By Tirzah Nyamutsaka
Charleston Southern University
November 4, 2024
Did an older college student support you in adjusting to college life? How did their support prepare you to transition to and thrive in college?
I was fortunate when applying to college, as I had a great support system behind me that helped me understand what mentorship means. Both my Advising Fellow and my older cousin were in college while I was applying, so they were able to provide me with helpful insights into what to expect in college and how to make my application stand out. Their support made adjusting to college far less overwhelming.
As a first year, students are assigned an academic advisor. How do you lean on your academic advisor to support you in your college pursuits? How have they helped you transition to and thrive in college?
At Charleston Southern University, students are provided with a few different advisors who help us adjust to our new life as a college student. I am a Nursing major, so I have two Nursing academic advisors who I cannot speak more highly of! We can walk into their office whenever we want and talk to them about anything: a class we’re struggling with, a test we just passed, and the list goes on. Always having someone to talk to has truly helped me see the benefits of mentorship and how meaningful it is to develop trusting relationships with faculty. We also have Student Success Coaches who will do everything in their power to make sure we have all the resources to do well in school. I regularly take advantage of the tutoring services they offer. Lastly, as an Honors student, I also have an Honors Advisor who I can go to with any questions about the Honors Program. We can also add another professor as our advisor if we grow close to any of our professors and want to have their insight throughout college.
Do you have a close connection to a professor? How did you form this connection? Why is it important to create a close connection with your professor?
I have grown very close to my Anatomy and Physiology professor for a plethora of reasons. He is always very lighthearted and is undoubtedly the most wholesome professor I have ever met. Since he is a veterinarian, he likes to start off every class with an animal picture, and since he is a huge Disney fan, he ends class every Friday with Disney trivia. The class has been filled with laughter, and he’s always ready to lend a helping hand when needed. I believe it is so important that we form connections with our professors because we feel less ashamed to ask questions about any course concepts. It’s another reminder that success in college is often tied to the connections you build. I now always look forward to attending class to see his smiling face and the animal picture of the day!
How do your classmates and peers mentor you and challenge you in your courses and major? How did you find this community to succeed in college?
Outside of class, I love to study with my classmates because I am able to get an idea of the areas I’m struggling in. Sometimes, I will have a friend who understands a concept that I don’t, so they are able to explain it to me in a way our professor did not. I also attend tutoring regularly with students who have passed the class I am currently taking, and that peer mentorship has been a huge help. I was able to find these resources just by simply asking for help! If I see a student in my class who always answers questions in class correctly, I ask them to study with me. If I do not understand a concept in class, I book a tutoring session and have a more experienced student explain it to me. Never be afraid to reach out to those around you.
Are there any other types of mentors that have supported you in your college journey that an incoming college student should seek out?
This may not be a mentor in the traditional sense, but there was one resource that was a huge help to me and was just at the tip of my fingers: the internet. There should be discretion used when taking advice from internet users, but I was able to find so much help online when preparing for college applications! If I was stuck on my college essays, I would watch videos for inspiration on YouTube. If I wanted to see what day-to-day life was like for students at a certain college, I would check their social media. If I was confused while completing FAFSA or the CSS Profile, it was almost guaranteed that someone on Reddit or Quora had beaten me to asking the same question. We cannot find all the answers we need online, but when we reach a brick wall, it doesn’t hurt to look up any questions we may have.
NEED FREE COLLEGE APPLICATION SUPPORT?
Matriculate is a national nonprofit that offers 1:1 support throughout the entire college application process! If you’re a high school student, check out our application and resources HERE.
MEET THE AUTHOR
Tirzah Nyamutsaka
Tirzah is a former Matriculate High School Fellow and a proud Matriculate Student Ambassador who helps spread the word about the organization’s mission. After hearing about Matriculate from a classmate, she applied to the program. She was so inspired by the tremendous help and generosity she received that she wanted to be a part of the behind-the-scenes. Tirzah is a student from South Carolina currently attending Charleston Southern University and hopes to guide many students who, like she once did, may feel completely lost in the college application process.