When I decided to apply to college back in 2011, my only goal in going to college was getting good grades and eventually applying to vet school. Well, 5 years later. as a college graduate, I realized that while your priority in college should be to work for good grades, you should also take advantage of the many opportunities provided by the college campus to the students. However, many of these opportunities are not utilized as much as they should be.

1. Work Study Opportunities

I did not learn about being a work study until my senior year of college. I had the opportunity to be a work study for the School of Business and for the Math and Science Resource Center when I was at IU East. During the semester at the Business department, I met faculty and staff outside my major that I would not have been able to meet otherwise. I also learned that having a desk job would actually not be too terrible. At the Math and Science Resource Center, I was a work study who worked as a math and science tutor. In this role, I helped students with any homework questions they had. In some cases, I had to brush up on topics I hadn't seen for a while, but I met many students that I would not have met, otherwise. Both examples were paid positions, which ultimately helped me pay for my tuition along with the way.

2. Service Learning Involvement

Again, I did not get involved with this department until my final semester of senior year at IU East. I did two different activities through the IUE Service Learning Department. First, I was at a place called Girls, Inc. from January 2016 until May 2016, which is an after-school hangout for young girls. Here, they are taught life lessons and social skills. My role was to literally just hangout with the girls who came there and to talk to the girls who seemed to be off by themselves playing. At the end of my time there in May, I gave a presentation to some of the girls about becoming a veterinarian. Here, I learned how to better communicate with those younger than me. The other place that I went that semester was to an organization called Opening Minds through Art, or OMA. OMA is an art program that takes place with nursing home residents, specifically those with dementia or Alzheimer's. Each week, I would go pick up my resident from her room and bring her to the art room to paint. Many times, I would help my resident hold her paintbrush since her Alzheimer's was in its late stages and she had little strength anymore. It was a difficult but amazing opportunity. While many people were active in the Service Learning Department at school, there was definitely always room for more.

3. Forming Relationships with Professors

This is perhaps one of the most important parts of the college journey. Get to know your professors at your college. They will be able to help you in the future more than you realize. Whether it is offering advice for life after college, writing a letter of reference for various things, or just being there to support you through your college career, their presence in your life is invaluable.

4. Traveling Opportunities

While at IU East, I was able to travel to Chicago for an overnight trip to see a Spanish Opera, and the only fee I had to pay was $20. The school paid for the rest. In addition, I got to travel to Michigan twice through the Honors Program for conferences, which were both mostly paid for. There were multiple other traveling opportunities, as well. Be sure to look into what your school offers as far as traveling goes. You may be surprised what you find out.

5. Almuni Services

While you will not utilize this until after you graduate someday, most schools will offer aid even after you graduate. The faculty in these positions can help you with job searches. In addition, they will help you make resumes for graduate school applications or job applications. I am sure there are services that I have not learned about; however, I will continue to use these tools in the future, and I hope you are able to do the same some day.

6. Student Organizations

All work and no play will make it difficult to stay focused in your classes so take a moment to explore what student clubs, or organizations your school has. Usually, at the beginning of the semester, there is a student organization fair where you can learn about what students organizations are offered, if you cannot find one that you are interested in, get a couple of friends together and form your own club. I was involved in Campus Christian Fellowship (CCF), Honors Club, and Student Government. In each, we would have regular meetings but each group had its own events that were always fun to be a part of.

7. Scholarships

Many people may not know it, but most colleges will offer scholarships that must be applied for every year. At my school, the application for scholarships were due around the same time when the FAFSA was due. There are scholarships available for every different category you can think of. This is a very important opportunity to take advantage of because it will help decrease the debt you have once you graduate.

As you can see, there are many ways to be involved on your college campus. College is not cheap, so I encourage you to get involved any way you can and truly get the most out of your college experience. It will be over before you know it!