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troubleWhile some countries are already into the new academic term, I know other countries won't be starting up for another week or two, so this strikes me as a nice intermediate time to put up a Guide To Help Students.
This is Version 1 Part 1, as I not only have a lengthy list of other potential things that many students have questions about, I suspect there are major things I'm missing/forgetting. Expect more, plus erratas, soon.
This is my very first and most important advice to you, gentle reader: When you need help, ask for help.
I know asking for help can be very difficult, and sometimes quite humbling. I get this. I do not like to ask for help. But ask for help. I cannot promise you that you will immediately get the help you need. I cannot promise you that the first person you ask for help will be the right person to ask. I cannot promise you that you will only deal with smiling happy people who want to help you out. But I do promise that asking for help is the most effective way to get the help you need.
I strongly suggest you try and find connections with other students Like You. This may mean joining up with your major's Society (like the Undergraduate History Society, for example), or looking for an umbrella group such as the GLTB Society (here it's DalOUT), or Women's Centre, or First Nations/Aboriginal Student Association or Black Students Association, etc. It may mean joining your local Tea Drinker's Society (I love them) or hobby group on campus, but connecting up with students who are Like You - whatever that means for you - can make a difference in accessing resources or getting help. Being a member of my Graduate History Society, for example, has helped me to get help in dealing with academic issues I was having, and my Women's Centre has been very supportive of my attempts to get accessibility issues covered on campus.
More Specific Advice:
"I can't afford my text books. What do I do?"
First, the bad news: Chances are, your required text books are not going to be in the library. The librarians tend to spend their new book money on buying different texts, because textbooks often go into new editions and purchasing them every year or so would be prohibitively expensive.
That said, sometimes your professor will leave a copy or two on hold in the library. It doesn't hurt to ask. Most books that are on hold can only be signed out for limited amount of time, or cannot be taken out of the library, but it will give you some access.
Some Options:
- Buy used. While used textbooks often sell out really fast in the bookstore, check out posters around campus and see if your text is being sold independently that way. You can also look for used book sales on online-retailers.
- Try Freecycle or, if you have a BookMooch account, try BookMooch. I have some of my used texts up on my BookMooch account, and I know others do as well. (I don't recommend BookMooch to Canadians - it costs more to ship things within Canada than it does to ship things outside of Canada. But if you already have BookMooch points, it can't hurt to look.)
- Talk to your classmates. Some may be willing to share a text with you if you chip-in on the cost of the text.
- There's a date after which most university bookstores will not take books back. This date has little relation to your last opportunity to drop out of a class. Start nosing around and seeing if anyone wants to get rid of their textbook.
- Talk to your prof. I borrowed more than one text from a prof when I was still using textbooks for things. (Most of my uni now is reading packs.)
- Talk to your student union. When I attended Augustana, we had a textbook lending library that was run by the Student Union. Your university may have one, too.
"I can't afford enough food or toiletries for me or my family."
There is a very strong chance your university has a campus food bank. It is there for you. The issue can sometimes be in finding it, though, as it depends on who runs it. The last university I attended had it run by the Chaplaincy's office, through donations by students. My current university runs their through the Student Union, and it's affiliated with the local food bank. Other times you may need to get in touch with an advocacy group, such as your campus Women's Center, Black Students Association, GLTB Group, Aboriginal Students Association, Foreign Students Group, etc. In my experience the Women's Center is a good place to go for things like tampons, pads, diapers, baby food, condoms, and (sometimes) Emergency Contraceptives.
Most of the above groups are volunteer run, and not through the university (although they may receive funding from the student's union). They often need volunteers. (I spent today putting away shipments of food in the campus food bank, for example, and that would have been faster and more fun with more people.) If you feel guilty using the food bank (it's there for you), offer to volunteer for their organization.
The university may also have 'official' options for you. Your best bet is to contact whatever counselling service they have on campus and talk to them first. They will have guidance for you.
Do not hesitate to talk to your financial aid office about money. If your tuition is paid up, they often have emergency money they can loan you interest free. I had to move out of my apartment once early on in the academic year, and they loaned me money for the deposit and first month's rent ($800). They may also have grants and scholarships that you - whatever your circumstances - may qualify for. This can include for things like paying for your medications or any assistive tech you may need, purchasing, repairing, or replacing a computer, or just "regular" financial need. Talk to them. They cannot help you until you ask.
There is also the option of aid within your community. I know my Local Council of Women has a Bread & Roses fund for women studying engineering, for example, and that my local feminist bookstore has a small scholarship for women returning to school after time away. Chances are these are things your financial aid office is aware of. Talk to them.
If you are a member of a religious group, your place of worship may be able to help you. I know less about this than other things as I do not belong to a religion, but I have talked to people who do. They have reported to me that many religious groups and places of worship will help out students who belong to their group. Ask them. They don't want you to be struggling.
"I'm going to fail this class / I can't finish this assignment on time / I'm stupid and my profs are laughing at me. What do I do?"
In general, your profs want you to do well. Speaking as a TA, and as someone who has had multiple conversations with professors over the years: Talk to them. No, seriously. Email them. Call them. Stop in their office during office hours. Write them a note and put it in their mail box. Talk to them omg please talk to them. If you have a TA, talk to them, too.
I will not promise anything from that conversation, but possible outcomes include helping you out with something, giving you more one-on-one time, hooking you up with a tutor, giving you extensions on things, reading over a rough draft of your work so that you can get some early feedback, suggestions on sources, suggestions on what you can work on, general assistance, a good cup of coffee or tea and a place to sit. Generally (not 100% of the time, but more often than not): They want you to do well. They want to help you. Helping you in September and October means grading your papers in November is infinitely easier.
There are also other options:
- Your major probably has some sort of Society associated with it, which may be made up of incredible keeners. (The Undergraduate History Association at Dal publishes an quasi-academic journal, for example. Our Graduate History Association puts on a well-respected Academic Conference every year. We are keeners. We want to talk about history.) If you're struggling, members of your Association will likely be willing to help you out, or at least point you to others who can. (This help may include saying things like "Don't go to that prof, he is an asshole about grad students." *cough*)
- Your university probably has some equivalent of "The Writing Centre". Sing along if you know the words: They want to help you. Some of your tuition goes to paying for this, so you're already paying for the service, and they get more funding if they have more students come in, so you're totally doing them a favour. GO EARLY. My Writing Centre actually stays open till 2 a.m. during finals because that's when the library closes and they have so many people needing help that it's just easier to do it that way than to turn students away.
- Your university may have a formal system for hooking people up with tutors. If not, there are a lot of people who advertise tutoring services. Ask around, or look on the boards around your campus. There may also be an electronic board of some sort that students use. Check it out.
- Talk to your classmates. You are probably not the only person struggling. Study groups are not just for plot purposes on t.v. shows. Sometimes these are arranged online (via Facebook, for example), but there have been some chilling cases in Canada that have declared online discussions to be "cheating" and academic dishonesty. Check with your prof, or keep it offline.
- Get a tour of your library. My university offers library tours all throughout September. You'd be amazed how many resources are available to you through your academic library, but no one knows about them. (I've booked multiple appointments with research libraries, for example, to help with secondary source research.) A good tour will include how to use the library website - if it doesn't, ask someone to show you how. I keep forgetting the awesome resources on my library's website. Remember: Librarian want to help you. They go to university so they can be awesome librarians and help you. Talk to them.
This list/guide is so far quite small. Please feel free to add additional comments. It's a work-in-progress, after all.
Errata & Additions:
meloukhia emphasis talking to financial aid officers if you have money issues.
FrustratedBiWoman mentions renting textbooks as an option.
naraht brings up UK-specific stuff that goes into much more helpful detail but ist still basically applicable everywhere.
killing_rose brings up somewhat more US-specific advice that is still basically applicable everywhere.
lilacsigil goes into some details on disability assistance offices at universities, and there is some follow-up commentary from jesse_the_k
This is Version 1 Part 1, as I not only have a lengthy list of other potential things that many students have questions about, I suspect there are major things I'm missing/forgetting. Expect more, plus erratas, soon.
This is my very first and most important advice to you, gentle reader: When you need help, ask for help.
I know asking for help can be very difficult, and sometimes quite humbling. I get this. I do not like to ask for help. But ask for help. I cannot promise you that you will immediately get the help you need. I cannot promise you that the first person you ask for help will be the right person to ask. I cannot promise you that you will only deal with smiling happy people who want to help you out. But I do promise that asking for help is the most effective way to get the help you need.
I strongly suggest you try and find connections with other students Like You. This may mean joining up with your major's Society (like the Undergraduate History Society, for example), or looking for an umbrella group such as the GLTB Society (here it's DalOUT), or Women's Centre, or First Nations/Aboriginal Student Association or Black Students Association, etc. It may mean joining your local Tea Drinker's Society (I love them) or hobby group on campus, but connecting up with students who are Like You - whatever that means for you - can make a difference in accessing resources or getting help. Being a member of my Graduate History Society, for example, has helped me to get help in dealing with academic issues I was having, and my Women's Centre has been very supportive of my attempts to get accessibility issues covered on campus.
More Specific Advice:
"I can't afford my text books. What do I do?"
First, the bad news: Chances are, your required text books are not going to be in the library. The librarians tend to spend their new book money on buying different texts, because textbooks often go into new editions and purchasing them every year or so would be prohibitively expensive.
That said, sometimes your professor will leave a copy or two on hold in the library. It doesn't hurt to ask. Most books that are on hold can only be signed out for limited amount of time, or cannot be taken out of the library, but it will give you some access.
Some Options:
- Buy used. While used textbooks often sell out really fast in the bookstore, check out posters around campus and see if your text is being sold independently that way. You can also look for used book sales on online-retailers.
- Try Freecycle or, if you have a BookMooch account, try BookMooch. I have some of my used texts up on my BookMooch account, and I know others do as well. (I don't recommend BookMooch to Canadians - it costs more to ship things within Canada than it does to ship things outside of Canada. But if you already have BookMooch points, it can't hurt to look.)
- Talk to your classmates. Some may be willing to share a text with you if you chip-in on the cost of the text.
- There's a date after which most university bookstores will not take books back. This date has little relation to your last opportunity to drop out of a class. Start nosing around and seeing if anyone wants to get rid of their textbook.
- Talk to your prof. I borrowed more than one text from a prof when I was still using textbooks for things. (Most of my uni now is reading packs.)
- Talk to your student union. When I attended Augustana, we had a textbook lending library that was run by the Student Union. Your university may have one, too.
"I can't afford enough food or toiletries for me or my family."
There is a very strong chance your university has a campus food bank. It is there for you. The issue can sometimes be in finding it, though, as it depends on who runs it. The last university I attended had it run by the Chaplaincy's office, through donations by students. My current university runs their through the Student Union, and it's affiliated with the local food bank. Other times you may need to get in touch with an advocacy group, such as your campus Women's Center, Black Students Association, GLTB Group, Aboriginal Students Association, Foreign Students Group, etc. In my experience the Women's Center is a good place to go for things like tampons, pads, diapers, baby food, condoms, and (sometimes) Emergency Contraceptives.
Most of the above groups are volunteer run, and not through the university (although they may receive funding from the student's union). They often need volunteers. (I spent today putting away shipments of food in the campus food bank, for example, and that would have been faster and more fun with more people.) If you feel guilty using the food bank (it's there for you), offer to volunteer for their organization.
The university may also have 'official' options for you. Your best bet is to contact whatever counselling service they have on campus and talk to them first. They will have guidance for you.
Do not hesitate to talk to your financial aid office about money. If your tuition is paid up, they often have emergency money they can loan you interest free. I had to move out of my apartment once early on in the academic year, and they loaned me money for the deposit and first month's rent ($800). They may also have grants and scholarships that you - whatever your circumstances - may qualify for. This can include for things like paying for your medications or any assistive tech you may need, purchasing, repairing, or replacing a computer, or just "regular" financial need. Talk to them. They cannot help you until you ask.
There is also the option of aid within your community. I know my Local Council of Women has a Bread & Roses fund for women studying engineering, for example, and that my local feminist bookstore has a small scholarship for women returning to school after time away. Chances are these are things your financial aid office is aware of. Talk to them.
If you are a member of a religious group, your place of worship may be able to help you. I know less about this than other things as I do not belong to a religion, but I have talked to people who do. They have reported to me that many religious groups and places of worship will help out students who belong to their group. Ask them. They don't want you to be struggling.
"I'm going to fail this class / I can't finish this assignment on time / I'm stupid and my profs are laughing at me. What do I do?"
In general, your profs want you to do well. Speaking as a TA, and as someone who has had multiple conversations with professors over the years: Talk to them. No, seriously. Email them. Call them. Stop in their office during office hours. Write them a note and put it in their mail box. Talk to them omg please talk to them. If you have a TA, talk to them, too.
I will not promise anything from that conversation, but possible outcomes include helping you out with something, giving you more one-on-one time, hooking you up with a tutor, giving you extensions on things, reading over a rough draft of your work so that you can get some early feedback, suggestions on sources, suggestions on what you can work on, general assistance, a good cup of coffee or tea and a place to sit. Generally (not 100% of the time, but more often than not): They want you to do well. They want to help you. Helping you in September and October means grading your papers in November is infinitely easier.
There are also other options:
- Your major probably has some sort of Society associated with it, which may be made up of incredible keeners. (The Undergraduate History Association at Dal publishes an quasi-academic journal, for example. Our Graduate History Association puts on a well-respected Academic Conference every year. We are keeners. We want to talk about history.) If you're struggling, members of your Association will likely be willing to help you out, or at least point you to others who can. (This help may include saying things like "Don't go to that prof, he is an asshole about grad students." *cough*)
- Your university probably has some equivalent of "The Writing Centre". Sing along if you know the words: They want to help you. Some of your tuition goes to paying for this, so you're already paying for the service, and they get more funding if they have more students come in, so you're totally doing them a favour. GO EARLY. My Writing Centre actually stays open till 2 a.m. during finals because that's when the library closes and they have so many people needing help that it's just easier to do it that way than to turn students away.
- Your university may have a formal system for hooking people up with tutors. If not, there are a lot of people who advertise tutoring services. Ask around, or look on the boards around your campus. There may also be an electronic board of some sort that students use. Check it out.
- Talk to your classmates. You are probably not the only person struggling. Study groups are not just for plot purposes on t.v. shows. Sometimes these are arranged online (via Facebook, for example), but there have been some chilling cases in Canada that have declared online discussions to be "cheating" and academic dishonesty. Check with your prof, or keep it offline.
- Get a tour of your library. My university offers library tours all throughout September. You'd be amazed how many resources are available to you through your academic library, but no one knows about them. (I've booked multiple appointments with research libraries, for example, to help with secondary source research.) A good tour will include how to use the library website - if it doesn't, ask someone to show you how. I keep forgetting the awesome resources on my library's website. Remember: Librarian want to help you. They go to university so they can be awesome librarians and help you. Talk to them.
This list/guide is so far quite small. Please feel free to add additional comments. It's a work-in-progress, after all.
Errata & Additions:
meloukhia emphasis talking to financial aid officers if you have money issues.FrustratedBiWoman mentions renting textbooks as an option.
naraht brings up UK-specific stuff that goes into much more helpful detail but ist still basically applicable everywhere.killing_rose brings up somewhat more US-specific advice that is still basically applicable everywhere.lilacsigil goes into some details on disability assistance offices at universities, and there is some follow-up commentary from jesse_the_k
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Date: 2010-08-13 08:00 pm (UTC)... or about six months.
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Date: 2010-08-13 09:03 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2010-08-14 12:27 am (UTC)