Editorial
Staff suggests tips for new, returning students
September 16, 2010
Welcome new and returning students to a brand new semester: clean and unblemished. Students are back on campus… So now what? A few words of encouragement and caution on student involvement, procrastination and utilizing resources:
Campus Involvement
Campus Involvement is an effective tool for building networks, developing friendships and supplementing your pool of resources for support or personal references. Also, employers look at more than just academics when hiring: they take extracurricular activities into account, as well.
There are over 170 student organizations on campus with a wide range of purposes. Joining these organizations can be just for fun. Take Bushwhackers for example, a club that provides outdoor recreation opportunities for students throughout the year. Or students can join an academic or professional development organization such as History Club or Accounting Society. To learn more about student orgs, students can visit www.uwrf.edu/StudentLife.
Procrastination
Procrastination can be an ugly habit. Students can avoid it and stay organized by purposefully overestimating the time it will take to complete a task rand by responding to emails as soon as you receive them.
Academic Success Center employee Carrie Powell said she recommends students keep themselves motivated by offering themselves rewards for when they accomplish a task.
If students procrastinate because they do not know the material or are apprehensive about the assignment, they can visit the Academic Success Center for personal tutors and walk-in homework help.
Resources
Little can be more disappointing than to hear a senior student exclaim, “Wow! I never knew that the Library rented laptops!” or “If I would have known Career Services would have met with me and helped me to find an Internship earlier, I wouldn’t be having trouble now!” or “Since when did we have a campus radio station?”
There are so many resources available to help students; it is almost impossible to know them all. But that does not mean that students should not know about any of them. The best way to learn about what resources could benefit any student would be to simply ask around. Find out what activities your fellow students participate in on any given day. If your friends live a rather insentient life, ask an advisor what you should be doing to maximize your time before the end of the semester catches up to you.