Using The Resources Available To You

College isn’t just classes, dorming, and the college café. There is a lot more available on campus for you than you may realize at first.

Gym and Pool – Chances are, your college is going to have a gym and a pool that are available for your use. And they’re going to be free of charge, so you don’t have to worry about paying for a monthly fee. That means if you’re paying for a gym membership, you can probably cancel it when you get to college.

Your Student ID – This is one of those great things you should really take advantage of. Carry your student ID with you every where you go. You can probably get discounts at some places around campus, but you can also get discounts at stores in the mall. You can even get discounts at museums and zoos. Some places may advertise that they have student discounts with student ID, but some places you may need to ask. Your college may even let you load up your student ID with cash to use on campus like a credit card at the cafes on campus. This is another thing you should take advantage of because that means you can leave your debit/credit card in your dorm room instead of taking it to class with you.

Tutoring – Your college will more than likely have a tutoring center on campus. If you asked your professor for help and still feel like you’re not getting the concept of what you’re learning, don’t be afraid to ask for help from a tutor – you’re not the only one who needs help. The college course will go by a lot faster than high school. In high school your teacher may have slowed down or went back to a concept if they felt there was confusion. With college, that may not happen so if you need help, you need to seek it out.

Your Professor’s Office Hours – While we are talking about your professors, if you need help you can seek them out after class (keep in mind they may have another class right after that one) or seek them out by visiting during office hours. Professors keep office hours, and they keep them for a reason – in case any student needs something clarified with class work or they need to talk to them about something from class, they are there. Visit them.  If you need to talk about something, by all means go see them. Don’t let your grades suffer because you simply didn’t seek help.

Counseling – Your college will also more than likely have a counseling center. Whether you need to vent about stress with classes or you need to talk about other things, don’t hesitate or be afraid to see them. College can be tough between the stress of college and the stress and homesickness of being away from home. If you need help, don’t be afraid or hesitate to use this resource – it is there for a reason.

Career Services – You may think it would be too early to think about your career services center, but it’s not. They are there to help you with interviewing, resumes, cover letters, what things you can do with your degree and even more. In fact, it’s not too early to think about this valuable resource because they can help you from the start with jobs!