Having been a new student myself, I’m all too familiar with the daunting task of getting acclimated to a new environment; new professors, new peers, new place, etc. For those of you who don’t know, this year the Admissions office team has been promoting a Dignity & Respect campaign (Google it!) and this week’s promotion is “ask”.
A lot of us are raised to believe that independence is a much desired outcome of our struggles. I’m going to go against the grain here, and tell you all that asking for help, asking for clarification, for directions, or anything else is not a weakness! I can’t stress this enough! One of the many things that make Corning so great is that there are people willing to assist you around every corner. Not taking advantage of such resources just makes reaching your goals that much harder!
Let me tell you a secret… when you graduate, and are handed your diploma; it’s not going to say “Congrats! You did it without asking for help!” It’s going to look just like everyone else’s. That being said, I encourage all of you (new and returning students, alike) to utilize all of the resources here on campus. If you’re not familiar with them, stop in at the Math Learning Center (S113 or U111 in Elmira), it’s a great (and usually pretty quiet!) place to do your homework, and ask questions (they also have practice exams, which are a great way to stay ahead of the curve!).
If you’re not taking a math course this semester, swing by the Writing Center! (C207 or U110 in Elmira) It’s not just for English Comp! Any writing assignments, for any classes; they can help with brainstorming, formatting/citing sources, or maybe you just need a computer to use, and they’re there if you need them! Maybe you need tips on studying, want to form a study group, or need help with one of your psych classes… go to the Academic Study Center! If you don’t know where that it is, it’s in the basement of the library (or U120 in Elmira). Some of you may not have had classes in the Science Building yet, but we also have a Science Learning Center as well! (Nursing majors? Welcome to your second home…)
Once again I challenge all of you to make use of these resources; if you can pick up even just one useful tip or habit from any of them, that’ll bring you one step closer to success, it’s well worth it…and there’s a super-fantastic prize in it for you, from yours truly (it’s a high-five for a decision well-made).
Tara
