Story by Nadia Pulu
Spring semester is relatively busy, with graduation season approaching fast. Some may argue that it is even more active than the fall semester.
This can make it easy to miss out on important information, great opportunities and entertaining events.
Additionally, whether they transferred, it’s their first year, or simply their first time in person from previous online learning, there are a lot of new faces on campus this semester and it can be overwhelming to navigate California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB).
Staying in touch with your academic advisor is an easy and effective way to keep in the loop and find opportunities to meet new people.
Academic advisors Sharon Anderson and Gladys Cabadas, who had many recommendations for students who want to have the most successful semester possible. Here are their main points summarized:
Stay Connected: all students have a designated student email, yet not everyone checks theirs even though so much information is being sent to us almost daily.
Anderson explained “being a student is like a job. If your boss told you to check the information on the bulletin board, you wouldn’t just say ‘Oh, I don’t do bulletin boards.’”
Your emails are like information bulletin boards at work. You should periodically check them so that you have all the information you need to succeed at your job, which is school.
Get Involved: there are a variety of different clubs and organizations on campus. Specifically, there are 84 student clubs and 24 sports clubs at CSUMB.
Joining a club is a great way to meet new people with whom you’ll already have something in common, which is the interest in being a part of the same club.
This is a great way to build relationships and stay involved with what’s happening around campus.
Know your resources: sometimes, finding specific resources is difficult because you may not know exactly what you’re looking for, but finding the resources your campus offers is an excellent place to start.
You can find this information by visiting the CSUMB dashboard, asking a faculty member like your academic advisor or professor and checking your email for possible resource information.
Ask for help: it’s natural to feel some shame or embarrassment when asking for help.
Cabadas encourages students to ask for help stating, “don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you’re struggling with something, whether it’s a class or personal issue, it’s important to reach out to someone for help and support.”
Anderson reassured, “faculty, staff, we’re all here because we care about students and we want to support students” she later added, “your advisors can help you find the resources you need.”
Academic advisors are not just here to help students set up their class schedules or keep them on track to graduate.
Beyond that, academic advisors are here to support students with anything they need to help them succeed academically and personally.
They may only sometimes be able to help with specific things, but they will surely point you in the direction of someone who can.