The transition to university is an anxiety-prone time in which many students have to navigate several personal and academic challenges at once, such as new and greater academic requirements, financial responsibilities, leaving the family nest, changes in friendships and worry they chose the wrong program (Petruzello, 2006).

In a study carried out in eight CEGEPs in 2017 (12,208 participants), 71% of respondents said they felt anxious because they were afraid of failing university (Gosselin & Ducharme, 2017). In a 2017 survey conducted at four universities in Ontario, a significant number of students reported having to deal with many challenges during their transition to university (Grayson, Chen & Roberts, 2019). Such challenges included difficulty adopting effective study strategies, lack of confidence in their abilities and difficulty taking good notes.

During the last year, having been released from my commitments to focus on my PESO project applications, I worked with several partners from UQO, CÉGEP Heritage College and CÉGEP de l’Outaouais to develop tools and share my expertise in an effort to facilitate the college-to-university transition. This included:

• Various college-to-university success workshops given at the three campuses;
• Participation in several advisory committees, including the Health and Well-Being Committee, and planning of the mental health conference given in the fall of 2023;
• Ongoing participation in the TRAMPO project on the transition continuum;
• Informal active discussion workshops on the transition to university, offered to students at the end of their studies at CÉGEP Heritage College and CÉGEP de l’Outaouais;
• Participation in the development, implementation and dissemination (ACFAS, AQPC) of a research project in connection with the TRAMPO project, on post-secondary transitions;
• Participation (reflection and critique) in the interorder and intercycle training continuum project on the basic skills needed in higher education (Successful Transitions).