#HashtaggingAllOverRutgersCollage

A typical family road trip to and through Rutgers University: Mom is in the front passenger seat, Dad is driving, and you and your two brothers are in the back doing what you do best—nothing. Oh, if you don’t have two brothers, then pretend. =) It’s move-in day at Rutgers, you are a first-year student, and everything is going according to plan, until Dad makes a wrong turn. Mom doesn’t refrain from yelling, you are hungry, and your siblings, well, for the sake of keeping this story simple, they feel the same way that you do. All in all, you’re lost. You see that you are now entering the lot of Davidson Hall, when you’re supposed to be at Nicholas. So, you’re REALLY lost. However, you, yourself, know not to fret because you remember that you once read this cool little blog post about Rutgers. You know that Rutgers has so much to offer, and that those offerings can help a first-year student navigate around the campus and even get himself involved. Time to look at such a blog post! #Leggo

Now, the bus system remains something that you MUST learn about! The Rutgers Bus system can be a bit perplexing, BUT once you master it, well, you’re a master. Rutgers works with NextBus to get all of us, here at Rutgers, around the campus with ease. There are monitors at the bus stops to let you know what time a certain bus is coming. Also, there are signs that show which buses go to the bus stop that you happen to be at. You also see the route/ stops of that bus. What’s even more amazing is the fact that you can check the NextBus website, and see when a bus will be at a given bus stop. #TalkAboutEfficiency. Different buses go to different campuses, but if you read the posted route maps or check online, you’ll know that the REXB Bus takes one from Douglass to Busch, or that the LX Bus gets a person from Livingston to College Ave. Even so, take my words. The F Bus does wonders! If you want to avoid rush hour traffic and get to classes from Douglass to College Ave, then that’s your bus! George Street can get pretty congested, so take the F if you have places to go, people to see, or a class to get to in 4 minutes.

Student centers really are the hotspots of Rutgers University. My personal favorites happen to be the Rutgers Student Center on College Ave and the Douglass Campus Center. All of the student centers, though, feature places to eat, relax, study, and host events. Awesome, right? Not to mention, these centers also have friendly people who man the information desks. Anything you want to know about the campus, you can learn from these people. They are extremely knowledgeable of what goes on around Rutgers, so feel free to ask them! If you’re lost, they’ll help you find your way. If you want to know what events are coming up around the college, they’ll tell you! #StudentCentersForTheWin

Failed your first Expos paper? No biggy! Go get a tutor at one of the Writing Centers! The Writing Program at Rutgers will stress you out, one way or another, but when you feel as though it is becoming too much, the tutors and staff at the writing centers are there to help. Workers there also can inform you of any writing contests, new internships, or interesting writing oriented clubs or events. They really know how to encourage you to put forth your best work, and they not only tutor, but they also educate. And, after you’ve met with your tutor and revised your essay to A+ material, go print it out in any one of the Rutgers computer labs. The computer labs are all over the campus. There are some in libraries and designated buildings, and if you run into any trouble with a computer or printer, feel free to ask a Computer Lab Consultant. I’m a fan of Loree, just because it’s one Douglass and close to my dorm. =) BUT, I also love going to the spacious Mabel Smith Douglass Library and Kilmer Library. They are ALWAYS quiet, great places to study, and of course… print papers (and find books). [No hashtag this time]. #Sike

Now, to some things that you can find on each campus at Rutgers…

Post offices are awesome! Duh. At Rutgers, you are notified of when you receive mail or a package, and then you go and get it. It’s as easy as that! Most of them are near the campus centers, so that reinforces how conveniently placed everything is.

In addition, there are recreation centers on every campus! You can go there to bond with friends, take classes, or avoid the dreaded Freshman 15. The gyms are great for playing basketball, volleyball, or participating in any other physical activity that you could imagine.

The best thing to do after working out is eating! You will find great dining halls on every campus. Try all of them out to see which one you like best. Personally, Livingston Dining Commons suits me the best! I love everything about it!

#SWAG

This was a lot of information, but if you ever need a potty break when you’re in class or just walking around, bathrooms are everywhere! ---Just thought I’d let you know.

The most important thing to realize while being at Rutgers for the first time is that people are here to help you! If you’re lost, ask someone! If you can’t find the bathroom, ask! The student leaders and faculty at Rutgers will gladly help. With that said, seeking academic advising or answers about careers is what a first-year student is supposed to do. Visit any of the Advising Offices and get any information you need. #ShoutOutsToTheDeansOfLivingstonWhoPutUpWithMe. Also, Career Services on College and Busch will get you moving into the right direction to reach your occupational goals.

One last place that will help you find your way, and get you involved is your RA’s room… well, the RA in your RA’s room. Residential Assistants are so helpful! My RA, Karan, really knows everything there is to know about getting around Rutgers, getting involved, and making the most out of being a Scarlet Knight! He reminds me of what a student leader at Rutgers really means. #ShoutOutToKaran.

Like RA’s, Orientation Leaders are there to help and lead. I think it is great that the orientation program is growing in ways that focuses on true leadership and using that leadership to build a relational environment that can positively affect the incoming students. Parallel to what we learn as Orientation Leaders, relational leadership delves into creating relations with those who are affected by the results of our goal. (That goal being to help incoming students). I learned that having the tools to get around can be very helpful, but what is even more helpful is realizing that at any second someone is able to personally assist. As a first-year, I have many resources that tell me about buses, meal swipes, and involvement, but those resources only go so far. It is when someone, whether a professor, friend, or student leader, takes the time to help me when I get off at the wrong stop (that doesn’t happen anymore) or can’t find Lucy Stone B (that still happens). There are many resources at Rutgers, and everyone should use them to their advantage. Still, as OLs, we are walking, talking resources who can easily make a first-year’s transition to Rutgers that much more comfortable.

I guess I’m done.

#TilNextTime

NSO: the power to sway a student's perspective

When you enter high school, you might get one day of a tour, a schedule, and you're off into the depths of a few narrow hallways. When you enter college, however, you're placed on a campus where you don't know anyone and have absolutely no idea of what to expect or even where to start. That's where orientation comes in. If you were to ask a current student at Rutgers about their orientation, they will probably be able to give you a pretty decent description of it. New Student Orientation (NSO) is a two-day session that first-year students are given to test the waters of a college experience for the first time. For some, it can be a little awkward and very much out of their comfort zone, but for others, it can be an enlightening look into university life.


Over the summer, I ran a blog specifically aimed at tackling the basics about being a first-year Rutgers student. Many of my followers would leave comments on the blog saying how excited they were to come to Rutgers after attending their orientation. I was curious to know what they enjoyed so much about it, since I loved mine and knew as soon as it was over that I wanted to be an orientation leader (yeah I know, it was fate). Because I was writing tips and answering questions about basic student information, I never actually had the chance to ask any of them specifically what they enjoyed or did not like so much about their orientation session. So I was super excited when I was able to interview one of my close friends and fellow classmates, Mina about what he thought about his orientation experience.


It is potentially very difficult going into your first college program, overnight stay,and meet-and-greet with some of your fellow peers. Orientation is the first taste students get of college life, and many people are reluctant about how the experience will turn out. Mina is a first-year student from Cherry Hill, NJ, and he did not exactly have his heart set on an in-state school. Deciding on Rutgers wasn't a disappointment, but it was not what he had anticipated. When August rolled around, it was time for him to attend his orientation session. For Mina, orientation was not only his first look into the university besides a standard tour, but it was the last chance for his impression of Rutgers to change. However, he had high hopes of "meeting new people, having a good orientation leader, and not dying of heat exhaustion". Low and behold, Mina ended up loving everything about orientation. The best part for him was the fact that he "felt like a family" with his group and OL. His group was the ultimate NSO success story: outgoing, open, and awesome. Mina's OL made him feel right at home at the university, and he thought of her as more of a friend than the leader of his group. Thanks to all of the activities NSO had to offer, Mina's impression of Rutgers had changed and he felt more prepared and excited to move in. 


Fast-forward to February, and I asked Mina to reflect on his overall experience. I told him to think about some of the things about orientation that helped him out, and things he wished had been discussed during his two-day session. He enjoyed certain things such as the game show and activities that allowed his group to get to know each other. Mina also felt the campus tour was extremely useful, and it was something that stuck with him after he moved in. Most importantly, he was pleasantly surprised at how close he became with his OL and group in such a short period of time, and he felt less like a "first-year", and more like a regular Rutgers student. Alternatively, Mina immediately explained that he would have liked "information about basic stuff on campus" to be focused on more, such as how the libraries work, the bus system, and other essential knowledge. Despite this, however, Mina emphasized how much he loves Rutgers, and if not for a program like New Student Orientation, he might not have gotten the same impression before moving into the school. He was nervous and apprehensive, but he figured that as long as he was himself and went through the awkward motions of getting to know other people, that maybe it would turn out all right, or even better than that.

With or without the typo, this is NOT the case at Rutgers

Mina's and many other first-year students' experiences go to show that being an orientation leader is not just a summer job. We are essentially role models for students, a huge part of the first impression of a college experience, and we might even be the turning point in someone's opinion on the university. The key is to love what we do. If we, as OL's and OTL's, are genuinely passionate about the university and making first-years feel as comfortable as possible, it will show and they will hopefully be just as enthusiastic as we are. We hold an important position because we have the ability to sway a student's opinion of the university. It is also important to realize that we are not authority figures; we are friends, peers, and regular students just like them. So yeah, as a student, orientation might be awkward, a little nerve-wracking, and there might be some things you wish you had known before moving in, but if you come out of the experience even more excited than you felt going into it, you know you've made the right decision.

Rutgers Career Services

Field Experience Observation and Participation



Richard L. White, director of Career
Services at Rutgers University. (rutgers.edu)



Richard L. White, director of Career Services at the University, and I have a professional relationship. He critiqued my resume, gave advice about cover letters and observed my spring 2011 internship program.  His office, located on College Avenue, aims to help undergraduate and graduate students improve their stock before entering the workforce.  White's message, especially to first-year students, was first to find something interesting to do on-campus.  Become involved, work as part of something valuable and ultimately earn a leadership position.