Five Best Kept Secrets at Southern Utah University
Posted: January 14, 2021 | Author: Kierstin Pitcher-Holloway | Read Time: 4 minutes
The world of college is daunting. Freshmen are often firehosed with information from campus tours and new student orientations. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all of the surface level information like tuition prices, housing options and class catalogs. Then once fall semester is finally underway you realize that despite all this information you really have no idea how to navigate the day-to-day of college life.
Sometimes the difference between feeling like you’re drowning and feeling like a college expert is feeling familiar with the campus. Knowing a few campus hacks can make all the difference when deciding which university to attend or trying to survive your first finals week.
To help you succeed during your time at Southern Utah University, here are a few of the best-kept secrets at SUU.
SUU's Best Kept Secrets
Easy Parking/Transportation
It’s common knowledge that SUU isn’t a university that has to bus students to campus from parking lots over a mile away; campus parking is close and accessible. What most students don’t know is that it’s also easy to park without a parking pass at SUU.
There is free parking between the SUU P.E. Building and LDS Institute and after 4 p.m. all campus parking is free. In addition to easy parking SUU offers free bike rentals to students at T-Bird Bikes as a convenient mode of alternate transportation.
Alternative Study Places
Until you have attended college it can be hard to understand just how essential study space is. Depending on your living arrangements, you might not have a desk at home, or you might have a few roommates that are a ton of fun to hang out with but definitely make it hard to study. This is why so many students utilize the iconic SUU Library.
Because it is such a popular study place the Library can often become crowded and it’s easy to be interrupted or distracted by friends from campus. This is what makes alternative study places some of the best kept secrets on campus. Perhaps the best one is the computer lab located in the ELC building.
Just like the library, each desktop has two monitors that come in handy when doing tricky homework assignments, like research papers that require multiple tabs to be open at a time. But compared to the busy library computers the ELC lab is always quiet and has multiple computers available, even during finals weeks. Additional alternative study places include the couches in the basement of the Braithwaite Building and the Student Center Living Room. These are great if you’re looking for a comfier study session.
Free Services for Students
SUU senior Benedetta Garosi works as an ACE on campus helping students succeed during their first few semesters on campus. Many of the students Garosi works with are surprised by the free services that are offered on campus.
“Sometimes they know about the Writing Center and the Tutoring Center but they have no idea that it’s free,” said Garosi.
In addition to free tutoring, SUU also offers free counseling and other services in the Counseling and Psychological Services office. These services include free individual and group therapy, a peer mental health support program, and many others. Therapy dogs are also available for students during finals week.
Garosi said she also makes sure students know when free food is available on campus. There are many events that serve free food. And SUU’s Hope Pantry provides free non-perishable food and hygiene products for students in need.
Non-Traditional Services
When most people think of college students they often think of recent high school graduates with their bright eyes and babyfaces. However, another less known fact about SUU is that it has a large non-traditional student population. Non-traditional students include students who are veterans, parents, over the age of 25, or students who have been married, divorced or widowed.
Because about 40 percent of SUU’s students are non-traditional SUU has a number of services specifically geared toward them. If you are returning to college as a non-traditional student these services can be vital.
The Veterans Resource and Support Center is available to all military-connected students and SUU’s Sorenson Legacy Foundation Center for Hope offers affordable child care for students with dependent children. The Non-Traditional Student Services Center is also specifically designed to support these students through activities, individual attention, and providing a comfortable environment to study and meet students in similar situations.
Different Scholarship/Admission Requirements
While this may not remain a secret for long, something important to know when considering universities is that as of September 2020 SUU has removed their SAT/ACT test requirements.
The test requirements are now unnecessary for admission and students can choose between using their GPA or their standardized test scores for scholarship applications. This change takes a lot of pressure off of the college application process and can be a determining factor when deciding between universities.
Earning your degree is still going to be a lot of work, and there will still be days when college feels like the hardest thing you’ve ever done. But, having a few of these campus secrets up your sleeve will help you navigate your college years like a pro.
This article was published more than 3 years ago and might contain outdated information or broken links. As a result, its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
Tags: Campus Student Life
