Colleges make a concerted effort to give students the support they need to succeed. We’ve compiled a list of the most helpful people on campus and our top 1 or 2 tips for benefiting from their expertise.
Academic Advisors
Academic Advisors are campus experts; they know everything there is to know about course selection on your campus, how to withdraw from courses or change courses, etc. They should also have an in-depth knowledge of tutoring resources and extracurricular resources available to you.
- Meet with your academic advisor at least once a semester, ideally a few weeks before course registration.
- Turn to your academic advisor if you are having academic trouble and want some advice, are looking for other extracurricular opportunities, or need some help in a particular class.
Professors’ Office Hours
Resource number one is always your professors! They are the ones standing in front of the classroom teaching you things – we know they might seem scary, but just remember that they are individuals who have devoted their entire lives to teaching students like you. They love it!
- Show up prepared. Have some specific questions in mind; you can ask about course content, how best to review for a test, your ideas for an upcoming essay (you don’t need to even have anything written yet, but you can bring in an outline or thesis or just an idea), the syllabus, or anything else you think would be appropriate!
- Meet with a professor to boost your grade. If a professor knows who you are and has noticed that you have made the extra effort to meet with them, they are more likely to give your grade a little bump!
On-Campus Tutoring Services
Almost all college campuses have free tutorial services for a wide range of subjects! There are usually writing tutorials and subject tutorials for almost every course content area.
- Ask for help early. Don’t wait for crisis mode to get the clarification and tips you need to excel.
- Writing tutorials are an especially useful service offered on college campuses. They can help you with your paper outline, thesis, rough draft, or final draft.
Mental Health Resources
Most universities have a mental health system designed to help students who are going through a difficult time. Some schools even have free mental health counseling.
- Save the emergency phone number of the mental health center at your school in your phone, so you can call it if you need it or if a friend of yours needs it. Please put it in your phone now.
Librarian
Librarians are trained to help you find items that can help you with your research, cite sources on your papers correctly, and navigate the library system of resources on campus.
- Ask a librarian to help you find sources for your research papers or identify the best keywords to help you get started on your own.
Career Advisor
Most campuses have at least one hired career advisor to help students transition into careers after college, to prepare for this transition during the time you are in college, and to help you gear your academic material towards your desired career.
- If you haven’t yet discovered your passion, let the career advisor help — most of them have many resources that can help you with this process of self-discovery.
- Work with a career advisor to write your resume and consider extracurriculars that will help you find your first job post-graduation.
Ultimately, all of these resources on campus are there to help your college student learn to help themselves. If you want more assistance in understanding how to make the most effective use of these resources, connect with @privateprep to learn more about how an executive functioning coach can guide them through taking advantage of all the support that your college has to offer!
