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.)

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.)

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.)