A Bear's Life: Student Stories

Student stories from our peer counselors

How to Join a Full Course (Spring 2024, Week 1)

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Hello again, Bears! I am so happy to be back for another semester and another blog post. Welcome back! I hope you had an excellent Winter Break and some relaxing time off. I thought I would use my post for this week to talk about a topic that I experienced myself this semester. Have you ever been prepared to register for a course that you really want to take only to find out on registration day that it’s full? Many students, myself included, have woken up to this disappointment on their registration date, but if this happens to you, don’t panic! There are a couple of things you can do to increase your chances of getting into a full class. Here are some tips that I have used to successfully enroll in a full class.  

Join the Waitlist

The first thing that you can do to make the likelihood of you being able to join a full class higher is join the waitlist. You can do this through the same portal that you would use to register for a class if the class has a waitlist available. The waitlist is a way for you to, as the word implies, wait for a spot in the class to open up. If a student registered for the class drops the class, you’ll be notified through your Missouri State email address and given 24 hours to register for it. If you don’t register in those 24 hours, the spot will be given to the next student on the waitlist. That’s why it’s important for you to join the waitlist as soon as possible, frequently check the registration portal to see if any students have dropped the course, and check your email often. You can learn more about waitlisting a course on the Missouri State website.  

Contact the Instructor of the Course 

If you’re unable to enroll in a course after joining the waitlist, the next step is to contact the instructor of the course. Typically, students will contact the instructors of the course after being unsuccessful on the waitlist to ask for a registration override. A registration override takes place when the instructor or the department heading the course you’re attempting to join increases the number of seats available in the course and/or enters the registration system and allows you to register for a spot even if the class is full. When contacting professors about registration overrides, it’s important to be kind and understanding. Depending on the department, the instructor may not have control over whether or not a registration override will be permitted to you, and sometimes they cannot increase the course capacity even under special circumstances. In some cases, you may not be able to receive an override for the class. In the same way that it is crucial for you to continuously check your email after joining the waitlist, it’s also necessary for you to consider alternative options for any class you were hoping to take that’s full. If you are unable to join a course through the waitlist and you are not granted a registration override before the change of schedule period ends, you will not be able to take that particular course. 

Takeaways

I hope that these tips will help you in future semesters if you ever encounter a full class. If you’re experiencing this issue currently, remember that the change of schedule period this semester takes place from Tuesday, January 16th to Monday, January 22nd, and you have until then to drop any courses that you’re enrolled in for a full refund or enroll in a different class.

If you have any other questions about joining full classes, you can visit our amazing Peer Mentors and Success Coaches here in the CAST office, or request to meet with one of us through our online request form. This semester, we’re also offering drop-in hours on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and Wednesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Come and see us! Otherwise, I hope you have a great second week of the semester, and I will see you soon in a future blog post! 

~Hallie  

(Bio: I am a junior out-of-state student studying Creative Writing and Philosophy.) 

Living Alone (Fall 2023, Week 14)

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Greetings, Bears! I can’t believe that we’re already at that point in the semester where things are starting to wrap up. One of the many changes that can occur with the change of the semesters is housing arrangements, as some students move to different residence halls, off-campus, or even potentially have a roommate move out. With those changes happening, I wanted to use my post this week to talk about a perspective that I can share, for any students who may be living alone or preparing to do so for the first time—especially if it was not your first choice. Unfortunately, the holiday season can also bring upon feelings of loneliness for many people, so I thought I would give you my tips, as a student who has lived alone both on and off campus, to help you combat those potential feelings and make the most of your living situation.  

Getting Involved

As I have mentioned in previous posts, getting involved both on and off campus can greatly aid in combatting feelings of loneliness, as well as help you get out of the house (or residence hall/apartment). This can look like a lot of different things, whether you join an organization or just spend time with friends. Either way, it’s important that you make time in your schedule for you to do those things, so that you can prevent feelings of isolation from others. Both the MSU campus and the Springfield community have endless opportunities for involvement. Try to find at least one thing you can start doing every week, even if it’s small, so that you have something to look forward to. I, for example, sometimes like to go roller skating on weekends when I find that I have nothing else to do. If you give it a chance, you are bound to find something that you enjoy, both on and off campus.   

Finding Hobbies

Something else that you can do to help yourself better adjust to living alone is find a hobby or two that you enjoy doing, or something that you will happily devote some extra time to. Occupying yourself at home can make the days where you don’t have class, work, or any other commitments that you are involved in feel more purposeful, as well as bring you joy! Filling your free time with hobbies is a completely necessary act of self-care. Your hobbies can be whatever you want them to be as long as they make you happy. Even in the busiest weeks of the semester, devoting time to your hobbies is a great way to relieve stress or feelings of anxiety about living alone.  

Making the Most of Your Space  

For those who are living alone or preparing to do so unwillingly, it can be hard to believe that there are good things about living alone, but I promise you that there are perks. One of the bigger benefits of living in a space by yourself is that you have full creative control! Another thing that you can do to bring yourself comfort in your living situation is make it your own, which can look like all sorts of things. I loved having the ability to decorate my first residence hall room however I liked, and there’s a chance that you will love that too! Feel free to experiment with décor to create a space that you feel at home in. Feeling comfortable in your space can also aid in combating loneliness and similar anxieties.  

Takeaways

I hope, especially if you are approaching an unexpected solo living situation, that these tips help you feel more comfortable with the idea of living by yourself. It might also be that you have chosen to live alone willingly, which I have done too. No matter what, though, any student is subject to potential feelings of loneliness, even if you live with several roommates, and hopefully these tips can apply to those situations too.

Remember that if you are experiencing feelings of loneliness or unhappiness regarding your situation, there are several on campus resources that can help you, including The Counseling Center and our very own CAST office! Our Peer Mentors would love to talk with you about getting involved on campus and finding other on campus resources. You can request to meet with a Peer Mentor online or come to our drop in hours (Fall 2023: Tuesdays, 1 to 2:30 p.m. and Wednesdays, 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.). I hope that you have a joyful holiday season (if you celebrate) and the best Winter Break. Good luck with the rest of your semester! 

~Hallie 

(Bio: I am a junior out-of-state student studying Creative Writing and Philosophy.)             

How I Manage My Time (Fall 2023, Week 12)

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Hello again, Bears! I am happy to be back for another blog post. This week, I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about something that I have struggled with throughout my college career: time management. Have you ever found yourself at 10 o’clock at night asking yourself “Where did the day go?” If so, we are a lot alike. There are many ways that you can conquer time management, and you might already have your set strategy. However, if after midterms or at this point in the semester you are second-guessing yourself or find that you need a new time management plan, you might benefit from my personal time management strategy. Here is what I like to do if I find myself at the end of day asking where the day has gone.  

Knowing My Commitments

Whenever I reach a particular moment where I feel like I’ve lost touch with my time, the first thing that I do is make sure that I know how much of my time I need to devote to all of my commitments. This usually looks like making a list of everything that I have or want to do, like class, work, studying, or hobbies and self-care. I am a visual person, so it helps me to have everything physically written out on a piece of paper. At that point, I usually write out any time that absolutely has to be given to something. For example, I’ll write down when I have class or work, as well as how much time each day I know I need to spend doing homework. Even if I don’t end up making a strict schedule or routine for myself, I find that being conscious of how much time I am spending doing certain things still helps me manage my time much better.  

Deciding My Priorities

When I figure out how much time I have outside of specific commitments, I’m left with an amount of time that I can delegate to whatever I want. This is when deciding what my priorities are comes into play. What I consider a priority can change depending on what I’m doing or what I’m involved in at any given time, but regardless of what they are, I make sure to set aside amounts of time left over from the previous step to be dedicated to those priorities. Lately, my priorities have been self-care, studying, writing, and spending time with my new cat! However, if I have a set of exams coming up, my priorities may change, and I might decide to spend more time studying than writing. The opposite also applies—if I find that I’ve been stressed out lately, I’ll tend to prioritize self-care over studying if I know that I’m in a good place academically. Either way, consistently reflecting on my priorities also aids me with managing my time, even if I don’t follow through with the next step.

Making a Routine

Once I rediscover my current commitments and priorities, I like to sit down and make a routine for myself. It isn’t usually super structured, mostly because I don’t like it to be that way, but even the loosest of structures helps me. Even if you’re like me and don’t like to have things strictly scheduled, a light routine might still benefit you, because it takes away the mental task of deciding what to do at a given time. For example, I like to schedule my time in blocks. In my current routine, I give myself an hour each night for homework or writing. If I come home from school or work that day and I know I have a lot of homework that day or coming up soon, I’ll typically use that time to do homework, but there are also days where I don’t and I choose to write instead. After that, I take a break from schoolwork or writing, and I give myself two hours of free time. I can essentially do whatever I would like, whether that be reading, watching TV, spending time with my cat, or sometimes I continue to do homework or write if I feel inclined to do so. The nice thing about creating your own routine is that you decide what it looks like, and you can also change it at any time if you’re having a hard time sticking with it or you’re unsatisfied with the amount of time that you’re dedicating to a specific thing.  

Takeaways

Even if you already have your time management plan set in stone, I hope you enjoyed learning more about mine. I think that it can be beneficial to learn about how other peers conquer the challenges that college brings, and if you’re wanting to learn more about my strategies or the strategies of the other amazing Peer Mentors and Success Coaches, come visit us in the CAST office! We are now offering drop-in hours on Tuesdays from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., so don’t hesitate to come see us if you are struggling or if you just want to talk. You can also request a Success Coach or Peer Mentor by filling out our Request Form. I hope that you continue to have a successful semester, and I will see you again soon in a future post! 

~Hallie 

(Bio: I am a junior out-of-state student studying Creative Writing with a minor in Philosophy.) 

Welcome New Peer Mentors! (Fall 2023, Week 11)

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This semester we have welcomed two new peer mentors to our team in the Center for Academic Success and Transition office. Peer mentoring is a free and great resource available to all undergraduate students who need a listening ear. Peer mentors are peers on campus who have a desire to help problem-solve and answer questions their peers may have about MSU and college in general. With that being said, Haleigh and Daniel are looking forward to working with students at MSU. You can use the form to fill out a request to meet with a peer mentor if you wish to do so.

Haleigh

Haleigh is majoring in Communications Sciences and Disorders and minoring in Disability Studies. (A note from me: Our peer mentors vary in their academic studies so although it may be helpful to meet with someone who shares your same degree path it is also okay to meet with someone who doesn’t. Peer mentors are peers and we are able to understand and relate to mentees, regardless of their major.) Haleigh’s tip for first-generation college students is “Don’t be afraid to ask for help and guidance.”

 

Daniel

Daniel is a  Biology major with an emphasis in Microbiology/Biotechnology and a Chemistry minor with an emphasis in Pre-Health (all on the pre-med track). (A note from me: Something I find unique amongst our staff in the CAST office is our different strengths and areas of interest. For example, I am a special needs education major, and Daniel and I have different ways of thinking but we both share the same desire to help other peers.) Daniel’s tip for first-generation students is “to seek opportunities to network with others and build up a support system in college because that will help you get through college while knowing that you have help!”

 

Why You Should Meet with a Peer Mentor

Haleigh and Daniel both agree that every MSU student should consider meeting with a peer mentor. Haleigh said the program can “help you have a smooth transition to college and get a little extra support when you need it.” Daniel added, “We can help students identify their strengths and weaknesses, improve time management, and even just help students connect with others and utilize campus resources.”

If you would like to meet with a peer mentor, you can use our request form. Or stop by our Fall 2023 Peer Mentor Drop-In hours on Tuesdays 1-2:30 p.m. and Wednesdays 2:30-4 p.m., in Meyer Library 116 (next to the Bear CLAW).

 

Fun Question for the Peer Mentors

Just for fun, I decided to ask Haleigh and Daniel what the strangest thing was in their backpack at the time. Haleigh had beef jerky and Daniel had a pair of safety glasses. Do you have anything strange in your backpack?

 

Takeaways

We’re excited to welcome Haleigh and Daniel to CAST and we look forward to students coming in to meet with a peer mentor. Peer mentors are a great resource when you need a listening ear or advice from a peer who has shared experiences.

~Aubrey

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

Exploring Your Values (Fall 2023, Week 7)

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Exploring Your values

Hello, Missouri State, It is week seven and we are near the halfway point of the semester. Regardless of what year you are in college, I’m sure you’ve done a lot of growing as an individual. Each semester brings new challenges, community, and experiences; reflection is essential. Explicitly reflecting on the exploration of your values as a college student is what I want to write about this week. 

What are Values and Why are They Important?

Values are individual to you and are in place to motivate or direct you. They are important because they help you navigate the small and big decisions that college and life itself can throw your way. It is also important to note that values inform your thoughts, words, and actions, and taking the time to explore the values or values you desire to have is insightful. You may find after your reflection that something is more important to you than you gave it credit. 

How to Explore Your Values

Setting aside time to write, walk, or meditate on all that you do or all that makes you unique is a good first step to take. I have found that sitting down with someone and having them just listen to me is a helpful tool. This allows me to talk out everything and hear from an outsider what I seem to be the most passionate about or consumed by. The person I choose to ask looks different each time but I usually seek out a mentor one way or another because they tend to offer the best advice and listening skills. The Center for Academic Success and Transition Office is a great resource to utilize when looking for a mentor. Peer Mentors and Success Coaches help you navigate college and the challenges that you are presented with. After meeting with someone I would recommend reflecting on your own, documenting what you discovered. 

Takeaway

College is a transitional time for anyone and a lot of growing is done from the time you walk on campus to when you put on your cap and gown. The decisions you make now will impact your life beyond college so it is important to understand what is important to you. Values shouldn’t be something you feel you have to explore on your own, utilize your community to help direct you. Your community can help you see what it is that is important to you and hold you to it.

~Aubrey

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