Shaylene's Tip of the Week: The Five People to Know on Campus

Hey everyone! I'm Shaylene, a peer advisor with the Office of Undergraduate Advising. I'm happy to help answer any questions you have and help make your time a UMass a little bit easier. In fact, here are some tips about the five people to know on campus!

1. Your Advisor
I can't stress this one enough. Really get to know your advisor because
they will be a major part of your time here on campus. Not only that, but they're here to help you! Don't just pick classes and hope that they will keep you on track for your major or potential major. Take five minutes to stop by and talk to an advisor just to make sure that you are on the right track. You'll feel a lot better knowing that you're in classes that will help you accomplish your goals.

2. Your Professors
Okay, okay. So you're going to have more than one professor, but my advice? Meet them all! It's a great feeling when your professor is able to call you by name in a lecture of three hundred people. Besides that, if you're ever a little fuzzy on what you're learning in class you can talk to them and have it clarified. It shows that you care enough about the class to take the time out to meet with them and get assistance. Put in the effort. It's worth it in the long run.




3. Your RA, Peer Mentor, and/or Peer Advisors

These are some of the most helpful people on campus. Get to know your RAs because to be honest, they're awesome people. They're students just like you are so they can give you a lot of advice about different resources on campus and activities to get involved in. Plus, if you ever have a problem in your dorm, they're most likely one of the first people you'll have to go talk to, so it's definitely worth getting to know them. Your Peer Mentor is also an upper-class student who lives in your building. Peer Mentors are available to offer academic success tips, like how to send an email to your professor or where to go for help studying for a big exam. Peer Mentors even offer monthly Academic Success Workshops to help you focus on specific skills! Check-in with your Peer Mentor and watch for flyers around your hall to learn more! And finally, did you know more and more departments have Peer Advisors available to help students with major planning, Gen Eds, and class selection? If you have questions about classes or major requirements, consider seeing if the department has a Peer Advising center or stop by the Academic Advising Link--sometimes talking to a student can help you get the real scoop!

4. A Career Advisor
Aside from all the studying and fun times, one of the main points of going to college is to prepare to enter the job force once you leave. Get to know a career advisor on campus early on! They'll be able to help you prepare resumes, give you tips on interviews, and look for internships.

5. A Classmate

It's great to know someone in each one of your classes. Sit down next to someone and talk to them about the homework, the class, anything. I have become great friends with some of the people I have met in my classes. Plus, you have a partner to study with when it comes time to prepare for midterms and finals!