Welcome to all of our newest panthers! Everyone is thrilled that you are here! Welcome back to all of current panther students, faculty, and staff. We would not be
UNI without
U.
As the first week of classes are wrapping up, we hope that you have done a few things to get yourself started off on the right foot.
1. Keep going to all your classes. Attendance can make or break your grades in college. Also, once you start skipping for invalid reasons, it becomes easier to keep missing. With in-state tuition costing $7,098 a year/2 semesters/15 weeks/3 times a week (MWF Class) = $78.86 per class if you skip. Skip on a T/Th and it cost you $118.30. Only skip if you have a valid reason like illness or other university sponsored event.
2. Keep organized with some sort of to-do list. Whether you use a paper planner, Excel, Google Sheets, or Sticky Notes, knowing what you need to be doing for class is essential to being a successful student. You may try an Excel sheet and find that a paper planner works for you. You do not need to use all of them, just one faithfully.
3. You get to know your professors. UNI prides itself on being a school that puts students first. While other universities prioritize research over students, UNI does not. Talk to your professors before class, after class, or during their office hours.
4. Keep and use your Syllabus. Speaking of office hours, those should be on your syllabus! That nifty paper that tells you who the professor is, when their office hours are, when assignments are due, and how to best get a hold of the professor if you need to contact them. Never through this priceless paper away.
5. Get to know your RA. If you are living in the dorms, get to know your RA. Why did they choose to become an RA? What's their favorite thing to do on campus? What is their major? Your RA is an amazing resource that is right down the hall. Even if you have a question that they cannot answer, they can help you find someone with the answer!
6. Use UNI's Resources. UNI has an abundant of resources to make your college experience amazing and successful. From the Academic Learning Center in the ITTC to teach you tools to succeed in your college courses to the Financial Aid office in Gilchrist to make sure you are on the correct money track. Everyone is rooting for you to succeed here and we will always find someone to help, you just have to ask.
7. Keep eating good food! Food is fuel and your body needs fuel to run. College can be busy and tasking on your body. Take advantage of all the different foods available on campus. Whether it's grabbing a salad in the union or remember to eat some fruit with breakfast, properly feed your body so that you can succeed mentally and physically in your classes.
8. Stay Hydrated. Sometimes we forgot how important water is to our bodies. 8 cups x 8 times a days = 64 fluid ounces that your body needs to think. Being dehydrated not only hurts your digestion, but also how you focus and retain information in classes or studying.
9. Set a Sleep Schedule. College students are the most sleep deprived population in the United States. Try getting into a schedule of when you go to bed and when you get up in the morning. Even if you have class at 10am on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, then 12:30pm on Tuesday and Thursdays, you should still try to wake up at 9am every morning.
10. Have Fun and Get Involved! College is a time when you get to explore many different interests, events, and ideas, all within arms reach on campus. On September 15, there will be a Student Organization Fair outside of the Union (Rain location: Maucker Union) and you can talk to people in social, academic, or political organizations until you find your fit from 11am - 1pm.
Ask Questions, Good Luck, and Go Panthers!
