What are some useful tips for students starting their first semester at Utah Valley University?

What are some useful tips for students starting their first semester at Utah Valley University?

There's a lot going on on campus--how can you make the most of your first semester?
  1. Room numbers indicate what floor the room is on. 114 is on the first floor, 220 is on the second floor, 302 is on the third, and so on.
  2. Try to avoid scheduling classes in the Computer Science or Gunther Technology Building next to classes in the Classroom Building. It will make you cry as you try to get across campus in time.
  3. Take all the flyers and check out all the signage on campus! There are a ton of cool things going on in every interest area imaginable, but you won’t know unless you check those out. Worst case, you’re not interested and you stick the flyer in one of the hundreds of recycling bins.
  4. Don’t stress too much about your major. About 31% of students don’t wind up working in the field they get their degree in. Study hard at what you choose, meet as many people as you can, and figure out what you like and don’t like. Most skills are translatable across industries.
  5. Business students--sign up for HubIQ! You can get relevant event information texted straight to your phone, create a personal hub that you can use as a portfolio for job hunting, and earn points to get swag, treats, and special VIP experiences. If you want to be career ready when you leave school the WSB hub will help you do it.
  6. Ask for help with EVERYTHING and ask multiple people. If you need help with it, chances are someone else has too and there’s a resource for it at UVU. It might take asking a couple different people, but eventually you’ll ask someone who has the knowledge you need! This includes personal stuff—every year UVU helps do simple tax returns for free. You can get business cards printed in the print shop in GT. There are multiple writing labs to help you improve your written work and you can get help with your personal business startup at the Entrepreneurship Institute.
  7. Try to get a job on campus. There’s nothing like being able to go to work without commuting too far and you’ll meet a ton of your fellow classmates as well as staff and faculty. You might even get to meet visiting VIPs such as lecturers depending on the job. Plus, you’ll either have extra spending money or be able to pay down your student loans that much faster.
  8. Visit the Money Management Resource Center (MMRC) and get help with your finances. Learn how to budget. Learn about investing and retirement accounts and leave college financially healthy.
  9. The Science Building and the Pope Science Building are different.
  10. The Ragan Theater and the Sorenson Theater are the same thing and the doors to enter are on the second floor adjacent to the food court where Panda Express and Chick-Fil-A are.
  11. Some schools (like the Business School) let you reserve conference rooms for studying, meetings, interviews, etc. Ask an administrative assistant in the area about how you can do that.
  12. Administrative assistants are your best friend. They know how to do pretty much everything and if they don’t know, they know who does. If you need to get forms signed to change or drop classes or anything like that, they’ll know what you need to do and who to go to. Figure out who the admin for your degree’s department and know where to find them!