Blog post written by Hunter Amo
As the first weeks of a new school year commence, I am once again thrilled by the number of first-year students that I see racing down hallways to find the right classroom and making multiple laps around the Mardigian Library to find the perfect place to sit. As a fourth-year student myself, with graduation right around the corner, I’m starting to feel like a protective older sibling every time I see a nervous first-year student. To remedy this sisterly instinct, I’ve created a list of the most important pieces of advice I could possibly bestow upon you newcomers—if all goes as planned, you will find them just as useful as I did.
DegreeWorks is your friend, not your foe
I recommend that everyone, including upperclassmen, get acquainted with DegreeWorks. For those unfamiliar with DegreeWorks, it’s a degree audit tool that you can find on Wolverine Access. It tells you how many credits, prerequisites, and requirements you need to graduate. This makes DegreeWorks the perfect website for testing out potential class schedules, creating a graduation plan, and keeping track of your GPA. This is especially useful for appointments with your advisors! UM-Dearborn’s advisors are friendly and super helpful, and utilizing DegreeWorks will help you be more prepared for those meetings and informed on what classes you want to take.
Everyone has the first-day jitters
Just because we upperclassmen are a bit older doesn’t mean we don’t get nervous! Most of the people you talk to in the first few weeks of a new semester are similarly stressed and anxious about their upcoming classes, difficult assignments, and meeting unfamiliar people. My best piece of advice is to give it time. Things start to settle in the second and third weeks, and you will find yourself falling into an easy rhythm of school-work-relax. Use this as an opportunity to bond with your classmates and unfamiliar faces lingering around the halls—don’t let your nerves make you miss opportunities for connection.
Invest in yourself
Only you can decide what tools you should invest in for your education. Ask yourself some of these questions: How do I absorb information best? What do I need to focus on while studying? What resources should I take advantage of? What things do I need to bring with me to class? Personally, I can’t leave the house without my earbuds and some sort of snack in my backpack (usually a granola bar), which I have learned the hard way after having my stomach growl one too many times in class. Because everyone is unique, the combination of school supplies you might need is endless: if you are the type of student who prefers handwritten notes, get some high-quality pens and notebooks — which you can get at UM-Dearborn’s bookstore located in the Renick University Center (RUC).
Office hours aren’t as boring as they sound
Those who are as independent as I was in my first year of college might think that there’s no point in going to office hours unless you receive a poor grade in a class. The truth is that there are many perks to dropping in at office hours, even if it takes up a bit of free time. Professors can help you with tricky assignments, be a willing participant in an interview project for another class, tell you about the ins and outs of university life, write recommendations, and guide you through career searches. Some of the best conversations I’ve had with professors have been during office hours, where I drop in to ask them questions about their educational journeys and how they ended up as a professor in their field of study. It’s great insight into the subject matter and has helped me choose meaningful jobs while being a student, which prepares me for life after college.
Your major doesn’t have to be permanent
Some incoming first-year students have a solid idea of what their future looks like, and that’s reflected in their confident choice of major. The rest of us probably chose a major at random with the hope of either: a) falling in love with it or b) finding something better along the way. When I started university, I was a communications major at a school three hours away from home; now I’m an English major in the next city over from my childhood home. A bachelor’s degree is 120 credits and four years of college—that means you have a long time to experiment with unique classes, build rapport with professors, and discover what interests you as a new adult. Don’t stress over disliking or being unsure about your major in your first year of university. This is a great time to get your general education requirements out of the way while dabbling in fun electives.
Here’s a bonus list of some self-explanatory (yet significant) rules of thumb that I’ve learned to live by:
- Always carry a water bottle
- Take advantage of resources like the library and wellness center
- Join WhatsApp groups with your classmates
- Don’t skip reading the syllabus
- Try using a calendar or planner
