their majors, their ultimate hopes and whatever else was on their minds.<\/p>\n

In the final meet-and-greet, the Tennessee Room hummed with conversation; eye contact, big smiles and firm handshakes were all around, as were well-crafted explanations of their goals and aspirations.<\/p>\n

Asked what they\u2019d learned over their week at school, several students mentioned finances. Many said they\u2019d never really thought about saving money while in school in case of emergencies \u2014 which don\u2019t include a party-filled weekend. Some said they\u2019ve decided they want to leave UTC debt-free and, to that end, they\u2019re already thinking about investing their money.<\/p>\n

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During Moc Up, Kelcey Foxx of Memphis says she learned a lot about how to handle her money, both in college and out.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI know how to finance better, building up your credit, keeping up your scholarships, how to save money,\u201d says Kelcey Foxx of Memphis, who plans to major in psychology and criminal justice.<\/p>\n

David Smith, who is majoring in exercise science, says he knew something about finances from high school classes, but he deepened his understanding during Moc Up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI knew how to budget and things like that, but I didn\u2019t understand how big of an impact savings and emergency funds and stuff like that are, and the fact that not as many people do it,\u201d says Smith, who spent three years in shotput and discus on his Knoxville high school\u2019s track and field team.<\/p>\n

Ledford and others say they also were surprised by the multiple resources available to help them work through their first year at UTC \u2014 personal, financial and academic.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll the resources that you have \u2013 tutoring, the financial aid office, admissions, the library \u2014 I didn\u2019t realize they were all so easily accessible,\u201d says Ledford, who plans to major in biology.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think you\u2019re going to be all by yourself,\u201d says Rhadria Maxwell, a psychology major from Memphis, \u201cbut there are many people willing to help you and guide you. You\u2019ve just got to reach out to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Harville says Moc Up officials will take what was learned this year and use it to improve next year\u2019s. They also plan to keep an eye on the students who participated, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re following those students throughout their first year and some into second year to see if they do better in comparison to folks who didn\u2019t go through the program,\u201d Harville says.<\/p>\n