The FAQs of college life

Campus tours give prospective students a better glimpse of university life than brochures offer, but are students getting all the information they need to be successful?

This is the second in a two-part series examining college choices and the options students have when selecting a university.

Campus tours help allay the fears many students and parents have about adjusting to university life. Admissions counselors try to provide the answers to the questions they're asked by meeting with prospective students, introducing them to faculty and guiding them on a tour.

Campus tours at Southeast Missouri State University can be designed specifically to a prospective student's requests. If the student is considering a performing arts major, the tour might include a visit with the department faculty and mention of the River Campus. If the student is considering education, a college student in that degree program might be asked to meet with them.

The tours are individualized for each student, and typically last between 60 and 90 minutes, said Danielle Alspaugh, an admissions counselor at Southeast.

During Lee Ann Weatherholt's recent visit, the tour included information about tryouts for the Sundancer dance team and the university's dance minor. Weatherholt is a junior at Henderson County school in Kentucky. Her father lives in Cape Girardeau.

After a short video and conversation with a counselor, the students are led by a university student on a tour of the campus. Some of the stops include Academic Hall, Kent Library, University Center, the Polytechnic Building, which is the campus' newest, and dormitories and classrooms.

Some students ask lots of questions; others never say a word but the student ambassador guides try to provide them with as much useful information as possible -- everything from how well dorm food really tastes to whether or not bringing a personal computer is necessary.

Freshman Nicole Ray didn't find that her campus visit and orientation were all that helpful but that's likely because she already knew the campus and was certain of her degree.

The best part of the tour was actually getting to meet with faculty in the nursing program, which she chose as her major, Ray said. "I got to talk more about specific classes."

But even all the conversations she had prior to the first day of class couldn't truly prepare her for what would come. There are some things about college life that no one really mentions.

"Be prepared to do a lot of reading," Ray advised. When teachers step into a classroom what they do is teach, "so all the work is on your own."

And sometimes that can be the challenge, particularly if students are prone to procrastinate.

"I'm still working on time management and getting it all done in the right amount of time," she said.

Ray, who commutes from her Cape Girardeau home, said that it's easier for her to stay on campus until all her assignments are complete rather than trying to take her work home.

Once at home, she seldom feels like studying, she said.

Leah Tiebel, also a freshman, said the best advice she could offer new students would be not to spread classes out. "If it's too far between them you won't want to go," she said.

"And don't take any 8 a.m. classes," she said. People think they'll go but that doesn't really happen, she said.

Joel McDaniel, an upperclassman, also had a few pointers for students that he learned while at Southeast. "You're paying for the classes so it's good to go," he said. "And don't worry about what your major is going to be when you first get in. I changed mine."

Things get easier after the first semester though, students said. During the first week, they have booths everywhere and people are helpful, Ray said. "The instructors are sympathetic if you get there late because you couldn't find the building."

But that stops after winter break. Besides, Ray said, students feel more confident about their work and know what's expected of them.

Yet there are still things Ray is learning, like which computer labs are open late (Dempster Hall), and which classes you shouldn't try to take in the same semester.

Some tips she's found by trial-and-error:

Don't take anatomy and another science course in the same semester if you can help it. Ray took both, which was required in her study program.

Take 15 credits as your limit; that load will be sufficient to keep you busy. Tiebel said most students should start with just 12 hours, particularly if they are interested in sororities or fraternities. "I'm busy enough," she said of her 12-hour classload.

Always carry a back-up disk "because the computer will always crash" before you can print the paper that's due, Ray said.

Avoid long lines for textbook rental by getting your books in the week before classes begin.

Enroll early but if the classes you want are full, wait a few days because someone is likely to drop out, Tiebel said.

ljohnston@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 126