In this study, we examined how seniors in a College of Education acclimate to a college-level course that heavily incorporated principles of self-directed learning. We qualitatively analyzed observations, student interviews, and professor journaling data from 9 sections of this course. Reported obstacles to student acclimation include nervousness around perceived lack of course structure and lack of trust in the professor's honesty and motives. These obstacles were mitigated by a combination of elements from the course structure and the professor's interaction with students. This study is limited by its size and context-specificity, but it should contribute to research on acclimating students to self-directed learning methods.