Sep 25 2008
Making use of available resources
Most colleges and universities have a number of resources available to help students succeed.
And many of them are used by far fewer students than could benefit from them.
Even if you don’t need a particular resource right now - it still can’t hurt to at least know what is available. Then, when you could use a bit of help with something or other, you will know where to go.
As a prof, the one place I wish that more of my students would use is the writing lab. There are 2 good reasons to find out if your school has one, and if so, to USE IT.
- It never hurts to have someone objective look over your paper and point out problem areas. Students who use the writing lab tend to get higher marks than those who don’t. DUH!
- Having to get your essay done BEFORE it’s due so that you will have time to take it to the writing lab means that you are less likely to leave it until the last minute…and that is definitely a good thing.
Other resources to check out:
Student success or student support services - whatever they call them… there are often several components that come under this umbrella - job search/career counselling, health/counselling services, and accomodation services & support for those with specific learning, physical or health challenges.
It drives me crazy when I see students who clearly have organizational/learning difficulties opt to fail - or just scrape by - rather than identify as learning disabled and accessing available services. And there is SO much available! One of my favourite tools for school is Inspiration software … it is a powerful took for mindmapping and organization. There are many, many other resources available, and people specially trained to help you figure out what would specifically benefit you.
Mature Students Associations - resources - and often, social events, specific to mature students
Financial aid office - even if you don’t qualify for state/provincial/government assistance, there are often bursaries available to help out in an emergency. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.
Where were you when I went to college?