The
Minnesota State University Mankato
www.msureporter.com
TUESDAY AUGUST 22, 2017
How to rock your semester in five easy steps Five tips on how students can make the most of their semester
STEPHANIE VOGEL Staff Writer Adjusting to college can be both stressful and exciting. As a senior at Minnesota State University, Mankato, I have had a few years of experience with the first week of school and getting used to a new routine. Here are five tips on how freshmen, transfer, and returning students can adjust to life as a college student: 1. Don’t be afraid to make new friends. You might be tempted to stick with what or who you know, to go back to the same friend groups you had last year, or to cling tightly to high school friends. Here’s my advice: expand your horizon. It’s not bad to keep old friends, but reaching out to befriend strangers will increase your social skills and self-confidence. Getting to know someone who has different interests, beliefs, or skills will allow you to learn new things and increase your compassion for others. You can’t judge a person on first glance or from hearsay – you have to get to know them as a person.
Photo courtesy of MNSU Photo Library 2. Join a club or organization. Joining a club can help you learn a new skill and make new friends. Last year, I decided to go to the Swing Dance club in the CSU Ballroom on Monday nights starting at 9 p.m. I had made a friend from work who invited me to come the first time and I ended up enjoying it. I didn’t know that I even liked swing dancing until I tried it. This is only one
example of the many things you can try on campus. Other clubs to try include the Fencing club, Ultimate Frisbee, Bridges (where you’ll meet international students), the Water Polo Club, or a fraternity or sorority, just to name a few. A list of student organizations can be found at http:// m s u m a n k a t o s t u d e n t l i f e. orgsync.com/. 3. Stick to a schedule.
When you’re in school, it can be easy to fall behind on homework, sleep, or personal hygiene. Try to develop a schedule; for example, I’m going to do homework at 4 p.m., no matter how lazy I feel. Then I will for sure get at least part of it done and not feel so rushed to finish all of it at the last minute. I will eat at 6 p.m. so I’m not hungry. I will hang out with friends after that. Then, at 11 p.m.,
I will go to bed so that I get enough sleep. Writing down the schedule and crossing things off after you finish them will give you a sense of accomplishment. I’ve found that sticking to a schedule, even if you have to make a different one every day, is a lot easier than wasting a lot of time, then realizing that you only have an hour to meet a deadline. It’s okay to stay up late some nights, but if you’re staying up until 4 in the morning every night, it’s time to put away Netflix and catch some much needed zzz’s. Getting at least seven hours of sleep will improve your mental health, concentration skills, and overall well-being. Believe me, I know from experience. 4. Exercise. It can get very tiring, sitting and staring at the blank Word document on your computer for hours at a time, trying to think of an idea for a paper. To get your brain moving, it is healthy to
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Orientation is an important step for incoming students
MARJAN HUSSEIN Staff Writer Orientation is getting acquainted with one’s environment, acquiring the sense of how to navigate new surroundings and obtaining the knowledge of how to access resources needed for one to succeed. College life is a hassle for any student and locating where one is required as well as finding
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resources proves to be a challenge especially for new students. College orientation is specifically designed for new students to enlighten them on what they need to know in order to enable their college experience to be a breeze. Orientation at Minnesota State University is handled by the office of New Student and Family Programs which is under the department of Student Affairs and the process is not only informative but also fascinating. Jeremy Riesenberg, the Assistant Director of Orientation and Transition programs states that the
office houses a multitude of various divisions mainly geared towards any new student at MNSU. “New students can
Riesenberg said. “Our main goal is to be a one-stop shop for students and family to acquire the resources needed to progress, act as a
“College orientation is specifically designed for new students to enlightened them on what they need to know in order to enable their college experience to be a breeze.” be anyone from a transfer student to a completely fresh student out of high school student looking to further their education in college,”
guide through the process of coming to college and always be present as well as reliable to new students throughout their first years in college or
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more.” The office of New Student and Family Programs usually takes on students after they are admitted and connects them to the resources and services, as well as opportunities, they need at MNSU. There are different types of orientation that the office of New Student and Family Programs offers, according to Riesenberg. First, there is the New Student Orientation
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Have a story idea or a comment? EMAIL
News Editor Alissa Thielges alissa.thielges@mnsu.edu