Students and staff offer ideas
By Ella DiDomenico
As I approach my second year at Lane, I am only recently learning of all the wonderful resources offered here. I never planned on going to college after graduating high school, so when I finally decided to go — simply for the sake of not letting myself waste away in my bedroom for eternity — I was absolutely dreading having to face two more years of school.
Funnily enough, the last thing on my mind was how I could possibly improve my college experience. Now, however, with a year under my belt, I can confidently say I have curated a pretty great college experience thus far, so I’ve compiled some tips and tricks from myself and other campus experts to help make your transition to LCC a bit easier..
- Utilize the Mental Health and Wellness Center! Lane offers free counseling services. They are accessible by email at MHWC@lanecc.edu, or by phone at 541-463-5665. Or, you can do what I did, and walk on up to their desk to ask about their availability. They are open 9am-4pm Monday through Thursday, and 9am-2pm on Fridays, in Building 18, Room 101.
- Utilize the Titan Food Pantry & Closet, too! The Titan Food Pantry & Closet is open Monday through Friday, from 10am-3pm, and located in the Center Building Room 153. They keep shelf-stable canned and packaged food in stock, along with personal hygiene products and clothing (and are also always accepting donations during open hours!).
- Get some tutoring! Lane offers free tutoring covering over 50 subjects. All tutoring locations on campus are available by appointment as well as drop-in, and are also available via Zoom if that’s what you prefer. The STEM Learning Zone, the area for math and science tutoring, also provides equipment such as scientific calculators and a computer lab.
- A little piece of advice I cannot stress enough based on personal experience; register for classes as early as you can. I’ve waited up until the very last minute to register multiple times, and scraping the bottom of the barrel for classes the second time isn’t actually more fun than the first, believe it or not!
Some More Pro Tips!
- “Don’t be afraid to reach out and ask your professor questions, even if you think [what you are asking] is not that important.” — Emily Harness, Human Services major
- “Don’t be afraid to contact your instructor!” — Michelle Parish, I.T. Junior Network Engineer
- “Try your best to talk to people in your classes. It’s OK to be nervous, but school is so much better with a friend.” — Kesslyn Bell, Psychology major
- “Get involved in student activities, and see your advisor!” — Mary Smith, Interim Senior Director of Student Success
- “Get to know the faculty in your program; they can fill the gaps that your advisor may not be able to fill. Also, grab a campus map!” — April Fink, I.T. Staff Faculty Help Desk Lead