Archives for October 2021

Fall 2021 Week 10 – Michael

October 27, 2021 by Michael Rexroad

Why Should You Meet with a Peer Mentor?

My goal for every blog post is to share experiences and give helpful tips that readers can use to be successful. This is related to my job as a Peer Mentor!* A main focus of my job is to help students find academic and personal success here at MSU. Today, I want to share a few things about why meeting with a peer mentor is a great idea and how it might benefit you!

We Are Here for You

When a student meets with a peer mentor, our goal will be to find ways to address issues that may be bothering the student. We always take the time to get to know the people we meet with and understand how the situation may be affecting their success. When it comes to making a solution, it’s all about what the student wants to do, not what we think! Throughout a meeting, we talk about goals, future directions and changes that the student is comfortable making that could improve the situation.

What Can We Do?

Peer mentors have many methods for aiding a student. Peer mentors have skills in meeting one-on-one with students, which allow us to hold good conversations, maintain good listening skills and use the conversation to reach an overall goal for the student. Along with this, we have a good knowledge of campus resources and faculty, so we can connect students with other resources that could help the student find answers.

How and When Can You See a Peer Mentor?

Let us know you are interested by filling out the peer mentor request form.

If you have more questions or need assistance with the form, you can email CAST@MissouriState.edu or come by Meyer Library 116.

Set up a time to meet with us.

After we receive your request to meet with a peer mentor, we’ll contact you to set up a meeting. We do our best to be flexible and find the best time for you. We’ll meet however works best for you!

Come back and see us again.

After our meeting, you will be able to go off and do awesome! However, always feel free to come back and let us know how you are doing or even tell us other ways we can help you.

I hope this gives you a good idea about what a peer mentor can do and how this could be beneficial to your own success. If you have more questions, feel free to come by the office or email us! As always, thank you for reading.

*My job title changed recently from Peer Counselor to Peer Mentor; you may see the Peer Counselor title used in older blog posts.

(Bio: My name is Michael Rexroad, a transfer student from Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. I am a senior currently studying cell and molecular biology with a minor in chemistry.)

The Daily Life of an Online Student (Fall 2021, Week 9)

October 19, 2021 by Alexandria Givens

Hello Bears,

We are rolling into week nine after the chaos that was week eight, at least for me. I hope your semester at Missouri State is going well and that you are excited about what’s to come.

Due to the pandemic, I have been an online student these last few semesters and I’ve been actively figuring out how I operate during the day and with each individual class that I’m taking. I’ve discovered that being online and being on campus are two entirely different experiences. For this blog post, I thought I would give you a look at my daily life as an online student. Hopefully, you find my daily life to be a little interesting — I know I do.

The Daily Life of an Online Student (Me!!)

7 a.m. – 8 a.m.

I wake up for the day around 7:30 or 7:45 a.m. I like to help my mom in the morning with getting my little brother and sister ready for school. I often go along for drop off so I can spend a little time with them before seeing them off.

8 a.m. – 10 a.m.

After dropping off my siblings, my mom and I spend some time talking about the day or things that have been going on. While we are in the car, I usually make phone calls or schedule meetings, such as with my advisor.

10 a.m. – noon

My mom and I make a couple stops on the way home; it’s easier to get in and out when it’s just the two of us. We typically get groceries, shop for clothes and just eyeball shops to see what they are offering. We may eat breakfast out or get something to have at home. I spend most of my mornings with my mom and my sister because we don’t usually have any other time free.

Noon – 1 p.m.

This is the time when I typically have my meetings, plan which assignments I’m going to do for the week and handle emails or things that I need to do for my job. I work as a peer mentor for the Center of Academic Success and Transition, so I could be drafting a blog post, filling out my timesheet or checking in with students. I’ve found that my afternoons have become the most chaotic for me as an online student, so the more organized I can be, the better.

1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

During this time, I’ll work on my assignments. I could be taking notes, reading, typing up a discussion board or even taking a quiz. I start with the assignments that are a priority; otherwise, I might forget about an assignment or think that I have done it already. At some point I’ll also get a snack and take a break from sitting at my desk.

4 p.m. – 5 p.m.

I try to have lunch at this time so I can take my eyes off my laptop and catch up on some tv shows. (I’ve learned that if I don’t have a set time for lunch, I will sit at my desk all day.) If I’m not in the mood to eat or if I finish early, I might take a nap.

5 p.m. – 7 p.m.

These next few hours, I help my mom with my siblings again, especially with my younger brother and his fourth-grade homework. My mom and I will also see my dad off to work.

7 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Unless I have an assignment that I couldn’t get to or that’s due at midnight, I usually spend this time with my siblings. We’ll watch a movie or play games like Uno or Roblox.

8 p.m. – 9 p.m.

I eat dinner, take a hot shower and spend some time reading. Nights are when I take the most time for myself and attempt to unwind from any stress from the day. I like to read, so you can catch me reading a mystery book, my Bible or a textbook for class so that I’m ahead in the reading.

9 p.m. – 11 p.m.

I could be doing anything but typically I’m getting some clothes washed and cleaning the disaster that is my room. With online classes, I have to keep everything orderly so that I can keep up with all my classes and all the papers that I need. I do sometimes work on assignments at night, if something is due or if I want to work ahead.

11 p.m. – midnight

I should be asleep and on my way to dreamland or watching some television to help me get there.

Takeaways for the Week

Everyone has their own daily routines. Take some time to think about how you operate throughout the week because it can help you in the long run. Taking notes on what you do during the day can help you figure out when you are the most productive and what you need to do to get your work done.

See you next post! There are some interesting topics coming up.

~Alexandria

(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a Senior Business major at Missouri State University.)

Fall 2021 Week 8 – Michael

October 14, 2021 by Michael Rexroad

Wherever the Road Takes Me

College is all about learning, meeting new people and preparing for a career one day. In some cases, so much goes on over those four (or more) years of undergrad that we forget it ends at some point. During that time, it’s easy to lay back and hope that we end up where we are supposed to be. Having a good plan, however, can help ensure we’ll get there! Today I want to share some ways to start thinking about the future and tips to prepare for life post-graduation.

Where Do You See Yourself in Five Years?

This is a common question asked during job interviews, but also a good one to help you think about life post-graduation. For some students, it is not an easy decision. A medical student may want to be a surgeon or physician; a business student may want to work in finance or business management. The first big step is figuring out what you could see yourself doing. Each of us has unique skills and personalities that will fit somewhere. And in a lot of ways, it is easy to see yourself doing something that sounds fun or interesting.

Experiencing a particular job can be a useful way to figure out if that job would be a good choice for you. This can include internships, meeting with a professional in a certain field or shadowing hours. For any future job, it is important to know what you’re getting into. You may figure out that a job you didn’t think you would like is actually a great fit for you!

How Do I Start Looking?

My Career Path on your MSU account
- MSU’s Career Center has lots of excellent resources for exploring careers, including assistance searching for internships and related experiences.
- On your Missouri State account, you can go to the student tab, scroll to the bottom and find the My Career Path section. Here you will find resources such as your Missouri State Handshake account, programs at MSU and even a direct link to the Career Center where you can make meetings!

Talk with your academic advisor
- Academic advisors meet with and see hundreds of students graduate every year. Advisors have a lot of information on what helps students succeed, what opportunities are available, where internships and shadowing are open, and more!
Talk with your professors
- To me, professors are a highly overlooked resource for guidance on career exploration. They are professionals in the fields they teach, making them banks of knowledge about the things you may be wondering about.

A Clear Path

After getting experience and talking with different people, it can become much clearer where you want to end up in the future. You can then plan whether you want (or need) to go to graduate school, medical school, training programs or other post-graduation education or if you’ll be ready to get into the job field immediately after graduating.

Deciding on your future isn’t something that always comes easy. So, when you are out there trying to figure out where you may end up after graduation, make sure you take your time and choose something that you will enjoy!

(Bio: My name is Michael Rexroad, a transfer student from Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City. I am a senior currently studying cell and molecular biology with a minor in chemistry.)

Maintaining Relationships (Fall 2021, Week 7)

October 7, 2021 by Alexandria Givens

Maintaining Relationships

Being a college student at Missouri State is a different experience every single year; however, some of the same challenges do return each year, like maintaining relationships. Maintaining relationships can be the key to not only your happiness but also your college success. Relationships can create a support system and help you to have people to talk to or share your ups and downs with. College is usually the start to your independence and living on your own but communicating with people that are important to you is also a critical part of college life. In this week’s post, I’m going to give you my top three tips for maintaining relationships; these tips have helped me out over the last three years and could help you, too.

Advice/Tips For Maintaining Relationships

1. Take time to communicate

This is straight-forward–if you want to maintain your relationships, you have to make efforts to communicate. Communicating can take different forms so don’t just limit yourself to phone calls and text messages. Use new apps or go traditional and start sending weekly letters or packages. Whatever method(s) you choose, take the time to interact with your friends, classmates and others. College can get stressful and hectic so communicate when you can, even if it’s brief.

2. Keep Yourself Balanced

Joining an organization is a great way to create and maintain relationships on campus. Being involved with organizations will give you time to communicate with your friends and allow you the chance to experience new opportunities. MSU has plenty of organizations and groups that you might want to be a part of but be sure to balance your involvement in organizations with the rest of your schedule, your health and your assignments. Don’t spread yourself too thin; you can’t make plans, be a part of an organization or even call your parents if you are all over the place. Maintaining balance in your life will assist you in maintaining your relationships and will also benefit you in the long run with time management, self-sufficiency, productivity and even minimizing your stress levels.

3. Maintain a Relationship with Yourself

When I was putting together this post and asking others about their advice for maintaining relationships, I noticed that no one included themselves. Maintaining relationships also involves the relationship that you have with yourself. Other people in your life are important but you can’t forget about yourself. Make sure that you are having fun and taking care of yourself mentally and emotionally. Staying true to who you are and taking care of yourself should be a top priority.

Thoughts for This Week

It might seem like a small matter but maintaining relationships with the people that mean the most to you is one of the most important things that you can do for yourself and your family. I’m really close to my family so even when I’m away, I try my hardest to let them know what’s going on in my life and how I’m doing. When you’re in college, it’s true that you are on your own, but when you have established relationships, it doesn’t have to feel that way. If you don’t have a network of relationships yet, MSU has many ways to help you start building one: get involved on campus, talk with classmates before or after class, introduce yourself to the person next to you in line, and so on. Take every day one at a time and do what you can for yourself by finding and staying in touch with people that you can talk to.

So do me a favor this week: call your parents, friends, guardian, anybody.

Happy October!!!

~Alexandria

(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a Senior Business major at Missouri State University.)