As some of you are now realizing, the world of college is significantly different from high school. Even the introductory level courses involve more reading, writing, and testing than most students have experienced before. For the majority, the following few weeks will be a transition process from summer fun to time management and homework control. Some, however, will soon find themselves sliding further behind on their work and realizing they are in need of help. Fortunately, there are many resources available on campus to help with time management, homework questions, and general tutoring.
Advising and Learning Center:
The Advising and Learning Center is the major hub of academic assistance at Rensselaer. First, they offer students an advisor in their field of study who can assist them in planning schedules for upcoming semesters, making sure they are staying on track to complete their major. The advisor can often play the role of a mentor if students become overwhelmed with their course loads. ALAC also oversees the intervention methods in classes when the student is having problems. The student may be sent a “red flag” as part of the Early Warning System and referred to faculty and staff members who could help. They also offer a Faculty Intervention Program in the spring for students having difficulties in the fall, in which students will meet weekly with a faculty mentor. ALAC provides another approach to assistance through their supplemental instruction sessions that target courses that traditionally give students problems. They are also in charge of the Learning Assistants, Teaching and Learning Assistants for upperclassmen, and tutoring sessions held in the DCC. More study skills and services are available on the ALAC website: http://j2ee.rpi.edu/alac/setup.do/
Student Assistants:
Comprising this category are the Learning Assistants (LAs), Teaching and Learning Assistants (TLAs), Teaching Assistants (TAs), and the Resident Assistants (RAs). The TLAs are graduate students who live among the upperclassmen to assist them with their transitions to graduate school. The TLAs help students study for GREs, apply for internships and coops, and apply to graduate schools. The LAs live throughout first-year residence halls and are provided with ample training from both ALAC and the Office of Residence Life. They hold workshops ranging from study skills to stress management, as well as keeping office hours for private consultations. The TAs are appointed by the department or the professors for each course to hold recitations, study review sessions, grade homework, and be a general liaison between the professor and the students. Each TA should be available to help during office hours or through e-mail. The RAs, like the LAs, live throughout the residence halls. While they could help students in the same field of study, RAs are more useful for mentoring students who are overly stressed or feeling overwhelmed—especially around midterms. There are online listings for all of the above with their extensions, room numbers, and office hours.
Career Development Center:
Though the Career Development Center may primarily assist students with resumes and job placement, they offer some key resources to all students. The CDC is concerned with helping students stay on track to complete their majors in the allotted four or five years. They provide seminars to help students balance academic, social, and extracurricular activities while fulfilling credit requirements each year. Their timeline is set up to ensure that students use their advisors and utilize the CDC as graduation and career opportunities approach. They also have the best resources for undecided students trying to pick a major and eventually a career. They can help students evaluate their skills, strengths, and interests to see just what opportunities are available and what a major in a specific field could mean for career choices. Check out their website at http://www.rpi.edu/dept/cdc/index.html for more information.
While there are groups established specifically to assist students, some of the best resources are peers and professors. Rather than have students falling behind and afraid to ask for help, professors can evaluate what is giving students the most difficulty. A professor is more likely to help out if he or she knows a student is struggling and not blowing off the class. Other students are also a great resource, be it those who have taken the course already or those enrolled in the course currently. Study groups are always forming around the Union, and students who already took the course can provide sample problems and back tests. A library of back tests is kept in the Alpha Phi Omega office (Union Room 3420), as well. So before you find yourself too deep in a hole, don’t be afraid to request the help of the resources mentioned above.
