Hello to all you fabulous readers of this blog! This week’s post is a look back at my experience as a Peer Counselor these last two years, plus some advice to First-Gen Students.

At the beginning, Peer Counseling was just a job for me. It was something that gave me extra money to help with gas and helped me not think about missing home. Then, as the months went on and the more time I spent with the other peer counselors, the more I realized that I could get through college. That, even though I might miss home and my community college life, I needed to be here. That I needed Missouri State as much as other students I knew did.

I am a First-Generation student, which is something you learn a lot about in this position at the Center for Academic Success and Transition. “You will go to college and you will get that diploma” – from a young age this was drilled into my head. When I left home for the first time in my life to go to college, it was scary and different. And I did not like it one bit. But as I worked closely with the other peer counselors and GAs, I realized that they will help you with anything and everything. You need a listening ear, they got you. You need to just sit in the office when it is not a scheduled day for you and just hang with them, then they will gladly let you.

Now on to those wise words from one First-Gen student to another…

The most important thing you need to remember is that there are plenty of people on campus that will help you through these stressful college years! The last thing you should do is set aside any dreams and give up on college altogether. There’s a whole world out there to explore and many opportunities begin with earning a college degree!

The following are tips I’ve pulled together and tried to remember myself:

• Embrace who you are! It is what makes you unique.
• Find highly motivated students in your classes to partner with. Especially if you are a Marketing Major (little secret – you will be doing a bunch of group projects!).
• Be proactive in financial assistance!
  • While there are a variety of different scholarship opportunities available each year to students, including some specifically for first-generation students at MSU, don’t expect them to just fall into your lap. You need to seek them out and/or apply for them.
• Get involved!
  • I cannot stress this enough. Apply for Hall Council if you live in a dorm, rush for a fraternity or sorority, and look on CampusLink for clubs that might interest you.
• Don’t overload yourself!
  • A common mistake is to not consider the time you’ll need outside of the classroom to complete your work. You might have a class that only meets once per week, but the out-of-classroom workload will be similar to classes that meet more frequently. Plan for a heavy load and adjust as necessary.
• Build your support system
  • Your time at MSU is an opportunity to go out on a limb and try something new that has always intrigued you. If it doesn’t work out, you’re in an environment that allows you to move on with relative ease to the next thing that interests you.
• Take smart chances
  • This ties into getting involved and seeking out academic help; both provide a great pool of peers and mentors who may be able to help you. This could also mean meeting with an Academic Coach or Peer Counselor through the Center for Academic Success and Transition (CAST). The CAST website has helpful information, too.
• Do NOT doubt yourself
  • (This one hits me hard, too.) Don’t worry! Remember that others around you are feeling the same emotions and don’t know what to expect either. College can be harder than high school.

Thank you for taking your time to read these blogs! This is Rhiannon Casey signing off for the last time. Good luck with your future college life!!

~Rhiannon

(Bio: My name is Rhiannon Casey, a transfer student from Arkansas State University. I am currently a Senior Marketing Major with an emphasis in Advertising and Promotions.)