On your first day at Clarkson, the first of the many things you realize is that you have made a really good decision choosing to go here. Every day after that, it is understanding just how good that decision was. You are in a university that you are at the center of, where everything is carefully engineered to give you the best experience possible.
Your orientations are led by and supported by students who are happy to meet you, to welcome you, and to help you out. You realize pretty early on that that does not stop through your four years at Clarkson.
Clarkson provides exceptional support to all students. In this post, I will tell you more about what these resources are, and how you can use them to be successful at Clarkson.
Peer Tutoring
Tutoring at Clarkson comes in many different and highly accessible forms. Small group tutoring is a request-based tutoring option that can be seamlessly arranged through your student portal – all you need to do is fill out a form indicating what class you need some help with and what your availability is. Or simply walk into the Student Success Center, grab a snack, and ask for a tutor. Your first session will be set up within a week.
Alternatively, drop-in tutoring can be used for more immediate help. If you are stuck on one homework question, you can pop into one of the two drop-in tutoring locations on campus. These run from 7–11 p.m. Sunday to Thursday.
Most departments offer open TA hours. For freshman chemistry and physics, for example, there are TA rooms that are always manned by a graduate student TA or an accomplished undergrad TA during their 8–5 opening hours where you can pop in with questions on your labs, homeworks, or as you prepare for tests and exams.
The Math Learning Lab is a room where you go to do math, study math, or get some math help from people who are not only excellent at math but love it too.
The Clarkson Open Source Institute is another student-run space that is perpetually open so you can learn. Here you can have any support and equipment for any open-source projects. Projects can span from tinkering with PDP-11s, making an entire computer lab sing, mobile applications, playing with Raspberry Pis, and anything else you can think of.
Faculty Members
Each student at Clarkson is assigned an academic advisor. Academic advisors are people who have your back, are knowledgeable of what you need to succeed, and are happy to give you all the help they can to help you meet your academic goals.
Student Success Center
The Student Success Center is home to all the resources you need to stay the course with your academic, personal, and career goals. The success coaches work with you to build a plan that addresses your individual needs, so you can thrive and grow at Clarkson and beyond. They also offer test prep services for the GRE, GMAT, TOEFL, and other widely-used admissions, certification, licensure, and professional exams right on campus.
Writing Center
The goal of this office is to help students in every discipline become better writers — because every discipline and industry relies on written communication. They offer feedback, brainstorming help, and construction support on all your written projects.
Career Center
Every semester, the career fair sees over 200 companies eager to scoop up Clarkson students for internships, co-ops, and full-time work opportunities. Resumania is an event that precedes this, with experienced professionals helping students to fine-tune their resumes and cover letters. They also offer interview prep post-career fair to help students cinch those positions.
Health Center
Mental health counseling, both in-person and through Mantra Health, is available to all Clarkson students. They are also there to help students with minor injuries, allergic reactions, flu shots, and birth control options.
Basic Needs
The Clarkson Food Pantry is open every day of the week. It is stocked with canned foods and receives a replenishment of fresh foods and groceries every second Wednesday.
The Dean’s Emergency Fund supports students with emergency financial needs in support of housing, transportation, medical, and other basic needs.
The Lending Cupboard is a special interest group dedicated to helping international students, scholars, and their spouses and families. The Lending Cupboard is run by The Clarkson Club. At the “cupboard” you can borrow items needed for your apartment or dorm room. There are a lot of items available from clothing to small appliances to furniture. When you are done with the item, you simply return it to the Lending Cupboard.
Residence Life
All first-year dorms are set up as Living Learning Communities, which are theme floors that help to facilitate connections with other freshmen with similar interests. Some are dedicated to gamers, movie lovers, bookworms, sports, and outdoor enthusiasts. Each LLC has a Resident Advisor who engages the community, plans events, and serves as the first point of contact for any questions or concerns. Area Coordinators are Clarkson staff who are responsible for ensuring that all living environments are safe and that students have what they need to be comfortable in their dorms. The RAs and ACs come together to run programs and events such as the First Year Cup.
