Find Your Energy these First Four Weeks!

by

Dear Rams:

Welcome to your first full week of the fall semester at Colorado State University!

We hope you have started to find your energy as a CSU Ram as you have been attending your first classes, meeting your instructors, and making new friends or reconnecting with old ones. Whether this is your first fall at CSU or you are a returning student, your time here is about building your life as a Ram and pursuing your dreams. We are here to make sure you succeed.

Research tells us that the First Four Weeks of every semester are critical to a student’s success. How well you are doing academically these first four weeks is a good indication of your success for the rest of the semester and academic year.

Here’s what you can do to best position yourself:

  • Get to know your instructors and attend their office hours. Take advantage of this great time to connect with faculty and build relationships that will last a lifetime, ask questions, and check your understanding of course content.
  • Review the syllabus for each class. Know each course’s grading policy, and factor upcoming due dates into your planning. Check in regularly to online learning systems like Canvas that many instructors use as part of the course experience.
  • Complete assignments, even the low-point assignments. Mini-tests, short writing assignments, reading quizzes, and practice tests offered by your instructors can seem like  “low-stakes” activities, but they give you early feedback about your performance before you are given assignments and tests worth more points.
  • Attend FREE TILT Tutoring sessions. These sessions are led by students who have successfully completed the class(es) you are in.
  • Anticipate challenges that you may have (e.g., childcare, transportation, working a lot of hours, no computer at home, etc.). Ask for help and support when you need it.
  • If you are struggling, reach out. Talk to your resident assistant, graduate teaching assistant, lab instructor, faculty, or peer mentor. If you have concerns about the well-being of a friend or fellow student, connect online with the Tell Someone team who can help. (See additional resources below.)

Thank you for choosing CSU, and know that you belong here and we are here to support your success. Go Rams!

Sincerely,

Marion K. Underwood, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice President

Blanche Hughes, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs

ADDITIONAL CAMPUS RESOURCES

Through our Student Success Initiatives, we have teams of experts in place across campus to support you on your path to commencement. In addition to the recommendations and resources listed above, here are additional campus resources available to you:

  • Mental Health and Well-Being Resources:

https://health.colostate.edu/mhwb-resources/

  • Student Support Resources:

https://studentaffairs.colostate.edu/resource/students/student-support/

  • Reserve a Study Room at the Library:

https://lib.colostate.edu/services/reserve-a-room/group-study-rooms/

  • Get Involved on Campus (student orgs, Greek communities, Cultural Resource Centers, etc.): https://dosomething.colostate.edu
  • Find a Job or Internship On or Off Campus:

https://career.colostate.edu/job-internship-search/