MidAmerica Nazarene University is a wonderful place. I have cherished the last three years there, and I am looking forward to my last year to come. One of the things I wish I had when I started here though, is a better understanding of what would come in the next four years. So for any incoming freshmen to MNU this year, here is my list of 12 things you should be aware of as an MNU student.
1.) Own a good study bible:
Being a Christian school, you have at least three classes you must take in the religion department, two of which will require you to own a bible. My advice? Go out and buy a Zondervan NIV Study Bible if you don't already own one. Zondervan makes good study bibles, and NIV is going to be the most universal translation you can use at MNU. It's a great resource for both your Old Testament and New Testament classes, and just a great book to own period.
2.) Set up a 4 year plan:
Your first couple of years at MNU, you will be meeting with your adviser to set up your class schedule. Two points of advice here. First, get to know your adviser. This is the person who will be helping you navigate through your college experience, so you'll want to be on good terms with them. Also, since your adviser is almost always a professor from your department of study, it's good to know them because they will likely be teaching a lot of your classes. Second, by the end of your freshman year, you need to tell them that you want to lay out a basic four year plan with them. I've seen students who neglected to take a class, and because of it are forced to go to college an extra semester. When you email your adviser about meeting to discuss classes, tell them that you would like to take the time in that meeting to set up an outline of the next four years. The important part is that you outline when you need to take the courses for your specific field of study. General education classes are offered every semester so getting those out of the way shouldn't be too hard. Make sure you do this! Getting through a liberal arts college without a plan will be hard.
3.) Declare a major:
Following in line with the last one, the sooner you can declare a major, the better. Now things might change. For my first three semesters, I was an English Education major, but by my fourth semester I had dropped the education part, which changed my graduation requirements. Here's what you need to know about declaring a major. If you want to graduate in four years, you have to have your major nailed down by your fourth semester. It will take you at least two years to get through the courses required for your major because the courses for a given major are offered in two year cycles. For example as and English major, the class Writers and Movements is only offered in the fall on even years. You'll only have two of these in your college career, so if you don't have your major nailed down by that second time, you won't be graduating in four years. The sooner you can declare a major, the better. You'll have more time and freedom to complete your necessary classes. Just be sure it's a major you can stick with.
4.)The class/professor makes a difference:
Being a liberal arts college, you will have a lot of different choices to make as to which general education courses you take. This is a great chance to expand your horizons, so choose wisely. Now you didn't hear this from me, but some professors teach a class better than others. Here are a few. For Comp. and Literature classes, always go for Dr. Thomas. She's the head of the English department and one of the most caring professors you will meet. For environmental science, go for Dr. Taylor. He's smart, understanding, and makes the class much more fun than the other professors. For religion classes, go for Dr.Cloud, Dr. Edlin, and Dr. Fine. Cloud or Edlin will likely be teaching Old or New Testament. They are very different, but both are really great. Some people complain that Edlin puts them to sleep, but honestly, he knows his stuff, especially for Old Testament. Cloud is passionate about education. Yes he hides it under layers of sarcasm, but he genuinely wants his students gain something from his classes. Fine teaches Christian Beliefs. Don't take this with anyone else. Seriously if you can have this experience with him, it will open your mind up to all kinds of ideas about your faith that you had never considered.
5.) Get to know the people in your major:
I think this one is important. Find people in your major to connect with. This is important, because you will often have classes with these people, and most importantly they are the only people on campus who can understand exactly what you are going through with your school work. I've gotten to know many people in my major well, and whenever we have a question or want to shoot ideas off of each other, we always have somebody to turn to. You'll have friends outside your major, but make sure to make friends inside your major as well.
6.) Study (Alone and in groups):
This one can kind of tie in with the last one. If you get to know people from your major, then it will be much easier to form groups to study in. You'll want to do this. It is much easier to study for a class if you know people who are studying for the same class. Also, just make sure that you make time for studying. You'll have plenty of distractions, and going to hang out with people on campus is important, but make yourself sit down and study for class. It's the only way you'll be able to keep up with your classes.
7.) Read the book:
You might have noticed in high school that you could probably get by in a class without really reading the book. Here's the thing about college, if you don't read the book you won't get much out of the class. Professors in college expect you to get more knowledge from the book than from their classroom lectures. If you want to be able to succeed in a class and actually learn something, read the book. Otherwise your money is kind of going down the drain, and your grade might suffer heavily.
8.) Ask for help:
For the most part, the professors at MNU are very approachable. Don't be afraid to ask them for help with something you don't understand. I've found that just about all of the professors are understanding and more than willing to help you with whatever issues you are having on an assignment. Also, if you are struggling in a class, contact a tutor. There is no shame in seeking help in a class. There is shame in failing a class because of pride or laziness.
9.) Attend/Pay attention to chapel:
Sometimes the obligation of chapel can feel like a drag. You're tired and have homework to focus on, but you have to take this time out of your day to go to chapel. First of all, don't skip chapel a lot. You don't want to be scrambling for chapel points at the end of the semester, and you definitely don't want to have to pay the fine for not having enough chapel points at the end of a semester. Second, pay attention while you're in chapel. 9 times out of 10, the people speaking in chapel have some really good things to say. You can learn a lot from chapel, so don't neglect it.
10.) Attend events:
This is the best way to meet people on campus and get to know them better. My best friend and I had classes together, and even had the same major, but we didn't actually really talk to each other until we were put in the same group for a corn maze at a freshman trip to the Louisberg Cider Mill. Things like this allow you to get to know people outside of an academic setting.
11.) Wait for sales:
MNU has a really nice store on campus called The Merc. You can get all kinds of MNU clothing, mugs, and other spirit wear here. The key however is to wait until they have a sale to buy anything. Normally The Merc has at least two good sales a year. The good thing is that they will email you days ahead of time so you can plan to attend the sale. That's the other thing, make sure you check your email daily to be aware of sales and other opportunities on campus. Not to mention, teachers might email you about class assignments or cancellations.
12.) Have fun!:
You only get four years at MNU, so enjoy them while you can. I've loved the last three years there and in many ways it is sad to be going into my last year. Make sure you make the most of what time you have at MNU.
No comments:
Post a Comment