A Bear's Life: Student Stories

Student stories from our peer counselors

Networking in College (Fall 2024, Week 13)

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Welcome back, Missouri State Bears! It is that time – internship opportunities, clinical/practicum assignments, and job applications are starting to get posted as students finish their fall semester. Whether it’s your turn or you are watching classmates start the process, learning the skill of networking is important. In college, you are surrounded by classmates, instructors, and a community with knowledge and connections that can advance your opportunities. Read along to learn what networking in college looks like and learn how it can benefit you. 

 

How Do I Network in College?

There are over 20,000 students who attend Missouri State, over 2,000 faculty and staff members, and an even larger supporting community. Each person you meet comes from a different background, education, and life experience and has something to teach you. Outside of class, there are opportunities provided by Missouri State such as career fairs that support student networking. Building connections and establishing a relationship with others not only provides support but also allows you to leverage your personal connections to network. Establish a relationship with someone who shares a career path, post-grad interest, or volunteer passion and ask them questions and advice. This will further your relationship and allow you to learn what it is you are looking forward to or what you may want to do differently. Share with others what it is that you are looking for, the strengths you possess, and your gratitude for their time. Establishing this relationship and allowing them to understand who you are and what goals you have will increase your chances of them sharing your name with future employers. 

 

How Can Networking Help Me Post-grad?

When you graduate from the university and apply to work you’re going up against recent graduates and professionals who’ve been in the field for some time – how will you stand out? Having someone speak on your behalf or give you an inside look at the hiring process can give you a leg up in the application process. After you’ve accepted a job the networking will continue to benefit you. As you advance in positions, you may be given unique opportunities/experiences, and you can continue the relationships you previously established. 

If you find yourself wanting to better your networking skills or you want to discuss what you can do now that will help you after graduation, consider meeting with a Success Coach or a Peer Mentor. You can request to meet or stop by during drop-in hours. (Drop-in hours change every semester; see the Student Academic Assistance page for this semester’s hours.)

 

Takeaways

Networking is a skill that is beneficial for all college students to learn to advance their opportunities at the university and post-grad plans. Connecting with students, staff, and the community of Missouri State University allows students to seek out what they want to do and find success after graduation. I encourage students to collect contact information and extend a note of gratitude to instructors of courses ending in the coming weeks. As the fall semester concludes, and you prepare for next semester’s opportunities save this blog to reference!

 

~Aubrey

(Bio: My name is Aubrey Hardy, and I am a senior studying special needs education. Fun fact: I’ve read over 15 books this year!)

Supporting Student Activities (Fall 2024, Week 5)

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Welcome back, Missouri State Bears! This past weekend the Missouri State football team celebrated a winning first home game of the season. I stayed for the entire game and even watched the drone show at the end. Coming together as a student body to support our athletics, band, student organizations, and clubs I was inspired to find other activities to support. Some of my best memories on campus have come from attending events and watching my peers do what they love or having the same people attend my events to support me. Missouri State offers many avenues to find organizations and teams to support but how can you take part?

 

What Organizations and Teams Can I Support?

If you are looking for events to attend on campus or want to dive into the university experience and explore all there is, the Missouri State Calendar is the place to go. On this page, you can find galleries, career expos, panels, recitals, fairs, plays, games, concerts, and more. If you find space on your calendar I recommend visiting this page and finding a friend to bring along with you to experience the activity you chose. In addition to this page, there are also flyers posted throughout residence halls and academic buildings, chalk art, or social media pages so always keep an eye out!

 

Why Should I Support Student Activities?

Community engagement is one of three pillars of the Missouri State Public Affairs Mission. Engaging in student activities will not only grow you but also the community around you on campus. For example, if you attend a play under the Theater and Dance department you might learn something you would have never otherwise known or you may meet someone new. For activities such as sports that encourage crowd participation, you can play a part in getting the team excited for their games. Lastly, some student activities that are smaller in member participation may need outside support to continue in their programming. Playing your part in supporting student activities is what you make it but think about the bigger picture and the impact you could make. 

 

Takeaways

Missouri State University has a full calendar of events ranging in forms of interest all year long. Events are open for student body attendance and all information can be located on various platforms. Supporting fellow students is a chance to learn something new and connect with others. Bears supporting bears is a sure way to create a campus everyone would be happy to attend.

Need help finding events to attend, student activities to support, or ways to get involved at MSU? Meet with a Peer Mentor!

 

~Aubrey

(Bio: My name is Aubrey Hardy, and I am a senior studying special needs education. Fun fact: I’ve read over 15 books this year!)

The Change of Semesters (Fall 2022 Week 12)

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Hello Missouri State! Last week I introduced myself and shared a little about myself and mentioned that I am a sophomore at Missouri State University. It’s crazy to think second block classes have begun and that the end of the first semester is quickly approaching. While I’ve only had two full semesters here on campus I’ve still found that each semester looks different for everyone. Through conversations with peers my age and older than me, I have found that I’m not alone in feeling overwhelmed by constant change.

Personal Experience

Going into college I knew that courses were only offered by semester, unlike high school where your core content remained the same throughout the year. After joining a sorority I knew that I would be living in the house my sophomore year but was unsure what housing and roommates would look like for the remaining two years. I did not anticipate how much my community would change and how much that would affect my mental health. When I enrolled for the fall semester I was excited about all the classes I would be taking. When I signed the contract to live in the sorority house I was eager to get to know my member class on a more intimate level. But when both of these things took action I found that my community looked completely different than it had in the previous year. I no longer lived with two or three roommates from my freshman year, I didn’t see the same people in my classes anymore, and because I spent so much time in the sorority house I wasn’t seeing friends outside of that organization. I noticed the change because it was negatively impacting my mood to not see people I loved every day or even once a week. Once I was aware of the problem I knew it was time to make a change.

Action Plan

The first obstacle I had to overcome when planning to see last year’s community was making room in my schedule for it. I realized I had to start saying no so I could say yes to things I valued as more important. For example, I said no to study time at the sorority house so I could say yes to studying on campus with my study group from last year. This was an easy swap because I hadn’t been able to focus in the house and had been missing that group of friends. Then it came time for harder decisions of what I deemed more important or valuable with my time. After conversations with some mentors of mine, we concluded that my desire to see my community from last year outweighed my desire to commit to other things. If I could create an action plan for someone else struggling with constant change from semester to semester it would be broken down into three steps.

1. Personal reflection

If you notice your mental, physical, or emotional health is being affected, take time to reflect on what it is that could be causing it. This might look like going on a walk, journaling, or calling someone who knows you well.

2. Conversation with an older peer

Older peers who have experienced the change from semester to semester in college have great advice and stories to share. Talking it out with someone who makes you feel less alone and seen helps calm any anxiety you may be feeling.

3. Making a change

Now it’s time to tackle those fears or negative emotions you may have towards change. For some this could be making room in your schedule for things you miss from previous semesters, calling loved ones to let them in on how you’re doing or embracing the change alongside peers who are doing the same. 

Takeaways

Change is hard and college brings on a whole lot of it. Knowing how to handle it when it’s all known to you can be daunting so my biggest advice is to bring others into it. I have a mentor that I always go to seeking advice and sometimes just someone to listen and it made a world of difference having her by my side. Peer mentors can also help with finding your place at MSU; you can request to meet with a peer mentor through our Student Academic Assistance page. I hope this information helps anyone facing the reality of the constant change in college.


“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” – Alan Watts

~Aubrey

(Bio: My name is Aubrey Hardy, a sophomore studying special needs education. Fun fact: I grew up on a farm.)

Managing Homesickness (Fall 2022, Week 6)

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Welcome back to the blog everyone. It’s literally only been a week but who’s counting, certainly not me. This week I chose a topic that is really special to me and has become increasingly persistent in my life these past few weeks. If you have read the blog post before, I always list information about myself and my family at the end of each post. My family is a big part of my life because without them I wouldn’t have the motivation to continue my education or even want to learn new things. I’m extremely close to my family members and these past two weeks have been hard because my younger brother is turning eleven and my younger sister is having a hard time adapting to her new fourth-grade class.  

Drawing from these experiences, I’ve created a list of things that I do to manage my homesickness and keep myself grounded and looking forward to graduation.  

Managing Homesickness 

Call your family or friends 

It might be hard at first but keeping in contact with the people that you care about can really make you feel better. You shouldn’t cut yourself off from talking to others but make more of an effort to stay connected with everyone. You can start to feel more alone if you don’t put in the effort to maintain the relationships that you have. So, call, text, or even email your parents, siblings, or friends as much as you can.  

Do the things that make you happy  

College is no fun if you can’t continue to do the things that make you happy or smile. You can think about your family and care about what happens outside of class, but you have to prioritize yourself. I’m at my best when I’m able to express myself and do the things that I like.  

Let your emotions out  

It’s better to get your emotions out than to keep them in because at some point you’ll just explode. It’s okay to cry, scream into a pillow or journal about how you feel. You hurt yourself more emotionally and cause yourself stress when things remain pent up.  

Stay productive and busy  

Distracting yourself with your classes and even a job (if you have one) can help your mind not to wander. You chose to come to Missouri State for a reason so keeping your goals in mind can help you to stay grounded. You can eliminate stress and work in a way that gives you more time to do what you want or take naps.  

Give yourself something to look forward to  

It always helps to bring yourself some happiness whether that is your favorite food or some new clothes you ordered. This can be a form of reward for yourself and can keep your mood elevated as you go through the semester.  

Self-Care 

One of the best things to do from this list is self-care because you’re the one that’s experiencing homesickness. Self-care is all about keeping yourself healthy so you shouldn’t avoid it but welcome it into your routine. For example, take relaxing baths or even put on a face mask to end the night. Self-care can eliminate things like stress or depression while increasing happiness and improving your energy.  

Takeaways  

I realized after being a student for so long just how important it is for me to stay happy because the world doesn’t look the same when I’m not. I love my family and how they support me and want what’s best for me. The connections I have with my family and friends help me to be a better version of myself. Homesickness can come out of nowhere or just be at the forefront of your mind for weeks but doing things like this helps me to become more aware of myself and just how much I can handle in order to reach my goals. Being a big sister, daughter, cousin or friend is always going to bring some challenges, and managing homesickness is just one of those challenges.   

I’ll leave you with this quote by Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care:  

“MAYBE YOU HAD TO LEAVE IN ORDER TO REALLY MISS A PLACE; MAYBE YOU HAD TO TRAVEL TO FIGURE OUT HOW BELOVED YOUR STARTING POINT WAS.” 

~ 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.)

Networking with Peers and Instructors (Spring 2022, Week 7)

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Can you believe it? Spring break is literally two weeks away already! I will be making sure to have fun when I can and finish strongly in all my courses during the remainder of the semester.  

Networking with Peers and Instructors 

Switching back to being an in-person student after being an online student for so long has turned out to be quite a challenge. The transition has been helping me to grow and figure out just how much I have changed after being a student for so long. One thing that I have always struggled with was meeting new people and maintaining those potential relationships or connections that I could make. Being on campus at Missouri State quickly made me realize I’m in charge of interacting and communicating with other people, not someone else. In this post, I wanted to share some of my tips for networking with your peers and instructors that can help you out if you get stuck.  

Instructors  

Attend office hours 

Your instructors or professors have office hours so students can discuss the course material, ask questions, and even genuinely just learn more about each other. Office hours give you the opportunity to have one-on-one time with your professor that you would not have in the classroom so you can learn even more about your professor.  

Email them  

Email your professors if you have questions about a specific area of expertise that they are knowledgeable about or even to let them know how the course lectures or material are working out for you.  

Ask for advice/help 

Instructors and professors come from all walks of life and have their degrees in addition to their careers to show for it. Have a conversation with your instructors about your own career path or ask about the real-life experiences that you will encounter outside the classroom. 

Peers 

Start conversations

Even if it is just in passing sometimes it works out to speak with people or even just be polite to someone and hold a door for them. The Missouri State campus is so huge and there are lots of people that you can get to know by just starting a random conversation. You never know what will happen until you try.  

Make groups 

Try creating a group with your classmates or connecting with each other on social media platforms. You can connect with people that have similar interests and potentially make some long-lasting relationships with people. This also helps if you have questions regarding a class that you are in with people. You could even create a study group with them.  

Find common interests  

It might be hard to just talk to random people, especially if you are shy or have some social anxiety like me so try to find someone that you could talk to about something that you like or enjoy as well. You can find a student organization that matches your interests and connects with other people through the Office of Student Engagement.  

Takeaways  

I really wanted to give these tips because when I was a freshman at Missouri State University, I was struggling to just talk to people. I learned that I was not helping myself by being afraid and limiting who I was communicating with on campus. Meeting new people and networking with them has become such a fun thing to do and some great people have become a part of my life because of these tips. Networking helps you on so many levels whether that is socially or professionally so try not to be as afraid as I was to start. 

These tips keep me on my toes and upgrade my social skills over time so I hope that they can yield some positive results for you all.  

Happy Week Seven!!! 

~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.)