After spending the last three years at The College of Wooster, there are a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up on that may be helpful for those of the Class of 2023 who slept through our riveting orientation schedule. Some of those are simple — you don’t have to ask to go to the bathroom, don’t go to Lowry at noon on chicken tender day, stay away from the seniors’ carrels — but perhaps the best piece of advice I can give is this: reach out to the faculty, staff and administration.
No doubt, you’ve sat through a talk or two given by our fearless leaders at this point. As a first year, I remember looking up to those confident, professional folks standing behind the podium at McGaw or in front of my 30-person Intro to Education course and thought, “Wow.” The first time I interacted with a dean, I was terrified I would say or do something wrong — even though they had just popped into my First Year Seminar to introduce themselves and invite us to their office. When I stepped into my first office hours, I stumbled over my words, afraid that one wrong word would forever tarnish my professor’s thoughts of me and subsequently tank my grade and collegiate career.
Spoiler alert: it’s not like that.
The folks who work at The College of Wooster are here for a reason. They want to help you. Sure, it may be awkward initiating conversation with your professor about something not strictly related to the syllabus. Walking into the Dean of Students’ office hours just to see what’s going on may feel uncomfortable at first. Shooting President Bolton an email to invite her to your organization or thank her for a talk can be super intimidating.
But these relationships are incredibly valuable. In your years here, things are going to get hard. I have lost track of the number of times I have showed up to Katie Davis’ office in Financial Aid just to unload my confusion and frustration about what being a good college student means. When a family emergency put my internship in limbo, Dean Steffensen already had an idea of what was going on. When everything seemed like it was freefalling, Dr. Krause opened her ears and her heart and helped me figure out a solution. Without reaching out, I would have had to go through so many more trials and tribulations on my own — and life doesn’t need to be a solitary act.
The folks who work here want to help you — and building those bridges make being a Fighting Scot all the more wonderful an experience. So reach out when you need help, but keep them updated on the good stuff, too. When I was accepted into a post-graduate program, Dean Benson was the first person I wanted to tell. When I had a breakthrough for what my Independent Study would be, I could talk [Director of Lowry Center and Student Activities] Julia Zimmer’s ear off about it. [Chief of Staff and Secretary of the College] Angela Johnston’s words of praise after speaking at Convocation meant more to me than I could explain. Looking back on my time here, it isn’t the classes or the academic buildings or the peppermint mochas that make up my positive memories — though, the peppermint mochas are a great plus. It’s the people.
Never be afraid to talk to staff. There’s a reason they decided to devote themselves, in some capacity, to ensuring that college students have a positive time in their undergraduate years. You’re not burdening anyone — in fact, you may make your own positive memories with them. Reach out, and forge your own Wooster journey.
Emilee McCubbins, a Contributing Writer for the Voice, can be reached for comment at EMcCubbins20@wooster.edu.