Is it trick or treat for college freshmen?

It’s the end of October, and for college freshmen, it’s a time of reckoning. Midterms are nearly over, and either students have figured out what they need to do in their courses, or they’re floundering — hoping for a lifeline.

I remember my own freshman year in New York City. It seemed as if I had so much time: time to make friends, time to go standing at Broadway shows, time to plumb the mysteries of the universe in late-night talk sessions. The books on my syllabi had distant deadlines, and I only had a few midterms. In the subject far outside my comfort zone, my midterm grade was a rude awakening.