Student Resources

Just about every college campus has a number of student resources available to students. Particular resources and the quality of those resources will differ from campus to campus and by college type. These resources are designed to help students during their educational pursuits. All students should take advantage of these resources as much as possible. You pay for these resources with every tuition payment, get your moneys worth!

Student Identification Card

The first thing you should do is get a student identification card. To use most campus resources this is a requirement. However, some student identification cards come with perks of their own. On some campuses student identification cards can be preloaded with cash. The benefit of a preloaded card is that many campus purchases can be made tax-free (e.g. food courts, bookstores, coffee shop, etc.). Also, most campuses have arrangements with nearby businesses to offer special students discounts for identification card holders. You should obtain a student identification card either way, but research you campus student identification cards for perks directly tied to the card.

Campus Library

Almost all colleges have a library. Some community colleges may not have a library but may have an agreement with a nearby local library. If your community college does have a library, it many not have a huge collection; but in most cases it will still rival your local public library. However, if you are attending a university, the library is likely to be an extraordinary resource. Most campus libraries will have computers available, wireless internet access, a huge catalog of different types of published works (e.g.books, magazines, newspapers, etc), scholarly journal accounts for students, a reserved section with hard to find titles, multimedia (e.g. computer software, movies), private study areas, laptop computers to barrow, and the list goes on and on. It will serve you well to get thoroughly acquainted with your campus library.

Writing Center, Tutoring Center, And Computer Labs

Many colleges have writing centers, tutoring centers, and/or computer labs available to students. The writing labs are an excellent resource if you need help writing a paper for class. They will help on a number of levels depending on your needs (e.g. developing ideas, grammar, etc.). Tutoring centers are also often available to students. A tutoring center may be for a specific subject or for any help you may need. Often college math departments will have tutoring centers available for help pertaining to math. Most college campuses now have computer labs available. If you need to work on an assignment that is expected to be printed when turned in (which is almost always the case) this can be a helpful resources. This resource is especially useful if you do not have a computer at home or if you are on campus all day and want to get some work done during your downtime in between classes. Check your campus directory or with your advising center to find out which of these resources are available on your campus and where they are located.

Career Services

This resource is essential. Most of us are in college so we can get a decent job. Campus career services are there to help achieve that goal. Career service can help in a number of areas: writing resumes, interview preparation, career fairs, arrange on-campus interviews, help pinpoint opportunities related to your major, provide lists of job openings, etc. Another benefit is that college career service offices usually have long standing relationships with numerous employers which is a great resource to tap into. There are a number of employers that hire most of their new employees directly out of local colleges. A number of colleges with career service departments have their own online portals for employers to connect with students. You may find yourself landing more job interviews from listings on these types of web portals because the employers that post jobs are looking to hire educated staff.

Health Clinic

Some college campuses have health clinics. If your campus does, it is likely that you are being charged a health services fee in your tuition. If you are not feeling well this is the place to go. Now, you will not get major surgery for free here, but it is a good place to go for vaccinations and to take care of minor health issues.

Campus Recreation

This is a good resource when you want to take a break from the books. Some colleges have campus recreation resources available. These resources could vary widely, but some of the more common things geared to campus recreation resources may be a swimming pool, exercise gym, and tennis courts.

Additional Resources

There are so many resources that college campuses can offer it is unlikely that they have all been mentioned in this section. Check with your advising center to find out what else is available to you as a student.