Time’s Up – Michael’s Final Blog Post

After 4 long years of college and three great years at MSU, my time has finally come to an end. I have experienced so many great things during my time in college, and I am finding it hard to believe I’ve made it here. Because this is my final blog post, I figured I would reminisce about my experience here at MSU, and what the future holds for me next.

Where It All Began

Back when I was in high school, I had the opportunity to visit Missouri State for a campus tour. During this visit, I fell in love immediately. The campus was amazing, and the people I met during the visit made me feel like this could truly be my home. From that day, I knew I would go to MSU in the future. However, my parents and I had decided I would do my first year at Metropolitan Community College – Longview, so I had to wait. Luckily, MSU made my transfer experience easy, and even set me up with an advisor who helped me plan out my coursework before I even came.

A Big Change

When my sophomore year rolled around, I got to transfer to MSU in the Fall of 2019. Luckily, with some experience I had at Longview, I was able to help start the peer counseling program that I still do today with the Center for Academic Success and Transition (CAST), giving me the opportunity to work with so many amazing people and students over the next few years. Along with this, I had officially started my journey as a cell and molecular biology major in the College of Health and Human Services! One of the best things about MSU is that, even though I was a transfer, I had so much help finding my way around campus and getting integrated into my coursework.

Trying to Do the Most I Can

The Center for Academic Success and Transition that I work for had begun to grow significantly, which was a sign of good things to come. I got to give speeches during events, volunteer at special gatherings for students, meet with my peers one-on-one to help them, and so much more. I always wanted to make sure I was doing all I could to make a change here at the university, and in the long run I hope I did something to make MSU a better place. With all of this going on, I worked hard as a CMB major in preparation for entering a graduate program in Genetic Counseling. As some people might know, being a CMB major can be difficult, so I had to put a lot of time into being the best student I could be. Along the way, I met some of the best people that I know will be lifelong acquaintances. Even when things got tough, my professors and peers always found a way to bring me up, and push me to keep moving forward. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be who I am today, so I owe the world to all of them.

Where Am I Now?

As of right now, I was lucky enough to become a CAST Ambassador through the Center for Academic Success and Transition, and I am a BMS 111 Instructor in the Biomedical Science Department. I have had the great opportunity to make a change in students lives with the purpose of helping them become more prepared for the future, which was my dream back when I started all of this. Whether it was through meetings with me one-on-one, or through my teaching in class, I hope I found some way to make those students lives a little bit better. Because some people may have been wondering, I have recently been accepted to the University of Arkansas for Medical Science’s Genetic Counseling program for their 2024 class! Because of my rigorous work as a CMB major, it not only helped me become a qualified applicant, but it helped me grow into the student I always wanted to be.

What Comes Next?

As of right now, I am set to graduate in a few weeks, which is scary! I feel like MSU is my home, and I am finding difficult to leave, but I know that I have a bright future ahead of me. I will start my Genetic Counseling program in August of this year after moving to Little Rock, Arkansas, and I am so excited. However, I will make sure to keep in touch with things here at MSU. My time as a student success advocate has shown me that each and every person at this campus cares for it’s students, and every student has the potential to be amazing.

Because this is my final blog post, I wanted to give out some thanks. First, I want to thank CAST for giving me the opportunity to do these great things during my time at MSU, because it has given me so much joy every day. I wanted to thank everyone who has followed along with me for the past two years of doing these blog posts. I truly care about making things better for those who attend Missouri State, and  I hope that these posts find their way to the people who need to see them. Last, I want to thank everyone at Missouri State that I got to work with over my time as a student, teacher, and student success worker. You have all made me realize that Missouri State is an amazing place, and anyone would be lucky to come here. Although I am leaving, I will always be an MSU bear, and I know that someday I will be back. Until then, good luck and thank you for being here!

Tips for Being a Successful College Student

During my time working in the Center for Academic Success and Transition, I have worked with students helping them through their difficulties in hopes of improving their academic success. Now that I will be leaving MSU soon, I wanted to share some of my greatest tips for being successful in college.

Time Means Everything

The first tip I always give students is to build good time managing skills. As a college student, it is not uncommon to balance a lot of things at once. For some people this can be very daunting. Knowing this, I think managing time has a lot of benefits. Students don’t only manage coursework; they also sustain relationships, work jobs, and find time to maintain their own mental health. Time management allows someone to realize that there is always time to keep up with all of these things by cutting out time for each. This way, you won’t have to feel like you have to pick and choose the things that you are able to do during your college experience.

Make Your Missouri Statement

A lot of us came to college knowing that focusing on education is imperative. However, I think some students overlook the other opportunities that arise during college. Even though we are all students, I think it is important to branch out and be a part of Missouri State. Each and every one of us plays a role in making this university a great place, so don’t be afraid to try out new things. It could be intramural sports, student government association, tutoring in the BearClaw, or even just showing up to events held on campus. Regardless of what it is, there are so many things to get into during your time at MSU.

Don’t Take the Journey Alone

This may be one of the things I stress the most. College may be the most difficult time of your life. It can be stressful, tiring, and a lot to handle at some times. Because of this, doing your best to build a network of peers is a great idea. Believe me when I say that you are not alone in the journey. In every part of the campus, there is someone in the same boat as you. Making friends and acquaintances allows you to feel like there is someone you can always go to for help. They can be a study buddy, someone who you hang out with during your free time, or even someone to talk to when things get tough. We are all going to face tough times as we go along, so its best that we stick together and help each other make it though.

There is No Such Thing as a Dumb Question

The last tip I will leave you with is one that hits close to home with me. As a student, we have to remember that we are not going to know everything all the time. Being a student is a learning process where we are trying to find the answers to things that will help us in the future. Sometimes, however, you may need a little extra guidance when trying to learn. Because of this, I have learned that it is never a bad idea to ask questions. Especially here at MSU. All of the faculty and staff are here to help us be the best students we can. Especially with our professors, they all want us to learn, and there is nobody better to ask than someone who is eager to help you find the answer.

I hope that each of these tips gives you a little insight into becoming a great student here at MSU. If you ever need more help, remember it is okay to reach out and ask for it, because all of us are here to help. Thank you for reading!

(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 and biomedical science.)

Midterms Are Coming

Around this point in the semester, I can feel the stress coming on. The thought of our midterm exams is something easy to stress about, but can be manageable if prepared for correctly! Today, I want to share some easy strategies to help you get ready for your midterms this spring semester!

Better to be Early than Late

Everyone knows that it is better to be early than late in many situations. Luckily, studying for midterms is no different. Even though some classes may not have midterms for a couple weeks, it is a good idea to start studying early. This is due to a lot of reasons such as:

• Allowing more time to cover content thoroughly
• Better metacognition or being aware of what you do and don’t know
• Reduced anxiety about not having enough time to study
• Better chance at doing well on the exam

Even though it’s difficult to get going early, give it a try and see if it works for you!

Find a Study Buddy

Believe it or not, you aren’t the only one stressed about midterms. Your classmates are too! Because of this, it is a great idea to find others to study with. Being able to work with you classmates can allow you to:

• Keep each other motivated to study
• Learn about how other people understand content, which can also help you
• Divide up work to make it less daunting on everyone
• Teach each other content, which is one of the best ways to learn

Working alone can be scary and stressful, so try and reach out to a couple peers to see if you can study together for you upcoming midterms

Stay Organized

With everything going on around this time, it is good to stay organized. It’s common to have more than one midterm a week, and maybe even some on the same day. Because of this, it is good to keep things organized. Some ways to do this are:

• Keeping a schedule of all the exams you will take
• Listing out the content that needs to be covered for each exam
• Scheduling time dedicated to studying
• Making space for taking breaks during preparation for exams

Being able to stay organized won’t only make you do better, but it can also help reduce the stress that you will feel approaching test day!

As always, thank you so much for reading my post and I hope this gives you some helpful ways to prepare for midterms this spring. Have a great day!

Previous Posts for Midterm and Exam Preparation

Spring 2021 Finals Week – Alexandria

Spring 2021 Week 14 – Michael

Fall 2020 Week 10 – Michael

Fall 2020 Midterm – Rhiannon

 

(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 and biomedical science.)

The End of a Long Journey

In September of 2021, I shared with everyone the beginning of my journey to graduate school. I had made the decision to apply to various genetic counseling programs across the country in order to fulfil my goal of becoming a certified genetic counseling student in the future. Since then, I have finished my applications and have recently begun the interview process. Today, I wanted to share my experiences since the last time we talked.

The Same but Different

By the end of October, I had selected seven programs that I wanted to apply to based on location, quality of education, reputation, and program goals. One interesting thing about the genetic counseling application process is that we have to sign up for a national matching service in order to receive an ID number, which goes on all applications. Along with this, genetic counseling programs do not have one collective system for applications. In some cases, students are able to upload one general application and send it to multiple schools, but for me this was not the case. Beginning in November, I had to begin filling out each application individually. Looking back on it, I have to give additional thanks to the people who helped me through the whole process, especially my letters of recommendation! This process took all the way until New Year’s Eve, which marked the day I turned in my final application.

To be honest, doing that many applications can be tough. However, I did come up with some tips that may help you all if you plan on doing this in the future:

• Keep an ongoing CV/Resume
• Maintain a list of common information that may show up on multiple applications such as your address, emails, phone numbers for letters of recommendation, and important dates
• Make sure to keep track of applications due dates, and don’t wait too late to start them
• Contact the programs if you need help

First Impression Means Everything

As of now, I have since heard back and received some interviews! For some people, interviews can be a scary process. However, I have been trying my best to prepare. Interviews are an extremely important part of the whole application cycle because the programs finally get to put a face to the applications they receive. It gives the faculty a chance to learn more about you and to see if you are a good fit for their program. For those of you who may go through this in the future, here are some tips for the interview and some ways to prepare:

• Set up mock interviews with MSU faculty and get feedback
• Look up potential interview questions to think about how you may answer them
• Be yourself because the programs want to know the real you
• Ask good questions
• Be confident in yourself because they wanted you for an interview

See What the Future Holds

Again, I will come back in the future to let you all know how my journey ends. This is a time of my life that I have dreamed about for years, and I can’t believe it is coming near its close. As always, thank you for reading, and I hope this helped some of you for the future!

Back to Regularly Scheduled Programming

Compared to the last year and a half, it seemed like this semester was almost back to normal. It was great getting to see more of us here at campus and I think everything has taken a big step in the right direction. Although this may have brought up some unexpected challenges. Coming back to campus for classes was not always an easy transition; we had gotten so used to waking up, getting breakfast at home and going back to our bedrooms to watch lectures for the day. However, we have almost made it to the end, and everyone should be proud of themselves!

Now, because we are near the end of this semester, I figured I would take some time to help you all think about ways to prepare for the spring semester.

Reflect on the Past

One way to prepare is to reflect on the current semester. No matter how well it went, I think we can all agree that there is always space for improvement. One area to look at is your daily routine. Daily routines can help reduce stress and when you incorporate healthy behaviors, you’ll see benefits to your academic, emotional and social life. Look for practices that worked well for you this semester and that you want to continue. Then identify a new activity that you want to focus on during the coming semester. Some examples could be:

• Making sure to eat breakfast every morning
• Maintaining a better sleep schedule
• Studying earlier for exams
• Keeping up with regular exercise

Although seemingly obvious, it takes time to build up habits such as these. But persevere! Building habits is an important skill at the professional level; it gets you more in tune with your daily responsibilities and helps make sure you get everything done. Additionally, being able to improve on the things you struggled with in the past will allow you to progress into being a better student.

Make Your Missouri Statement

Missouri State offers great opportunities for students to begin branching out and trying new things. Something to think about next semester is how you can go out and get involved on campus! Some ways to get involved on campus could be:

• Finding a club or organization that you are interested in
• Partaking in intramural sports
• Becoming a tutor at the Bear Claw
• Attending campus events (click ‘View by Week’ for an easy way to see this week’s events)
• Finding ways to connect with the community

Being a Missouri State student isn’t all about getting good grades. It’s also about growing as a person and gaining experiences that will help you reach your goals. And in my opinion, MSU is one of the greatest schools for that.

Reach Out for Help

The last thing I want to mention is that you are never alone. If you did struggle academically this semester and feel like you may need some guidance, remember that Missouri State offers many resources to guide you through your academic career. You could contact us here in the Center for Academic Success and Transition, reach out to the Bear Claw for tutoring or even begin making relationships with your professors.

For personal, social and life-planning concerns, reach out to the Counseling Center. Missouri State’s Guide to Services page has links to many other support services available here. No matter what it is, don’t ever be afraid to ask for help, because we all want to help you become the best Bear you can be!

I hope that this gave you some ideas about how you can prepare for next semester. As always, thank you for reading!

(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 and biomedical sciences.)