5 College Resources on Campus You Need to Know About

1. CAPS

At many universities, the mental health resource on campus is called CAPS. This stands for Counseling and Psychological Services, and provides psychological care and counseling for students of the university. Definitely take advantage of this while you’re in school. College is stressful and the rate of mental illness among college students is very high. You don’t need to have a diagnosed mental illness to receive services, and they are usually always free as long as you are a current student.

2. Career Center

Nearly every college or university has a career center. This usually has advisors who will meet with you to discuss your future after graduation. They’ll help you format your resume and cover letter, provide mock interviews, connect you with networking opportunities, and more. My university offers workshops on resume building, internships, etc., as well as the opportunity to connect with alumni in your desired field.

3. Writing Center

The day I started utilizing the writing center on campus was the day my grades skyrocketed. The writing center offers peer editing services, and will pretty much read any of your papers or projects before turning it in. It’s a great way to have a second set of eyes look over your work, especially when you’re too tired to edit it yourself!

4. Intramural Sports

One of the things I missed most about high school was being super involved in my extracurriculars with my friends. In college, my friends and I made intramural sports teams nearly every semester, especially during the summer! The IM Sports department has such a broad range of sports to play - water polo, soccer, table tennis...really anything! Gather your closest friends and play some sports (for fun! Even if you have zero athleticism like I do!).

5. Library Reference Desk

The reference desk in the library is your epicenter for resources on campus. During my first semester, I was struggling with the amount of papers and research I was doing. Now that I am in grad school, I utilize the reference desk at the graduate library pretty regularly. They answer most questions you have and they’ll help you find any book you need for class and assignments.