UWC Blog: Welcome Back!

Written by: James

The University Writing Center is excited to welcome all new and returning students back to campus for another wonderful Fall Semester at IUPUI. We will be taking our normal appointments next week. In the meantime, here are a few tips and tricks that some of our veteran consultants have come up with to help make sure you make the most out of your experience this semester.

• Reply all: Don’t be that awkward student who gets an email or Canvas message from a professor and hits “reply all” to respond. Email is already cluttered and crazy as is and your classmates will not appreciate having to dig through 500 questions that could all be answered in the syllabus when they’re eagerly hoping for a “class cancelled” email. Most questions won’t require a reply all, especially for larger classes. For some smaller classes, reply all isn’t as big of a deal, but still use caution while responsibly emailing.
• Know your walking speed: Be aware of how fast or slow you walk and be courteous of other pedestrians. Some of us were so excited to take our classes that we didn’t realize that we’d only have 15 minutes to get from the IT building to the Nursing building. If you don’t have anywhere important to be, take a moment to relax and decompress after that tough Chemistry lecture and get out of the way of the overachiever who’s now racing from the Lecture Hall to the Science building.
• Bathe regularly: remember, body sprays are not a substitute for bathing. Some classes, especially lectures, are going to be very crowded and people will notice if there is an unusual odor. Plus, regular bathing helps to cope with stress. So if trying to find parking is driving you insane, look forward to a nice relaxing shower.
• Plan ahead: Once this first week has calmed down, classes are going to really take off and if you’re taking 3 to 4 classes or more, due dates will start to hit you when you least expect it. Take a few minutes each day to map out your day or week and see what is due and when. This is also a great time to schedule appointments for services, such as the UWC and the MAC, to make sure you maximize both your time and effort.
• Have fun: Don’t forget to take some time for yourself and relax. Meet up with some friends at Starbucks and caffeinate, watch or re-watch an episode or two of The Office on Netflix, take a walk along the canal. No matter how hectic your school life gets, take a few moments to unwind and de-stress. You’ll thank yourself later.