Fort Smith Four
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How to Survive UAFS: Academic
By: Lauren Schluterman
November 30, 2015
The University of Arkansas-Fort Smith (UAFS) is a fantastic school and while it is commonly called a commuter school and considered small for a university, it has a lot to offer. UAFS is home to over 7,100 students, but I’m reaching out to the freshman class here. There is something at UAFS to help every student if they know where to look and I’m going to show you the way. Whether you are looking for advisement, a tutor, quite study places, or study materials, you can find any of them if you look hard enough.
UAFS has so many wonderful tools to offer to each and every student, and they are free! Your tuition already accounts for all these services, so you do not pay any extra and you can use them as much as you want or need. Every student is assigned an advisor for their major. There is also extra advising that is available to students upstairs in the Smith-Pendergraft
Campus Center, so if your advisor is unavailable or you just really need advice on what to do with your life because you are not sure that is the place to go. They can also do a degree evaluation and let you know where you stand in accordance with graduation or where you would be if you switched majors. Advisement is a great place to go to keep yourself on track.
One of the best tools UAFS has to offer for students is the Academic Success Center (ASC), because it offers several different services. When taking an online class, the ASC is where you would take a test for it. They offer free tutoring, one-on-one guided study assistance for any subject, and drop-in tutoring for several subjects such as math, biology, chemistry, physics, economics, spanish, and writing, as well as group tutoring for any subject. There is also supplemental instruction, mini-workshops, and an open computer lab for student use, which is a great place for homework and studying.
The UAFS campus has a lot of great quite places to study, some that people may not even notice. The ASC and the library are the more obvious places on campus. The library even has a 24-hour zone that is great for studying or doing late night homework at any time of the day, and so does the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center. Some of the less obvious places to study are the campus green, the alcoves under the stairs in the campus center, the food court, the lobby’s in Flanders and Math-Science, the common areas on your wing of the dorm, and in the laundry room of the Lion’s Den or the commons. Quite study places are nice, but they are not a necessity or always easy to find. Having a place you can go to get away, even if you need head phones, to focus on your studies is vital to making it through college; so look around and find your spot.
College classes are difficult and sometimes you need extra help understanding the material. If you are looking for a tutor, as mentioned earlier, the ASC has them for an abundance of subjects. If you are looking for more information on a topic, the library has a huge selection of books and other materials that can help. The campus bookstore can also be a big help. Not only does the bookstore have all your textbooks for every class, it also has a nice selection of study materials and if you ask the textbook manager for something specific they do not have, they can get it for you. They also carry scantrons and school supplies so you are always prepare for class. As you can see, knowing where to look for help and finding your own study spots are vital to surviving college.