{How to: Beat Homesickness}

If you are feeling a little homesick, know that it is normal. You are in a place, away from the comfort of your family and friends, and unsure of your place at UNI. Most people find themselves feeling lonely and missing home. Here are a few tips for beating homesickness.

1. Frame your family. And friends too! Waking up to their picture by your alarm clock or a collage on your desk will spark memories and create emotions that help you remember that you are not alone. 

2. Fix your thinking. Feeling homesick can be overwhelming and can consume your every thought. Focus on thinking postively by listing out what you are enjoying about college thus far or brainstorm ways you can getmore connected.

3. Hang around on the weekends. You may think that staying on campus is the last  way to combat homesickness. But in fact, those who go home every weekend never really adjust to life away and can feel even deeper pangs of homesickness. The stronger network you have at UNI, the better you will feel about being away from home. 

4. Invite someone from home to visit. This can give you some quality time with a friend, significant other or family member you really miss while also getting you excited about sharing your new environment with them. Double whammy!

5. You are really not alone. There are instances when you will truly feel like you are on a deserted island, but in fact your are not. Remember that almost every other student is feeling or has felt the same way, and there are people on campus (RA's, advisors, counseling services) who are available to help you through your rough patches.

6. Invite your family to Family Weekend! Family weekend is a great chance to stay around campus and enjoy the atmosphere with all of the excitement. But it is an even better chance to have your family apart of the celebration. They can have lunch with you, go visit the college your major is a part of, check out the game, and much more! Learn more about Family Weekend here and be sure to invite your family!

{Career Fair}

Today is the day! The Career Fair is happening on-campus and as a freshman, you can attend! This is a chance for you to talk with some employers and learn about the variety of majors that they are hiring. 

What: Career Fair
When: September 25 11:00-3:00
Where: McLeod Center

Stop by and learn more!

Busting Myths About the Career Fair

The fall UNI Career Fair is September 25 from 11:00-3:00 in the McLeod Center. To prepare you for your fair visit, we've busted some common college career fair myths.

Myth #1: Upperclassmen Only.
The UNI Career Fair is actually for all grade levels. Freshmen attend the fair to start networking, learn about career paths, and gain confidence.

Myth #2: Only for business majors.
Though it is true that business majors have plenty of opportunities, there are still employers looking for all majors.  In fact, Career Services gives signs to all employers that say, "ALL MAJORS" to help students approach employers.

Myth #3: I don't even know what to say, I'll just go next year.
Let Career Services help you! There is still time to come in to the office to have your resume reviewed and prepare you for meeting with employers. You can even email your resume to careerservices@uni.edu!

Good luck at the fair, for more information check out http://www.uni.edu/careerservices/students/rcl/.

{Major Mondays: Biology}

Do you love science? Maybe have an interest in the environment, human body or animals? If you do, then you should consider majoring in biology! 

If you are interested in Biology you can consider several different majors and minors with the major emphases being biomedical, teaching or ecology and evolution. As a student in this field, you could do your own scientific research, take field trips to natural and agricultural areas or do summer research at different locations.

What do you do with a major in Biology? Biology students can pursue a wide variety of careers. Two of the obvious choices would be teaching or becoming a medical doctor. Other possible areas include careers with private or government agencies that work with endangered species recovery or ecological restoration. You could also work in a zoo, botanical gardens, nature center or museum. The choice is yours!

What classes would you take? Biology students take many science classes including chemistry, physics and general biology. You would also take Genetics, Calculus and Evolution, Ecology and the Nature of Science. The emphasis that you choose determines what many of your courses will be.

You can gather more information on their website here!

{Homecoming: Part 2}

The big weekend is here! Here's a schedule of the activities for the weekend. Don't forget to see what your residence hall is up to as well!

Friday, September 19
7:00            Women's Soccer vs. Grand View
                    Cedar Valley Youth Soccer Complex
7:00            Women's Volleyball vs. Loyola
                    McLeod Center
9:30            Pep Rally
                    McLeod Center
Midnight    Campaniling
                    Campanile

Saturday, September 20
8:00am         Panther Pacers 5K
                      Intramural Field
10:00-4:00   Campus Buildings Open for Viewing
11:00am       Homecoming Parade
                       View the Parade Route here
 12:30-3:30  Student Tailgate
                       Bender Field
4:00               Football vs. Northern Colorado
                       UNI-Dome
7:00               Women's Volleyball vs. Bradley
                       McLeod Center

Sunday, September 21
1:00              Women's Soccer vs. South Dakota
                     * A university van will shuttle students to the match. Pick up is at 12pm in the Strayer-Wood Theatre Driveway

{Question}

What is your favorite time and place to nap on campus?

Comment and Share!

{On-Campus Tutors}

Campus Events: International Opportunities Fair

Thinking about Study Abroad? At the International Opportunities Fair, you can learn about study abroad opportunities and meet past participants, faculty, and staff. Information about financial aid, scholarships, credit transfer, and international travel will be there. Some of the trips represented are short 2-4 week trips or semester long. Start thinking about study abroad now and attend the fair!

Who: You!
Time: 11:00am to 4:00pm
Date: Wednesday, September 17th (Tomorrow!)
Where: Maucker Union Ballroom

Be sure to check it out!

{Homecoming Week}

Guess what today is the start off? Homecoming Week! All week long the campus will be busy with activities and events for students. It all starts tonight with the Kickoff/Pride Cry event. Come to Lawther Field at 5:30 to kickoff Homecoming! After Pride Cry, make your way to Bender Field for an Outdoor Movie starting at 9:00.

Check out the rest of the great events on the Homecoming website here!

{Major Mondays: Family Services}

What is Family Services? Family Services is an area that looks at patterns of family functioning and how these influence individual behavior. This includes looking at family relationships and other contextual factors and how those influence us as people. 

What do you do with a major in Family Services? Individuals in this field may go on to work in human services type fields or attend graduate school. You may work in prevention and early intervention areas. Some specific areas include child abuse prevention programs, hospitals, family life education programs, child and adolescent treatment facilities, social services specialist, teen pregnancy prevention program assistant and many others.

What classes would you take? You would take a variety of family services courses. Human Identity and Relationships, Family Relationships, Family Life Education and Interpersonal Relationship Dynamics are just some of the courses you may take.

You can gather more information on their website here! Their website contains information regarding possible careers, grad school options, major and minor requirements, the advisors, faculty and staff, and much more!

Start Studying!

If you haven't had your first test of the semester, the odds are that it's coming up in the next couple of weeks. Learn from this student's mistakes and start studying now! Even just half an hour each night makes a big difference on test day. If you're struggling with figuring out the study strategy that is best for you, try a free workshop offered through the Academic Learning Center. You can learn more here!

{A Letter to You}

Volunteer Fair

It is the time of year for having a few fairs on campus. Today  we have the UNI Volunteer Fair! This semester the fair will be bringing more than 50 local nonprofit organizations to be at the fair.

        Who: You!
        What: UNI Volunteer Fair
        When: Wednesday, September 10th 10:30-1:00
        Where: Maucker Union

Volunteering is a great way to get involved on campus. It's great for the Community and great for you! Some benefits include:

• Meeting new people
• Helping the community
• Resume building & networking
• You may even discover a major you hadn't considered!

 There are many great ways to volunteer in the community and the best way to learn about them is by going to the Volunteer Fair. Stop on by between classes and check it out!

Friday Fun

Enjoy a simple but accurate view of the college cycle :)

[Question]

What is something you learned from your first week at UNI?

Comment and Share!

Get involved!

Looking to get involved but don't know where to start? Check out the Student Organization Fair!

        Who: You!
        What: Student Organization Fair
        When: Wednesday, September 3rd 10:00-2:00
        Where: Outside of Maucker Union

Getting involved on campus has many great benefits for you:

• Meet people with similar interests
• Being involved helps with time management skills
• Helps you discover passions and strengths
• Feel connected to UNI
• Typically, being involved helps you get better grades

As you can see, the benefits are wonderful. Just go check it out because you never know what amazing Student Organization you might find!


Benefits extracted from usnews.com article by Julie Mayfield and Lindsey Mayfield