The Uncontrollability of the First-year Experience: Balancing Chaos and Control in Students Transition to HE

Abstract

The beginning of one's academic journey is often filled with uncertainty and worries. We usually tame these feelings by setting clear goals and rigid structures for the first year. We plan, structure, and safeguard. We do all we can to make the transitions as smoothly as possible.

But what if we flipped the script? What if we saw the uncontrollable aspects as catalysts for student growth and learning, rather than obstacles to overcome? What if we saw the bumps and friction of this transition as a valuable source of personal insight and attunement to this new world as it reveals itself.

Drawing on Hartmut Rosa’s concept of uncontrollability and Gert Biesta’s notion of subjectification, this article explores how overly controlled FYE designs may undermine students’ opportunities to grow—not despite discomfort, but through it. When we try to remove friction with hacks, handbooks, buddy systems, and safety nets we risk framing struggles as failures. But if we engage with the uncontrollable instead of avoiding it, transformation becomes possible.

The article proposes four practical principles for FYE design: face the uncontrollable together, create spaces for resonance, celebrate subjectification, and embrace the transformative. A successful FYE is not one that removes all struggles—but one that supports students in making meaning from it.