5 Things All UCR Students Should Take Advantage of
UCR and all its organizations on campus offer a ton of things that a lot of students often don’t realize. As students there are just so many things going on that we often tend to overlook many resources, events, and opportunities that may interest us. There have been many times when I’ve said to myself “How come I didn’t know about this earlier?!” but by then it was to late. So here a few things to look out for
1) Campus Events In my opinion, UCR holds the best events out of all the UCs and probably most other colleges. The Associated Students Program Board really does a great job in creating various events that appeal to a wide audience. These events include large scale concerts that host multiple popular artists from different genres, lectures that focus on a wide variety of topics from pop culture to politics, special events such Homecoming Week and Bonfire, free movie premieres on opening night, and a lot more. ASPB really tries to appeal to every niche of the student body that you’ll often be surprised who they bring out. In addition, keep an eye out for events held by other organizations on campus that aren’t marketed as much, some may peak your interest. Finally, the cherry on top of all these events is that they are all free to UCR students.
2) Career Center The Career Center is your best friend when it comes to anything in regards to jobs, internships, interview skills, resumes,etc. Other than, obviously, furthering your education, you come to college in order to get a job in the future right? So might as well take advantage of all your resources offered to you while you are still a student rather than wait until you graduate. When it comes to landing a job your resume, your experience, and your interview skills are key components looked at by employers. Thus, the Career Center provides help in all three of these categories plus a lot more, from connecting students to jobs and internships to holding interview and resume workshops the Career Center is a key resource students often don’t utilize to its full potential.
3) Random events/opportunities (CHECK YOUR EMAILS) As students we constantly get bombarded with emails throughout the school year, and I know I personally can be at fault for ignoring a lot of them. But with that being said, I highly recommend everyone at least go through and read the subjects of all your emails, every now and then there are special opportunities you won’t be able to get anywhere else. For example, during my first year at UCR, the School of Business partnered with alumni Paran Johar to invite students to the Modern Marketing Summit held at the Beverly Hills Hotel completely free of charge. The invite only event was made specifically for executives in the technology and automotive industry to network with admission costing over $1500. Opportunities like this as well as many internships, scholarships, and job opportunities are offered a lot more than you may think, and all you have to do is keep an eye out and check your email.
4) The Academic Resource Center (ARC) It’s true that college is a lot of work, and everyone will undoubtedly encounter some classes that they just need that extra help in to get the grade they want. First and foremost, you should always go to your TA/professor, but with that being said they only have a few office hours per week in which they can assist all of their students. The Academic Resource Center offers free tutoring, supplemental instruction, and workshops in almost every subject where you can get more extensive help in the subjects you are struggling with. Learn more about the resources offered at the ARC: http://arc.ucr.edu/excel/
5) R’Pantry As college students our financial situations can often be tricky, and unfortunately 42% of students surveyed UC-wide experience some form of food insecurity. R’Pantry aims to assist students in the fight against food insecurity through providing emergency food to UCR students in need, connecting students with on and off-campus resources, and improving the health and well-being of students through a variety of programs and workshops. Any student can access R’Pantry during walk-in hours with individualized help available with a scheduled appointment. Learn more about R’Pantry at: http://basicneeds.ucr.edu/
Don’t miss out on the many things UCR has to offer to its students, you’re probably already paying for them with your tuition, might as well take advantage of them!
