Welcome, new Miners!

You’ve made it through Orientation Week and your first classes at Missouri S&T. Whether you’re feeling confident or still have butterflies, here are some tips to help you through the start of your college career.

We asked current S&T students and recent graduates for their best advice on thriving during the first year of college.

Here’s what they had to say:

Be patient

“Your first year of college is going to be stressful, and that’s okay,” says Amelia Markwell, a junior in biological sciences and pre-med student from Seattle. “It’s your first time away from home this long, and an adjustment period is inevitable. You’re also not going to find your niche right away. The same goes for a group of friends, learning how Canvas works, or even the buildings around campus. These things take time to learn and develop, and patience is key.”

Tips for living on campus

Avery Lyons, a 2024 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in engineering management who is now a Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering, recommends getting to know the other students in your residential hall.

“You will see many of them over your college career,” Lyons says. “Many will have similar or the same classes. This makes it easy to make study groups with them, which are incredibly helpful.”

All residence halls feature residential assistants, or RAs — returning students who build communities, resolve conflicts, and provide support to students living on campus.

“Talk to your RA,” says Katie Mazella, a senior in metallurgical engineering from Wright City, Missouri. “They have been through at least a year’s worth of school, and they have a whole bunch of tools to help you with pretty much anything you could encounter.”

The RAs host events and provide programming for residents. Markwell says these are some of her favorite memories from her first year involve attending events hosted by RAs.

“Take advantage of every movie night, Mario tournament, and scavenger hunt,” she says. “You’ll meet so many new people on campus and win some cool prizes along the way. I promise you’ll miss them when you move out.” 

And don’t forget the roommate agreement, says Abigail Richner, a senior in engineering management from Warrensburg, Missouri.

“Have a good conversation about what reasonable expectations are for your room,” Richner says. “If there are ever any issues, your RA is a great resource.”

Academic advice

“You are here to get a degree and that needs to be the No. 1 priority,” says Lyons. “It is easy to get sucked into the social scene of going out every night and every weekend. Make sure you have your classes taken care of before you allow yourself to go have fun. You will thank yourself for it later.

“Do your homework,” Lyons says. “I know that sounds obvious, but many first-year classes give a lot of homework, and it is easy to skip. Homework is easy points that will help you when you hit the end of the semester.”

Mazella advises against procrastinating.

“Do your assignments early; don’t leave them for the last minute,” she says. “Sometimes that calculus homework takes a lot longer than you planned, and you end up losing points because you started it at 10:30 p.m. thinking you’d be fine.”

Asking for help in a class isn’t a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength and willingness to learn, Markwell says.

“Chem 1 was one of the hardest classes I took my first year; however, I learned that the students who were successful in the course went to LEAD,” Markwell says. “Along with them, I watched everyone in LEAD get ahead in the course week by week. It’s a time when your professors are there for one-on-one help, and it goes so underutilized for many students.”

Study groups are helpful, says Jane Yates, a senior in environmental engineering from Knob Noster, Missouri.

“Study early,” she says. “Usually first exams are the toughest, so dedicate time to reviewing and studying early and find a consistent study group. Always reach out to professors when you need help and use office hours.”

Get involved, get involved, get involved

Everyone who offered advice agrees that getting involved with activities outside of your studies is crucial. The best way to thrive at S&T is to meet people and immerse yourself with the campus and its culture, says Megan Sly, a graduate student in geological engineering, who earned a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from S&T in 2023.

“Luckily, S&T has a wide selection of student organizations to become involved with, and it’s a great way to make friends,” Sly says.

“Find your people and ask a lot of questions,” Yates recommends. “A great way to do this is to go to MinerRama and talk to people from a lot of organizations and clubs.”

Missouri S&T’s upcoming MinerRama involvement fair will be held 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 23, at the Jack Carney Puck and Plaza (also known as “the Puck”).

“Getting involved allows you to have something to do besides homework and staying in your room,” says Nolan Hall, who earned a bachelor’s degree in information science and technology in May and now works as an incident response analyst for Centene Corporation. “It also allows you to meet a ton of cool people and make connections.”

Help is available

New students received a Student Success Guide, which is also available online.

“No matter how overwhelming it may feel, know that you’re not alone,” Sly says. “This campus is full of great people who want you to succeed, especially the departments centered around mental health and well-being.”

Relax

In addition to good study habits and knowing about resources, success also means being able to relieve stress in a healthy way.

“Find something or somewhere on or off campus that you can use to just relax and take a break from school work,” Hall advises. “Everyone has somewhere or something different.”

Richner advises making self-care a priority.

“Something that can be hard to prioritize is taking breaks —especially if you’re an introverted overachiever,” she says. “If you feel like you need time to yourself, put it on your calendar and don’t let anything get scheduled over it.”

Yates says she loves the outdoors options near campus.

“There’s so many amazing parks near Rolla,” Yates says. “Maramec Spring is so beautiful and Audubon nature center is a great place for hiking!”

Markwell recommends choosing at least one creative activity you enjoy that is not STEM- or career-focused.

“I joined the Missouri S&T orchestra my first year because I was able to take my mind off of my classes and homework for an hour to be present with the music,” she says. “I have friends who have gone into gardening, drawing, or even paint-by-gem notebooks.  Find something you enjoy doing, even if you’re not great at it at first; having a mental escape through your college career can be beneficial not only for your grades but your mental health as well.”

Give yourself grace

“My best advice for your first year of college is to be adaptable and give yourself grace,” says Richner. “I took several college classes in high school (including some held at a local university) and thought I wouldn’t have any trouble adjusting to college full time. While I wasn’t completely thrown off, there were some things that took me by surprise.

“To do well in my classes, I had to form new habits than I had used in high school — like studying regularly and not just reviewing for tests. It also took a couple weeks to find social groups that I really clicked with,” she says. “Through all of this, I had to be willing to make changes and be patient with myself when things didn’t turn out perfect.”

Many thanks to our panel of experts

• Nolan Hall, a 2024 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in information science and technology and currently an incident response analyst for Centene Corporation
• Avery Lyons, a 2024 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in engineering management and a current Ph.D. student in mechanical engineering at S&T
• Amelia Markwell, a junior in biological sciences from Seattle
• Katie Mazella, a senior in metallurgical engineering from Wright City, Missouri
• Abigail Richner, a senior in engineering management from Warrensburg, Missouri
• Jane Yates, a senior in environmental engineering from Knob Noster, Missouri
• Megan Sly, a graduate student in geological engineering and a 2023 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in environmental science