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Emerging Regions Students First Year Experience at Addis Ababa University

Tesfamariam Shimekit

The purpose of this study is to understand emerging regions students’ first-year experience in Addis Ababa University (AAU). To achieve this purpose, the qualitative approach was employed and data were collected from purposively selected eight emerging region students by using the in-depth interview. To that end, the study investigated emerging region students’ expectation of university and their role as the university student, their concern (worries) and the challenges they faced at the first year, and support system needed in the future to improve the socialization in the first year. Findings of the study indicated that emerging region first-year students’ experience is full of concerns and challenges due to lack of preparation at high school and absence of special support system in the university. Therefore, the university leaders should design and implement different support system for first year emerging region students based on their specific needs. Similarly, policymakers should design policies that guide a special support system for the first- year students in general and for needy students such as ethnic minorities and disadvantaged students specifically.