For 33 first-year Indiana University School of Nursing students on the Indianapolis campus, the transition to college comes with a built-in network of classmates, study partners, and future colleagues, all living just a few doors away.
The students live together in a newly renovated wing of Ball Hall as members of the first Nursing Living Learning Community (LLC), an academically focused residential community designed to extend learning and support beyond the classroom.
“The main reason that drove us to develop the LLC was to provide an opportunity for students to gain a sense of community while on campus,” said Chandra Dyson, assistant dean of Student Services and Nursing LLC staff liaison. “The LLC also allows us to offer academic support and a unique experience to connect with our faculty in a different way outside of the classroom.”
That combination of academic support and community is particularly valuable for students entering a demanding field in which collaboration will eventually become part of their professional lives.
Freshman nursing student Ren Bays said the opportunity to learn alongside other nursing students was one reason she applied to live in the LLC.
“I think I learn best when I have a group I can explore and discuss with, and the LLC gives me excellent proximity to students doing the same things I am,” Bays said. “Nursing is also very much a team sport, and so building good relationships with them now will make nursing school proper a much better experience.”
Residents share more than a hallway. They also take at least one class together: Power Up for Academic Success—a first-year seminar designed to help students develop strategies for succeeding in their nursing education.
The Nursing LLC is one of 13 LLCs in residence halls across the Indianapolis campus, which includes the School of Science Community, Health Careers Community, and Group Scholars Community. Pre-nursing and direct-admit students can apply through the housing application, with participants approved by School of Nursing staff.
According to the Division of Student Affairs, students living in an LLC are retained at higher rates than non-LLC students and tend to have higher GPAs.
For nursing students, living among peers pursuing the same academic path can also help create something less easily measured: a sense of belonging.
“All of these students are pre-nursing, so that becomes a connection, and everyone is looking to be connected and have a sense of belonging,” Dyson said. “We’re hoping the close proximity facilitates building that sense of, ‘I belong here. I see myself as part of this community.’”
The community is designed to extend beyond relationships among residents.
“We then hopefully extend the network,” Dyson explained. “Not only with their peers, but also now they have connections to staff and faculty within the School of Nursing.”
Those connections are reinforced through programming throughout the semester. In addition to weekly Sunday afternoon tutoring sessions, residents have access to events focused on academic success, wellness, career exploration, and opportunities to interact with nursing faculty and peers.
Fall programming includes a faculty panel exploring nursing specialties, a final-exam preparation session, and “Anatomy Unlocked: Tips, Tricks & Success Strategies” moderated by Jennifer Remick, assistant dean for undergraduate programs and faculty liaison for the Nursing LLC. Residents are expected to participate in at least four LLC events during the fall semester.
“The programming is the icing on the cake to help facilitate their academic goals and give students multiple layers of support as they adjust to college and prepare for the demands of nursing school,” Dyson said.
