As we welcome the class of 2023 to Missouri Western, we are mindful of the fact that this is likely the biggest transition these students will have to face in their young lives. Whatever they imagine college is to be, it, most certainly, will not be. They will be making decisions that will be affecting the direction of their lives, associating with educators and staff members that will have lasting impressions, and making friends that they will have forever. Studies have indicated that the friends we have in our adult life, we did not meet in high school, we met in college. In other words, they have yet to meet their new best friends.\u00a0 With all the pressures of these changes, our students are still expected to learn, grow and succeed. It is not surprising then that students\u2019 worst career semester academically is their first.<\/p>\n
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We, therefore, suggest the following five \u201cUps\u201d to help our incoming students with their initial introduction to university life, knowing that careful adherence to these markers can greatly reduce the stress of the semester and enhance their chances for success.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSign Up\u201d – It has long been known by proponents of freshmen orientation that students greatly increase their chances for success their first semester by connecting with other students either through formal or informal means. Missouri Western offers students an opportunity to do just that during Western Warm-up, an event at the start of the semester that allows students to become aware and talk with representatives of various clubs and organizations on campus. Finding a group that piques their interest and signing up is a great first step.<\/p>\n
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\u201cShow Up\u201d \u2013 Another good indication of success is showing up for class. Believe it or not, attendance for many classes is not mandatory. However, the classes are structured in such a way that to miss class, more than likely, means missing something important that could impact one\u2019s grade later in the semester. It is easy early in the semester to promise oneself that one will always go to class, but that first cold October morning when that 8 a.m. class beckons, it is really easy to roll over in bed and convince oneself that nothing important was going to happen anyway. We also know that skipping once makes the second skip easier. Before we realize it, we can easily \u201cskip\u201d out of college.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSit Up\u201d \u2013 When in class, show some interest. Take out the ear buds, put away the phone, and work to keep your attention to the task at hand. Granted not every class, and not every professor, will keep you riveted to your seat. But, you are still working for a grade and the information being offered has merit.\u00a0 Plus, try to sit near the front the class. Some students will swear they are called on less often when they are sitting in the front row.<\/p>\n
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\u201cSpeak Up\u201d \u2013 Not only take an interest in the class, but engage vocally, have an opinion. Many students are surprised that instructors on the university level would rather debate ideas than lecture to them. University is a place to exchange ideas, listen and understand others opinions, and expand one\u2019s own way of thinking. Oftentimes, this can only happen by putting words to one\u2019s thoughts and sharing them respectfully with others.<\/p>\n
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\u201cStrike Up\u201d – University instructors are more than teachers, they can be mentors and, perhaps, colleagues.\u00a0 Instructors are eager to provide support and direction outside of class. That is the reason they post office hours, providing an avenue for the student to connect and be able to strike up a relationship that can enhance the classroom experience. It is easy to forget that the student and instructor have something fundamental in common \u2013 namely the student\u2019s success.<\/p>\n
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Those of us in the counseling center also share in this commonality and wish every success for students. However, if the stresses of the semester become too much, if feelings of being overwhelmed start to prevail, or if simply wanting to find an empathetic ear, counselors are available. The counseling center in located on the second floor of Eder Hall, Suite 203, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. There is no cost to the student and, oftentimes, students can be seen immediately. However, if you want to ensure a counselor is available, you may stop by the office and talk with Kathy or call the office at (816) 271-4327. (www.missouriwestern.edu\/student-services\/counseling\/<\/a>) We guarantee we will be \u201cUp\u201d for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As we welcome the class of 2023 to Missouri Western, we are mindful of the fact that this is likely the biggest transition these students will have to face in their young lives. Whatever they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7113"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7113"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7113\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7115,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7113\/revisions\/7115"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.missouriwestern.edu\/admissions\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}