Professors are one of the most beneficial resources for ensuring your success in college, yet most students are too intimidated to take advantage of the help they can provide.  Much of that intimidation comes from students not knowing how to interact with their faculty.  Here are some tips you can use to successfully connect with your professors.

1. Call them by the right title. 
   Be respectful and refer to your professor by the name or title they’ve requested.  If your professor announces herself as Dr. Smith, it’s disrespectful to call her Jane (unless she tells you it’s OK).
2. Be prepared – professors are not mind readers. 
   If you are visiting your professor’s office hours for help (and you should), have your questions prepared in advance and bring any necessary materials with you.  Clearly explain what you need help with; don’t make him or her figure it out for you.  Your professor will appreciate that you’ve used your time together efficiently and will be able to provide you the best assistance possible.
3. Be honest—professors have heard everything.
   Professors have heard every tired excuse for missed assignments and class absences under the sun.  Show them that you respect them by being open and honest.  Most are more than willing to help those students who take responsibility for their mistakes.
4. Be careful about HOW you ask questions.
   Professors bristle when they hear questions like “Is this on the test?” and “Did anything important happen during the class I missed?”  The first question makes it sound like the asker is more interested in a grade than in learning, and the second question implies that the professors talks about unimportant topics in class.  Phrase your questions so that they don’t insult or offend your professor.  Read this for more things you shouldn’t say to your professor.
5. You don’t attend Hogwarts, and your professor isn’t Harry Potter. 
   Don’t expect your professor to work magic for you.  If you are struggling in a class, don’t expect to be able to complete extra credit work (unless your professor has offered it).  They also won’t be able to teach you an entire semester’s worth of material in a couple of weeks just because you waited until the end of the semester to ask for help.
6. Be professional.
   Professors will interact with their students in different ways—some are very formal, others slightly more casual.  Regardless, you should never be too informal with your instructors; they don’t want to hear about the crazy parties you attended or see you come to class in revealing or dirty clothing.
7. Talk to your professors early and often.
   Be proactive; speak with your professor early in the semester to establish a good relationship and visit them as soon as you have questions or problems in the course.  Many students wait until very late in the semester to ask for help.  Usually, at that point far too much time has passed for a professor to be able to help them.

For more tips about connecting with professors, read the article 13 Ways to Make Your Professor Love You.  Just remember to be genuine; professors can tell when a student is trying to flatter them for a grade.

Looking for a way to develop friendships with other incoming freshmen?  Interested in studying topics that relate to multiple subjects?  Want to get to know faculty members in small class settings?  Then curricular learning communities are what you are looking for!

Curricular learning communities are small groups of first-year students enrolled in two or more courses linked by  integrated themes and assignments, a collaborative team of faculty, and—in some communities—a peer leader.

These communities allow students the opportunity to connect and develop friendships with each other, work more closely with faculty, and take part in learning experiences which apply in-class learning to real-world problems and issues.  Curricular learning communities integrate different classes with each other, promote critical thinking, and include social activities that link classroom experience with fun and rewarding activities both on and off campus.

Curricular learning communities have been shown to increase students’ academic achievement, motivation, intellectual development, learning, critical thinking, and involvement in the campus community.

More information about learning communities can be found at www.missouristate.edu/FirstYearPrograms/66155.htm.  You can enroll in a curricular learning community during your SOAR session; ask your SOAR advisor and leaders for more information.

Students coming from high school often have varying degrees of knowledge about what academic or career path they would like to take and what experiences and courses will help them meet their goals.  Luckily, academic advisors are here to provide you with some assistance in finding answers to those big questions.

Advisors help students develop meaningful educational plans as they pursue their life goals. They also serve as resources; advisors give students information about coursework, University policies and procedures, the Public Affairs mission, and career options and opportunities.  Advisors are also great sounding boards.  Having a problem in a course?  University processes proving difficult to figure out?  Events in your personal life affecting your academic performance?  Talk these issues over with your advisor.  While he or she may not be able to help you directly, your advisor can usually provide you with valuable information, resources, or suggestions.

However, advisors cannot do their work without your participation in the advising relationship.  To truly benefit from it, it is helpful to know what roles your advisor and you play in the process.  Let’s take a look at these roles.

• Advisors should be knowledgeable about and answer questions about academic policies, procedures, and degree requirements; students should also learn as much about these things as possible.
• Advisors should encourage students to think about and express themselves concerning their educational plans and career and life goals.  Students should provide their advisor with accurate and honest information about their interests, passions, talents and goals.
• Students should respond to advisor’s communications and be fully prepared to attend scheduled meetings with relevant information needed for decision-making.  Advisors should be reasonably available to meet with and assist students through office hours, email, and telephone communications.
• Students should notify advisors of any changes in or obstacles to academic performance.  Advisors should discuss your academic progress with you and offer suggestions for help.  They should also make appropriate referrals to resources that can help if they cannot.
• After each meeting, advisors should create an advising note detailing topics discussed and recommended actions to take.  Students should review this note and follow through on actions identified.
• Advisors should encourage students to make their own decisions; students should accept final responsibility for any decisions they make or do not make.

Few people on campus have as great an impact on your success as a student as your academic advisor.  In fact, we feel advising is so important that we require all students who have fewer than 75 completed credit hours to meet with their advisor at least once before registering each semester; we recommend meeting with your advisor as often as you need assistance, though.

For more information about academic advisement, visit www.missouristate.edu/advising.

If you aren’t from the area, you may wonder what there is to do in Springfield, the home of Missouri State University’s main campus.  The city and surrounding Ozarks provide numerous services and activities one would expect from the state’s third-largest city.

Entertainment
Among the entertainment perks, Springfield supports a symphony, ballet, art museum, theater and even an opera. The Juanita K. Hammons Hall for Performing Arts brings Broadway plays and internationally known entertainers to campus. Less than a mile from campus and accessible by Bear Line shuttles, downtown is the scene for live music, great dining, and cultural events. On any given weekend, there may be 30 or more bands playing around town. Be sure to check out First Friday Art Walk, downtown’s monthly art festival.

Shopping
If you are a shopping enthusiast, Battlefield Mall is the place for you. It’s one of the largest indoor shopping centers in the state, with more than 190 stores. Around town, there are nearly 1,500 retail outlets to match your shopping interests, including trendy boutiques and art galleries downtown and the environmentally friendly Green Circle Shopping Center. Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, one of Missouri’s largest tourist attractions, is the place to get your gear for outdoor fun.

Sports and Recreation
Mediacom Ice Park Springfield’s indoor ice-skating rink, has brought a new dimension of indoor entertainment to the area. You can enjoy recreational skating or cheer on the Missouri State Ice Bears, a club team within the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Hammons Field is home to Springfield’s professional baseball team, the Springfield Cardinals, as well as the Missouri State Baseball Bears. The Cardinals team is the St. Louis Cardinals AA affiliate and a member of the Texas League of professional baseball clubs. If outdoor activity is more your style, the Springfield Conservation Nature Center and Ozark Greenways provide excellent opportunities to stay active and enjoy the area’s natural resources.

Want more information about Springfield and the resources it has to offer?  Visit our Convention and Visitors’ Bureau website.

The BearCLAW (Center for Learning and Writing) is Missouri State’s premier resource for academic assistance.  It provides students with several resources to help them improve their learning, skills, and—of course—grades.

Think you might need some help with a course you’re taking?  The BearCLAW provides subject-area tutors for over a hundred different courses at Missouri State.  To work with the BearCLAW, these tutors must have earned a B in the course they want to tutor, maintain an overall 3.00 GPA, and have a reference from a faculty member from the academic department they tutor in; these qualifications ensure that the tutor you work with will be able to provide you great help.

In addition to scheduled tutor sessions, the BearCLAW also has a math drop-in table for quick help with questions you have about math courses.  No appointments are needed to receive help at the drop-in table.

Another facet of the BearCLAW, the Writing Center assists students with all types of assigned writing projects.  Research papers, essays, creative writing, presentations, résumés—if you were assigned to write it for a class, the Writing Center will help you with it.  Their highly trained and helpful peer writing consultants will help you review your goals for the assignment and make suggestions about how your draft can better meet those goals.

Make appointments to meet with either a BearCLAW tutor or a Writing Center consultant by visiting the Academics tab on your My Missouri State page and clicking the TutorTrac link located in the Learning Commons channel.

To see more about the BearCLAW, check out the short video below.

You may have asked yourself, “What makes Missouri State University unique?  What distinguishes it from other institutions?”  What sets this institution apart from many others is its statewide mission in public affairs.

The public affairs mission guides the University as it develops students and prepares them to become citizens aware of public issues and committed to improving the world around them.  The three components of the public affairs mission are:

• Ethical leadership is striving for excellence and integrity as one continually develops ethical and moral reasoning while contributing to the common good.  Ethical leaders have the courage to live by their principles in all parts of their personal and professional lives.

• Cultural Competence begins with cultural self-awareness and expands to knowledge of, respect for, and skills to engage with those of other cultures.  Culturally competent individuals respect multiple perspectives and are able to successfully negotiate cross-cultural differences.

• Community Engagement is recognizing needs in the communities within which one belongs, then contributing knowledge and working with the community to meet those needs.  Community engagement requires extending beyond one’s self for the betterment of the community – a process that fosters greater awareness and personal growth.

The public affairs mission is important to the University community, and we regularly celebrate it.  Missouri State introduces a new public affairs theme each academic year, and programs and events related to that theme are created.  Students enrolled in GEP 101: First-Year Foundations read a common book that connects to the theme.  In the fall semester, students plan and implement Public Affairs Week, which features discussions of public affairs issues and problems.  The Public Affairs Conference, held each spring semester, hosts respected speakers who help participants explore issues related to the theme.

In addition to special events like these, faculty members infuse discussions of public affairs issues into courses, programs, and experiences.  Individual students and student organizations also contribute by participating in volunteer experiences, raising awareness of issues, and participating in leadership activities.  Public affairs is woven into the fabric of Missouri State University.

We encourage you to learn more about our public affairs mission by visiting publicaffairs.missouristate.edu.

If you’ve registered for your SOAR session, you’re probably wondering what you need to do to get ready to attend. (If you haven’t registered, visit our registration page and return when you’ve done so.  We’ll wait for you.)  We’ve got a number of resources to help you prepare.

First, make sure you review our SOAR Checklist.  This page lists a number of tasks you should complete prior to attending SOAR. Some of these tasks—if not accomplished—will prevent you from registering for classes at SOAR; submitting an application for housing or an exemption to the housing policy.  Most will help you make your SOAR experience  and your transition to Missouri State a smooth and successful one.  Make sure to read over the Checklist as soon as possible, as some of the tasks will take some time to complete.

Second, find out what you need to bring to SOAR and get your parking pass and directions to SOAR. These two pages will give you information on arriving at SOAR with essential items.

We hope these resources help you prepare.  If you have questions, be sure to contact our office so we can help answer them!

Welcome to the Missouri State University community!  We’re thrilled you will be joining us for the upcoming semester.  You can prepare for your first year by attending Student Orientation, Advisement & Registration (or SOAR, as it is known here).

A brochure filled with information regarding SOAR is on its way to you now via mail, but you can also view our brochure online.  Once you’ve reviewed the brochure, register for your own SOAR session by clicking the Register for a SOAR Session link on the Academics tab of your MyMissouriState portal.  Detailed information about registering can be found on our registration page.

We recommend that you register for a SOAR session as soon as possible; doing so will enable you to choose from the widest range of dates.  Registering for the first date that fits your schedule will provide you more options regarding course times and offerings.  We encourage you to register for your session online; however, if you are experiencing difficulties doing so, please contact the SOAR office at (888) 352-6781 or (417) 836-7641 and a staff member will assist you.

We’re excited to meet you at SOAR!