Opinion: USU students should use all available university services
College life is stressful. Students are expected to juggle work, school, social lives, extracurricular activities and family life with very little time to unwind. Oftentimes, the overwhelming number of responsibilities is too much for any college student to bear. Luckily, universities have begun to build useful programs to assist students with life outside of schoolwork.
Utah State University has implemented mental health awareness and assistance programs found through Counseling and Psychological Services, or CAPS. These programs can connect students with different services or can offer spaces for students to get away from the stress of life.
While the importance of CAPS is important to discuss, there are many under-utilized resources the university offers to struggling students.
One of the main stressors in the lives of most college students is money. School is expensive. Finding jobs that pay well and work around school schedules is difficult for a lot of students. Even after college, finding a career can be a daunting task for newly graduated individuals, particularly with the extremely volatile and complex factors governing today’s labor market.
The Career Design Center, located on the ground floor of the University Inn, offers a variety of services to help students find and apply for jobs, internships or other career opportunities. Faculty at the center are trained to help USU students with crafting competitive resumes to fit tailored positions and to provide training to help students feel comfortable with applications and interviews.
Outside of finding work, USU has many services to promote student involvement and engagement. The Division of Student Affairs has both the involvement website and an office in the Taggart Student Center that can help direct students to extracurricular groups or organizations that can help students build connections or learn skills outside of their normal classes. These organizations offer services such as campus recreation, specific support groups and community engagement opportunities.
I understand school and life are not easy to balance. Striking that balance can oftentimes be impossible for one person. The services provided by USU are an attempt to help students be less anxious about the future. The university spends a lot of time, effort, and money to make these resources available to as many students as possible. Students shouldn’t be afraid to use every available resource to help alleviate some part of the difficulty with university life.
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Bryant Saunders is a computer science major and member of Utah States Speech and Debate. He has an enthusiasm for discussing philosophy and politics.
— A02307089@usu.edu
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Featured photo by Paige Johnson