#5 Debate

Photo courtesy of babble.com

Coming from a conservative family and a private Catholic high school, I had a distinct impression that college campuses were brimming with liberals waiting to fill my head with a lot of "garbage," as my dad liked to call it.  Upon arrival on campus, I found that my conservative viewpoints were often challenged and that many of my professors were opinionated in a way that made me uncomfortable.

So how does this make college awesome?  Because I wasn't the only individual who felt their core beliefs were challenged.  Everyone felt that way!  There are liberal-minded leaders on campus just as there are conservative-minded leaders on campus.  Sure, you can choose to gravitate towards people that feel the same way as you.  Community helps to strengthen our beliefs and values.  But as part of the growing process, many students find themselves in impassioned debates in class, in clubs, or in the midst of a campus protest.

College is a very formative time for students.  If you go in with an open mind, you may find that many of your beliefs change through the debate process.  The college experience brings students back to their three-year-old selves in encouraging them to always ask, "Why?"  Sometimes students ask this question of themselves, but it is often easier and more exciting to ask this question of others.  It's how people learn about one another and about the diversity of beliefs that actually do exist.

College is certainly not the only place that debate occurs, but it does create a safe, intellectual environment in which students can learn more about the world around them and develop their own unique belief systems.

#4: Free Writing Assistance

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Reading and writing are integral to a student's success at the university level.  Writing is arguably the more difficult of the two as it calls upon students to express themselves.  Since beginning work for the university, I was impressed to find the amount of writing assistance available that I had failed to take advantage of.  Don't make the same mistake as me!  If you're at a college, chances are they offer some kind of writing assistance, whether it is course specific, or open for all kinds of writing; in person, or online.

Photo courtesy of The Purdue Online Writing Lab

Indiana's Purdue University runs "OWL" (Online Writing Lab) as well as the physical "Writing Lab at Purdue" for students to go to in person.  The Purdue OWL provides students and community members with downloadable resources to peruse at one's leisure.  At the Writing Lab at Purdue, students can receive anything from one-on-one assistance to conversation groups for ESL students to course-specific writing workshops and more, all of which are free of charge!

Photo courtesy of MSU Writing Center

The Writing Center at Michigan State University takes their mission a step further by increasing writing assistance as it pertains to new technology.  In addition to regular writing assistance, they also offer digital media consulting, which assists students as they endeavor to improve their writing "outside [of] the traditional paper/pen format" in projects involving website content development, audio visual projects, and the like.  They also provide podcasts on several writing topics. 

Photo courtesy of Syracuse Writing Center

The Writing Center at Syracuse University provide students the opportunity to set up Instant Messaging/Online Chat appointments with consultants in addition to the more traditional "Face-to-face" appointments and "eWC" e-mail assistance.

Whether writing is your strong suit or your greatest challenge, there is writing assistance for you in college!