Fall semester is starting soon for most college students, and beginning my second year at IU Kokomo, I’d like to give some tips that are universal for all IU campuses. So here’s a short list of what all IU freshman need to know.
- The canvas system isn’t hard to figure out, you just have to feel it out. There may look like a lot at first, but once your start navigating everything, it will all become a breeze. I believe that the calendar is one of the most underutilized features.
- Everyone, I repeat, everyone needs a clicker. If you don’t know what a clicker is, you aren’t prepared quite yet. Ask the bookstore about this, it’s probably the only place you can find it.
- Look around different places to get your books, the bookstore is nice but they only keep so many books around. Personally, I compare Bookbyte, Amazon, eBay, and Chegg along with the bookstore. It may take a while, but if all this research saves me $50, then it's worth it.
- Under one.iu.edu there is an “app” called “Classifieds”. Here you can look for jobs that are hiring maybe just strictly students or maybe the job is just close to campus. Here you might also be able to find your books for very cheap. Students also tend to post here when they are looking for roommates too.
- Set up your IU login LONG before school starts. This login (for the CAS system) is used to access almost anything on one.iu.edu
- Actually attend new student orientation. Student orientation exposed to me to a lot of the people I would taking classes with, we got a student led tour, and got to speak with the vice chancellor of student affairs. How cool!
- Start buying your textbooks about a month before the fall/spring semester starts. They’ll cost more than you think, and maybe you’ll have better luck with the bookstore if you start early. If you aren’t sure how to look up what textbooks you need: Head on over to one.iu.edu, and from there click on the icon “Student Center” (SIS All Campuses). Here is where you’ll use your IU login, to continue, find the hyperlink “Class Schedule and Details”. This will bring you to the page with all the pertinent information. In a different window, you’ll want to bring up your campus bookstore, then under the tab “Textbooks” you find a drop down box called “Find textbooks” this is where you’ll enter all the pertinent information. If you have any further questions, contact your advisor.
- You advisors are there to help you succeed. Utilize them well, ask them a million questions, and I know they’ll do their best to answer every single one of them. These people are equivalent to your high school counselors.
- The financial aid office can’t give you any information without your school ID. I’ve made the mistake of forgetting my ID more than once, this isn’t fun especially considering I am on campus less than most students.
- Speaking of student ID’s, carry this thing everywhere with you. Even if you aren’t visiting the financial aid office often, you use this little piece of plastic for a lot. You can load money onto it to use in the cafeteria or for your meal plan (depending on your campus), and you’ll need it to print the 62 million papers you’ll be writing.
