Adapting to college life is made a little smoother through Res Life
Adapting to college life is one of the toughest things for any college student to achieve.
College offers a plethora of opportunities in terms of academic and social aspects, thus balancing the two often becomes a challenge. Minnesota State University, Mankato seeks to provide a suitable atmosphere for students to adjust to college life.
The university provides various activities that enable students to interact on both a personal and academic level with one another in order to form long-lasting relationships. The university has equipped itself with top-class programs and activities that get students acclimated to the college environment quickly and with ease.
The residential aspect of any college is important as it is where the majority of its freshmen begin their college experience. MNSU has four residential living spaces on campus and one off campus. Torin Akey, the associate director of Residential Life states that the role of the Residential Life office is to aid students in achieving both academic and personal success.
“The convenience that living on campus offers is beneficial to students in several ways, such as being close to class or having a meal prepared close by, thus offers a sense of comfort, especially to students in their first year of college,” Akey said. “The staff in the Residential Life office work tirelessly to provide suitable accommodation spaces for students, which is basically what the university aims to accomplish.”
The Residential Life office aids students in adjusting to college life in various ways. One of these is being a provision of valuable information during orientation, which aids students in getting geared up for their college experience.
“Once students settle in their various living spaces, the goal of the Residential Life office is that the staff gets to know everybody,” Akey said.
Another way the Residential Life office aids students in adjusting to college life is providing an activity every Wednesday, which acts as a socio-educational opportunity for students to interact and learn new things.
Intramural sports are another activity the Residential Life office facilitates to help build relationships among students and encourage everyone to mingle. Through intramural sports, students bond on a different platform and can relate on various subjects while engaging in a productive activity.
“The community advisor is another role that aids the Residential Life office in reaching out to students on a personal level,” Akey said.
The CA is responsible for student development and residential administrative functions of a given residential living space.
“The CA’s connect with students in ways staff cannot, thus giving insight on the type of assistance a student requires,” Akey said.
CA’s are fellow college students and can be easier to talk to or relate to when new students have problems. Having a CA for new students to interact with is a great resource because they become a mentor for the students in their community.
“A majority of first year students are always anxious about two things when they arrive on campus: whether they will fit in and perform well academically,” Akey said. “The Residential Life office seeks to ensure students overcome these anxieties by providing suitable accommodation as well as activities that form long lasting relationships throughout students’ college time spans.”
Adjusting to college may be difficult but building a strong foundation from when a student sets foot on campus is vital to ensure the student not only succeeds, but also enjoys their college experience. MNSU strives to provide the best accommodation for students when they arrive on campus and the Residential Life office is a major tool used to accomplish this. Adjusting to college may be tough, but through suitable living conditions and events that aid one in forming connections as well as network, things start to fall into place.