Abstract
Entering University is a crucial transition point in youths’ professional development, and it’s of great importance to approach the factors which make students think of it as a “positive” emotional experience. The current study aims to investigate the emotions experienced by students of Molecular Biology and Genetics (MB & G) Department of the Democritus University of Thrace at the beginning of their studies. The research questions examined were the variety of emotions reported by students on the very first day of their enrollment to the Department, and the factors relating to it. Applying a total population sampling, questionnaires were filled out by all first-year students of the academic year 2014- 2015. The findings indicate that the majority of students experience mostly positive emotions, though anxiety appears sometimes too. Students’ emotions related to gender and their preference to enter the MB & G Department through participating in that year’s national university entrance exams. An additional finding refers to the observed relationship between students’ emotions and their parents’ opinion on taking on studies in the MB & Genetics Department. The findings of the present study are of great theoretical and practical significance for those interested in facilitating young people’s transition to University Education.
Transition to University in the field of BioSciences: The emotions of students entering the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics of the Democritus University of Thrace