The Office of Student Life provides first-year students with a suite of support services designed to assist their transition. These efforts are coordinated by Dr. Britt Andreatta, Director of First-Year Programs & Leadership Education, who serves as the general mentor/advisor to the freshman class. She writes:
September 15, 2006
Dear Freshman Student–
Welcome to UCSB! My name is Britt Andreatta and I am the Director of First-Year Programs and Leadership Education at UCSB. I am also a member of the UCSB Student Mentor Team, which is why I am writing you. I serve as the general mentor/advocate to YOU and the entire freshman class. My job is to help ensure that all freshmen are succeeding here, both academically and socially. I strongly believe that every student should be having a good experience so if you are not, let me know and we’ll work together to turn things around. I will do my best to help you and if I don’t know the answer, I promise that I will find someone who does. All contact with me is private and confidential so you can ask me questions about anything without fear of getting in trouble.
Classes begin on Sept. 28, 2006 and I know you will be busy in the next few weeks moving to campus. I hope to meet you during Discovery Days (Sept. 24-27, 2006) or at other events throughout the year. In the meantime, I wanted to tell you about the services I will be providing to you throughout the year.
FROSH FLASH E-NEWSLETTER: I will be emailing you at the beginning of each month with the "Frosh Flash" electronic newsletter. It will include information on events, workshops, classes, deadlines, etc. that might be of interest to you as a first year student. In addition, I will include my best tips and strategies for succeeding at a top research university like UCSB. You may not find every announcement helpful but hopefully you will take a few minutes to look through the newsletter and see if there is something that interests you.ANSWERING QUESTIONS: At any time, you can email me at FroshMentor@sa.ucsb.edu with questions you might have. I will do my best to respond within 48 hours (sooner if I can) with accurate information. If you don’t hear a response within 48 hours, please resend your note since email glitches can happen occasionally.INDIVIDUAL APPOINTMENTS: I am available to meet with you for individual appointments to talk about anything you need help with, or even just to say "hello". Individual appointments are especially useful if you are having difficulty, academically or socially, and want to figure out how to turn things around. To set up an appointment with me, just email me at FroshMentor@sa.ucsb.edu with a few times that work in your schedule and I will write you back with the one that fits with my schedule. My office is in the Office of Student Life; (805) 893-8290.WORKSHOPS: Every quarter, I will be giving informative workshops in the residence halls on topics that are relevant to the success of first year students. All of these workshops are open to all students so you may attend at any location, regardless of where you live. See "Student Success Seminars" for more information.UNIVERSITY SUCCESS COURSE: I teach UCSB’s University Success Course (INT 20) offered during winter and spring quarters. Students who take this course not only make the most of their education at UCSB but have a more positive experience while doing so. I hope you will enroll! Read more about it at http://www.sa.ucsb.edu/osl/int20/
A little about me:
My name is Britt Andreatta and I am the Mentor/Advocate for all freshmen and I coordinate the Student Mentor Team. I strongly believe that all students should be having a positive experience, academically and socially, so I work to help students make their first year the best it can be. My official job is the Director of First-Year Programs & Leadership Education at UCSB. My duties include teaching INT 20 (UCSB's University Success Course), supporting freshmen in their success, and coordinating several of the campus’ leadership programs including the Leadership Certificate Program, the Annual Student Leader Retreat, the Annual Student Leadership Conference, and the Annual Activities Awards. I also teach Sociology 102 and co-teach ED 173 with Carolyn Buford—teaching is one of my favorite things to do.
I was an undergraduate at UCSB and graduated with a double major in Communication & Sociology. However, that was after a very rocky start as a bio major and ending up on academic probation a few times. But I got it together academically and eventually earned a Ph.D. in Education where I studied the factors that help first-year students succeed.
I am also an educational consultant and have helped many colleges and universities across the country improve their services for first-year students. I have just written a book called Navigating the Research University: A Guide for First-Year Students, which is the only book written about the unique and challenging experiences students have at research universities (of which UCSB is one). It is filled with my best tips and strategies so you might wish to pick up a copy at the UCSB Bookstore. I am currently co-authoring another book for high school students and their parents, to prepare for college success while in 9th-12th grades.
My personal life includes hanging out with my husband, Chris, and our 2 cats named Misty & Tuscany, and a beta fish named Metro (you’ll see him if you visit my office). I sing in a band, just learned to surf, and also like to read, watch movies, do yoga, and eat pretty much any dessert on the planet. We’re expecting our first child this year, a future freshman in 2025. I look forward to meeting you and I hope you will take advantage of the many support services that are designed to help you survive and thrive at UCSB.
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