12 Chapter 12 Advice from Students Who have Graduated
Student Testimonials
In this section, you will read and hear the advice of students who have been in your shoes just a few semesters ago.
Samantha, BS 2016
As an entering college freshman, it is exciting to obtain the freedom of building your schedule and taking classes that focus on your specific interests. Although you can also get lost amid the “newness,” know that many have been where you are and are there to help you along the way.
The following are some pieces of advice to guide you during your college experience.
- Know your degree track. Learn what courses you need to take and when you need to take them to be on track to graduate by your desired date. UTRGV has an online tool called “Degree Works”, available via ASSIST, which is a great way to help you see what courses you need. If you prefer to speak to someone, visiting your advisor at the end of every semester can also help you ask all the questions you have about our degree and prepare you to register for your classes early. Slots for courses fill up quickly every semester, so knowing what classes are following can relieve some stress and allow you to be one of the first to register.
- Ask for help. You never know if your question is the same one someone else is afraid to ask. Whether it is a question about tutoring, classwork, or anything else, don’t let the opportunity to ask pass you by. Professors, teaching assistants, and UTRGV staff are there for anything you need.
- Stay on top of your GPA. Especially if you are considering graduate school or any program after you obtain your bachelor’s degree, keeping track of your GPA is a must. Every single course you take counts! Be sure to take all your classes seriously and dedicate the proper time to them to get the grade you deserve.
- Build your resume. You may think it’s too early to dwell on extracurricular activities, but before you know it, you will be a senior in college! Joining leadership clubs or being a part of any extracurricular activities relevant to your degree are great ways to prepare you for the next phase of your life and keep your head out of the books for a while. Research, volunteering, working, or simply being involved in your community not only helps you become a well-rounded person but allows others to see your strengths.
- Focus on YOUR interests. Having friends and a community of support throughout college can help bring balance in your life, but sometimes may sway your choices. Keeping your interests in account is critical to helping you achieve your career goals. If needed, step out of your comfort zone occasionally to try new things. Most importantly, be a part of activities that drive you to accomplish your dreams.
Paola, BS 2019
As a new freshman entering college life, you will soon be discovering and experiencing new and exciting things. As a recent college graduate, I have some valuable advice for you that helped guide me through my adventure years in college. My number one piece of advice is “GO TO CLASS”. Don’t miss it unless you really have to. You’ll soon come to realize how much information you can miss with just one day of being out. If an assignment is due don’t wait until the night before to start working on it. Start working on it each day, a little bit at a time. This will make due dates less stressful. Use the resources that are given to you, they are there for a reason. Get to know your professors and don’t be afraid to reach out when you have questions. They are all there to help you. Ask, and you shall receive. Join clubs, if you don’t know where you can make friends, research the different clubs at the university and start building relationships. Create healthy study habits. If you know you can get easily distracted at home, use the library or find a quiet place around campus where you know you can go and get your work done. Make a schedule and plan. When I was a student, I can tell you that creating a schedule and planning time for assignments really relieved some stress. I had more time to finish my work and was able to enjoy some “me,” time without worrying about assignments that were due. Make a study buddy. I remember that having someone to study with for an exam made it much more fun as well as helped me retain information for whichever class I was studying for. Don’t forget to exercise, this will not only help you stay active, but it will also allow you to clear your mind. College can be stressful, and sometimes it can be very challenging, but it is essential that we remember that we must also take care of our mental health in order to continue to succeed. Keep an open mind and learn how to accept feedback, this will help you grow as a student and will make you a great professional someday. When I was a student, I soaked in all the feedback my professors gave me because I knew it would make me more knowledgeable. If you need a job, do a job hunt around campus. If you qualify for work-study, I highly recommend that you apply. As a student, being a work-study on campus really helped with getting schoolwork done and getting some extra cash. You will make mistakes, and it is 100% OK, as long as you learn from them and continue striving to be better. You’ll come across many challenges, and as you go you’ll learn to navigate them better each time. Remember, there are so many people going through the same thing as you are, so don’t be afraid to reach out. Lastly, don’t give up, EVER! I remember, as a student wanting to give up so many times, because I felt I couldn’t do it. But, you can and you will.
If you hear from a Communication Sciences and Disorders (COMD) major
Advice from COMD juniors (2020-2021)
What do you wish you would have known before applying to the COMD program?
- Personally, although I knew that it would require more studying once in the program, I wish I knew that it would require more studying than I had done in a long time or, rather had ever done. I have always gotten good grades, but if I had been aware earlier on, I could have gotten into the groove of forming better study habits earlier on. Also, I wish I had known more about NSSLHA before the program. I would have loved to be involved ahead of time if I had known it existed.
- I wish I had known that I needed to change my study habits and read more to grasp the idea of the material fully.
- I wish I had known the deadline to apply for the COMD program because I was held back a year for missing the deadline. The bottom line is to be informed about dates. Also, I wish I had known to be more organized; it helps studying, the earlier you do it.
- Before applying to the COMD program I felt like I knew enough because of the roadmap, college fairs, etc., so I didn’t have questions. Not to mention that when I had questions, I would reach out to the undergraduate program coordinator.
- One thing I wish I knew was how important it is to start asking for your recommendation letters way in advance if it’s just bringing up the idea to one of your professors or even emailing them bringing up the idea so they have time to prepare and they are not caught off guard. It helps make recommendations work smoothly and lessens the stress of both parties.
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I wish I would have known how much information-based the program is. When I was finishing up my core classes I did not find myself studying as hard as I do for this program. I understand that it is expected for our program, but seeing that we had to adjust to online courses, it is very different than learning in person on campus. I feel that if I had known how much studying we would be doing once in the program; I would have gotten a better study-technique down.
What has helped you the most once in the COMD program?
- What has helped me the most so far in the program is having a friend or two who are also in the program that I can study with? We study on Zoom every other day for hours, or at least twice a week, and talk through what we have learned so far in our classes and quiz each other on the material. I also schedule certain days to work on specific classes.
- Since we have been online due to the pandemic, making zooms has helped a lot with studying and getting to know my classmates so that we can give each other feedback.
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Once I was in the program, what helped me the most was making friends. By making friends with my classmates, we help each other during study sessions, answering each other’s questions to the best of our abilities.
- Once in the program, what has helped me the most is my professors, peers, and COMD staff support. Honestly, COMD professors are so helpful, and motivating, and want the best for their students. In addition, when having questions, I tend to ask my COMD cohort first, and they always help. What has helped me also is to find different ways to study for each class and to study beforehand. After lectures, reviewing my notes and going over the information has helped me the most. In addition, reading the books and making notes is helpful.
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Building connections with all the other people in the program. If it’s just one friend or a group that you love to study with, I found out that this is the most helpful thing to have. It gives me peace of mind to know that I have people out there who are going through the same thing as me, and I can truly rely on them if I have any questions or anxieties about anything in the program. Furthermore, finding the right study group is also something very helpful that I have discovered. Personally, before the program and in high school, I would have considered myself an independent person when it came to studying. However, now being in the program, I really do not know how I went so long without having others to study with. It has truly helped me in ways that I never even thought about in my younger years.
- I think that once in the program, you realize how available all your professors are. The same goes for the seniors and mentors that we are given. Overall, every person in our program is easily approachable, which relieves so much stress for me personally.
- Figure out your best form of studying because it will definitely help you once you are in the program. Once in the program, you will learn something new every single day. So, it is crucial to have a way of studying that helps you learn the material faster and easier.
What suggestions do you have for future students?
- Read, watch videos, try to understand what it is you are going to learn about. It might seem like a lot at once, but it is so interesting, and it feels good to know that all the information you are taking in will one day make an impact on someone’s life. I am barely on my first semester, but I can assure you it is the best program to be in! I could not be happier to be learning all this information to, soon, one day, help someone with a speech disorder.
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I suggest having 1-2 friends to study with who are determined to stay on task and review the material with you. It helps to start reviewing and quizzing yourself on the material at the end of every week or even the day after, and not wait till a couple of days before the exam(s) to review everything. I usually type out my notes based on my reading from the chapter(s), put together questions and answers based on the outlines or PowerPoints to quiz myself repeatedly during the weeks before the exam(s), and reread the chapter(s) at least one more time after the initial reading. It is also sometimes helpful to come up with tips, acronyms, or hand motions to recall information faster. Don’t overwork yourself, take study breaks, manage your studying for each class wisely, and study more than a week in advance. Also, get involved with NSSLHA! It is an excellent organization with lots of incredible opportunities.
- Take it one day at a time, ask questions, and not be afraid to ask for help.
- Buy a calendar. It helps me to see what my daily objectives are for the day and to give certain classes more attention than others, especially during test time.
- Always reach out to peers or professors when you need help. Don’t be scared, and try out new things. Get a study buddy or a group of friends to study and help each other. Another suggestion would be to join the NSSLHA organization from our college if you haven’t yet. NSSLHA is also very helpful and informative if you want to become a speech pathologist. You experience different events and learn new things once in this organization.
- My biggest suggestion is to find those people that you connect with and feel like you can be successful studying with. This will help you a ton in this program. Being able to confide in others and be able to succeed in and outside the program is very important and special. Another suggestion is to study, study, study. Yes, I know this may seem obvious, but I mean, studying before the exam or a couple of nights before is not going to cut it. I suggest you start looking over your notes weeks in advance and learn the best methods that work for you.
- Finding what works and what doesn’t for studying is my biggest advice. One cannot study the same way for every class; what works for one class might not work for the other. Most importantly, to not be afraid of asking questions or talking to others for help.
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Study and practice ahead of time. Also, learning rather than memorizing is very helpful. As we move into the COMD program, all the information we learn keeps building up, and that’s why it’s not good to memorize information. Moreover, being organized and making time to work on a specific class on a certain day is beneficial to not being all over the place and learning better. Furthermore, when being a freshman or sophomore in college, try to do your best in all your classes. If you get a C or sometimes a B, don’t be too hard on yourself and try to do better as you move along. Learn from the simple mistakes you make. For example, if in your first exam, you don’t do too well, find a different method to study and keep going. Another way is to use the university resources that can help you. There’s the learning center that can help you with anatomy and other subjects, the writing center that can help you with your essays, the professor’s office hours if you need help, and much more. Take advantage of the university resources and keep doing your best.
Advice from COMD Seniors (2020-2021)
- Be involved in clubs/organizations and participate in class discussions. By being closely involved, you start building connections, friendships, and leadership skills, which greatly benefit you with various opportunities during AND after college. Another piece of advice I’d like to share is to never give up. Anything can be challenging initially when we are new to it, such as the world of Speech Pathology or virtual learning itself, but you WILL learn to adapt. You will tackle many obstacles by using your critical thinking skills or simply asking for help from a professor, peer, or mentor, who is always an email or call away.
- Do research and talk to your academic advisor regarding your potential career goals/options and which academic route will be best to get you where you want to go. It is also essential to talk to your professors when they have office hours. Especially if you need help in the class, but even if you don’t. Even though it can seem intimidating, it will help you in the long run, the and professor will appreciate your effort.
- For incoming freshman, I recommend they to use their time wisely. Getting a planner will benefit them and guide them throughout college. By doing this, they will figure out a way to know how to handle each class most proactively and won’t forget any duties they need to finish.
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Utilize your advisors! That is what they are there for. Be in constant contact with your advisor. Let them know what majors/programs you might be interested in so that way you have an idea of what programs you must submit an application for and their prerequisites and requirements. Ask about what minors could complement your major and how you can request for that to be done. Also, be considerate of your time management. This is something that I struggled with as a freshman in college. I was so used to the high school structure, so being on my own time was a different ball game. I had to learn how to manage my time and bought myself a planner to make sure I was keeping up on due dates for my classes and giving myself time to study for my exams. This is key to success throughout your college life. Another thing would be to get or stay involved in the different clubs and organizations UTRGV has to offer! There are tons of organizations to choose from and lots of volunteer opportunities that you do not want to miss out on. It may seem like it is not a big deal, but when it comes to building a resume, these organizations and volunteer hours are a great way to make you stand out. My last piece of advice would be to enjoy your college experience to the fullest! You will not get these years back, so cherish them as much as you can because time will fly by, and by the time you know it, you will already be applying to graduate.
- Get a planner ASAP because the procrastination is real! Entering this new independent life, you are responsible for your classes and all the deadlines, so stay organized and on top of things. Even though it’s easy to put off assignments, you’ll put excessive pressure and stress on yourself. These next four years, utilize the variety of tools and resources this university offers, and don’t be afraid to ask for help!
- (1) Get involved. Even if you feel you are only a freshman, it is essential to join clubs and organizations to volunteer and get a glimpse of life after college. Doing this can orient you towards the right path to your career; (2) Manage your time wisely. Keeping a planner can help you organize your projects, homework, and daily activities. This is essential and helps you organize your time to be the most effective and not miss any deadlines. (3) Go to your professor’s office hours. It is essential to develop professional relationships with your professors so they can get to know you. This gives you the confidence to ask questions when needed and approach them easier.
Hear what an Exercise Science/Kinesiology major has to say
The following is advice that Exercise/Kinesiology students would give to an incoming freshman.
- Even though many biology classes may be discouraging, be patient and study hard because hard work pays off.
- Ask questions and discuss topics with your peers; you will learn from others and may even find answers to your questions.
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“Take it all in”. Throughout my college experience, I’ve learned that our lives can change within a matter of seconds. One minute you’re out hanging out with your friends, then the next, you’re crying your eyes out because you do not seem to understand a word your professor is saying; all while in a world pandemic. You might question whether college is for you when studying for an exam at 1 a.m. However, it is necessary that you “take in” the countless hours of studying, the questions you ask during the lecture, the extra credit you’re holding on to for dear life, and the proctored exams that tend to give you anxiety. Because once you’ve reached your senior year of college, it is then that you will realize what life is about. It is important to remember that your first year of college is not about the parties but instead about finding ways to help improve discipline, determination, and dedication.
- Make sure Exercise Science is the degree you want to do. Many students nearly about to graduate do not like their major and are left making changes. If you want to make changes, make sure you do them in your first year or ASAP.
- Do not get discouraged. It might seem like a lot, but the organization is the KEY! Buy yourself a planner and get to work. Ask questions, join or create study groups with others in your class. Be involved in the learning process from the start of the course and do not wait until the end. Please get to know your professors and understand they are willing to help students who help themselves. Read everything you can for the subject at hand and constantly challenge yourself to research information that you do not understand. It is also okay if you cannot pass a class the first time around; don’t be ashamed to take lessons again. Sometimes, it takes extra effort to understand the material presented, and it is okay to fail to succeed. It’s not the smartest that gets a degree; it is the most determined. Success is in the effort.
- Always make time to study. Already going to my final year majoring in Exercise Science, it has hit me pretty hard how much I need to make time to study. Also, time management is very important when it comes to this degree. Classes from Anatomy and Physiology to Physiology of Exercise require a student to know a vast majority of information and retain it. Time Management is vital to being successful in College, especially in a major such as Exercise Science. Studying and going the extra mile is the key to excellence.
- Measure your options and research which degree plan is best for you. There are many occupations to choose from like physical therapy, occupational therapy, a coach, a personal trainer,etc. Another piece of advice is make time to study and find your ideal note taking skills.
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My advice to incoming first-year students, would be not to procrastinate, you’ve got to be thinking about all kinds of opportunities that will emerge. One of the best time management tips when it comes to preparing for exams, is to do a little every day instead of putting off all your studying until the last minute. The classroom community belongs to everyone in there. So, don’t be afraid to speak up in class, provide your feedback. And, if the professor is going too fast, not being clear, using unfamiliar terminology raise your hand and ask for clarification. Don’t compare yourself to other students. It is easy to feel lost, especially when it comes to academics. Remember that everyone has unique talents, and you have four years to cultivate yours.
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Study and actually learn the material. Most Exercise Science/Kinesiology classes all teach the same background information. A&P is one of the harder classes I have taken, but if you learn that material by heart, you should have no problem passing every other class. Also try to manage your time wisely. If you have an exam coming up it best if you are not going out with friends. Lastly, everyone is just as lost as you are, hang on tight!
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Take advantage of the classes that are open, and if there is a seat take it. Also never and I mean never – trust me – leave things till the last minute and procrastinate. Something I would have liked to know before starting my major would have probably been that you have to take your classes in a certain order. Something else is you can’t take certain classes together and you need certain prerequisites for certain classes. It would have been nice to know all of this from the start.
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Take it seriously. This is not a major you think you can just study a few nights or the night before and think you are going to pass. You have to put the work in and study if you wanna pass. If you can come into it with prior knowledge of at least the anatomy portion because this field consists of dealing with the body. Pretty much just study and don’t be afraid to ask questions because once you’re lost and don’t understand the harder it is to understand other topics that follow.
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The single advise I’d give to a first year kinesiology student is to make sure they really have a passion for the field/career they chose, because even though it is a rewarding career in itself, if they end up dropping when the classes get hard it is going to be a waste of their time.
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My advice for incoming freshman coming into a kinesiology major or minor would be to be sure that you know what you want to do with your degree! The concentrations take you on very different paths and although all of them provide you with useful information it can be tricky if you’re not 100% sure what you’re doing. On that same note, don’t be afraid to ask questions! This is your future, your degree. Make the most of it and don’t be afraid of taking too long to figure out what you want to do. Getting trapped in something you’re not totally invested in can be draining. Lastly, have fun!