Soon your student will begin writing papers and taking their first UP exams. It’s not uncommon for students to experience stress when navigating new study habits, time management, test anxiety, and making new friends. It will be important to remember that your student is not alone in what they’re feeling and experiencing – and that many, many UP staff and faculty are eager to support them and want them to succeed. Learn what academic and social resources are available to your student as they progress further into the semester and their studies.
Writing at the College Level
Writing takes time and practice. In the Writing Center, students can work with trained peer Writing Assistants to develop their writing assignments and learn how to communicate more effectively. Writing Assistants can even help your student in developing the ideas and structure of a paper, so when tackling a large project, it’s never too early to make an appointment!
Learning New Study Habits
New students quickly realize that they can’t study the way they did in high school and expect to be as successful. Students should be studying 2 to 3 hours outside of class for every hour that they’re in class. For many, this is a big change from high school. Encourage your student to connect with one of the Peer Tutors in the Learning Commons or to check out the Academic Toolkit for topic-specific resources on developing effective study habits and skills. You may also enjoy learning about The Study and PAL groups which were developed this past year.
Managing Time and Test Anxiety
Frustration can sometimes build as students work to find an equitable balance between academic, social, and family commitments. Test anxiety can also build as students prepare to take their first college exams. Encourage your student to contact UP’s Learning Assistance Counselor, Brother Thomas Giumenta, for help with time management, test anxiety, and test-taking and studying strategies.
Need academic help, but not sure where to start?
If your student has academic questions of any kind, please encourage them to contact the Shepard Academic Resource Center (SARC). The SARC team wants to meet with them to help answer questions or point them to the right resources to find answers. The SARC offers a number of resources to students, including a “Your First Year in College” page where students can find advising and various relevant articles amongst other things to support their new UP journey. They can be reached at sarc@up.edu or 503.943.7895.
Meeting New Friends
Whether through classes, official school-sponsored events, or informal interactions around campus, there are many ways to connect with peers during college. While this list is not comprehensive, below are a few ways your student can take the initiative to connect with peers:
Check out what types of student-led activities, both in-person and virtual, are being planned for the Spring, including movie nights, outdoor workout classes, and virtual escape rooms.
Students can practice and apply concepts they’re learning in class why also creating connection with peers by forming study groups.
If your student is living on campus this Spring, encourage them to engage with their hall community, which each have their own identity and unique traditions.
Encourage your student to attend the Spring Activities Fair, a virtual fair that allows students to browse clubs and organizations and ask questions of current members. Students can keep an eye on the Office of Student Activities Instagram for upcoming announcements regarding this event and more.
Through the semester, students can check out clubs, organizations, and upcoming events on the Engage platform.
Welcome to the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS), where our students dwell in possibilities.
The fifteen departments of CAS represent the depth and breadth of the arts, humanities, sciences, and social sciences, and collectively provide all UP students with a liberal arts education—either through the University Core or with a CAS degree.
The term “liberal arts” has its root in the word “to liberate.” And that is exactly the goal of the liberal arts: to free learners to think for themselves. CAS students, in short, learn how to learn. A CAS degree, or even a major or minor in a CAS department, often signals to employers that its recipient is an individual who can innovate, communicate effectively, analyze, and work compassionately and well with others — all crucial skills in the ever-evolving twenty-first century.
These same skills also ensure that CAS students can think and learn beyond the requirements of their jobs. They can exercise their rights as citizens, live ethically with others, and build their own strong sense of identity.
The combined depth and breadth of a UP College of Arts and Sciences degree thus opens up unlimited possibilities to our students. They pursue a myriad of academic pathways, and they continuously surprise us with the creative ways they combine majors, minors, and professional experiences that are uniquely their own.
Our CAS students are advantageously ready to embark on any number of exciting and fulfilling careers and lived experiences. The following opportunities and stories of our CAS students eloquently and compellingly testify to the liberal arts advantage. Read and be inspired!
High-Impact Learning Opportunities in CAS
CAS offers students many options to engage in high-impact learning experiences designed to promote deep and transformative learning. These include:
The Public Research FellowsProgram fosters faculty-student research partnerships that connect academic work with local communities and the wider public.
The Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE Program) provides summer funding and community-building opportunities for faculty-student scholarly partnerships.
The Leader Certificate Programoffers a three-course program along with personalized leadership coaching focused on preparing the next generation of leaders.
Our Study Abroad programs around the globe range from full-academic year programs in Salzburg, Austria, to semester long programs in Asia, Europe, and Australia, to shorter experiential learning programs in Africa.
CAS partners with students serving as Teaching and Writing Assistants in many of our departments and provides them with valuable training and experience.
The Student Leadership and Advisory Council provides insight and guidance to help shape the future of CAS.
CAS Spotlights: Our Students & Alumni
Megan McKittrick ’14
When Megan McKittrick arrived on the Bluff in 2010 she had no intention of becoming a physician at UCLA helping to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, but that’s exactly where she ended up after starting her journey in CAS as a pre-law social work major. As she dove into her classes across various CAS disciplines, Megan found herself becoming increasingly interested in how science could be used to help both individuals and society be well and thrive. Eventually finding her way to a major in psychology, Megan continued deepening her learning by collaborating with her mentor to carry out and publish a research study examining how pediatricians address the mental health needs of their patients. At the same time, Megan had the opportunity to work as a teaching assistant in the biology department, which helped her future as a scientist-practitioner come into focus. According to Megan, it wasn’t necessarily the subjects she studied in CAS that made the biggest difference for her. Rather, she says that “the most meaningful part of my time in CAS was my relationships with my professors and advisors. I received so much professional mentoring and personal support. I always knew I could stop by offices and just chat with my professors about classes or life, and it’s so nice to have a real relationship with the people who are teaching you really interesting things, while also helping you open up doors that, for me, led to medical school and my current career.”
Dominic Triolo ’21
Dominic Triolo, a senior studying Organizational Communication, interned with Nebsly Media, a marketing and PR agency in London, in the summer of 2020. Dominic worked with the company to create his own internship after Nebsly Media reached out to him on Instagram. During his internship, he wrote and pitched an article about his experience with the internship process. It was posted on InternQueen.com, a national internship advice and search board. Read about Dominic’s experience in the article How Instagram got me an Internship.
Katie Norris ’20
After graduating UP with a degree in biology and a double minor in neuroscience and chemistry, Katie was offered a job to work at OHSU as a clinical research assistant in the neurology department. The opportunity for this job was initially presented to her when she was working on her Honors thesis with Dr. Van Hoomissen, which was about the neurological disease ALS. When she was a freshman at UP, Katie never would have dreamed of working in the medical field because she entered into college as a mechanical engineering major. However, by having an open mind and taking every opportunity that came her way, she ended up in biology on the pre-med track. She states that the support and opportunities she received from her professors in the College of Arts and Science tremendously helped her achieve goals throughout college. She is currently studying for the MCAT and states, “I strongly feel that all of the classes I have taken at UP have more than prepared me for this exam. I am planning on applying to medical school in May and I am so grateful for everything I learned at UP because it has helped me find a path in life that I am truly excited about.”
Katherine Young ’10
Following Katherine’s time on the Bluff as an English major, she moved to Canada to pursue a Master’s in Medieval British Literature at the University of Victoria. There, she realized that she wanted to handle manuscripts directly and share her passion for history with others outside of academia. She ventured across the pond to the United Kingdom and completed a degree in Museum Studies at the University of Leeds before moving to London, where she embarked on a career in the heritage sector. Over the past few years, she has worked on exhibitions in several galleries and museums, including Tate Britain and the British Museum. As Exhibitions and Interpretation Manager at the Imperial War Museum’s airfield, she currently develops content for displays and maintains the historic site. Katherine states, “My liberal arts degree from the University of Portland provided an invaluable foundation for my subsequent studies and successful career in the international heritage sector. The comprehensive coursework enabled me to develop essential research skills and challenged me to critically engage with diverse content. The university’s professors encouraged me to pursue my interests, yet maintain an open-mind and explore different subjects to support my holistic development. This positive encouragement sparked a lifelong love of learning and desire to be an active participant in global society.”
Your student has successfully made it through their first semester of college, and one unlike any other – congratulations! From managing their own class schedule, to meeting project deadlines, to registering for the spring semester, students are developing important skills and habits. We can only imagine how proud you are of their many accomplishments. Now is the perfect time to celebrate the progress they have made! This is also a good time to check in with your student about their sleeping habits, grades, the content of their classes, and their majors (or majors they’re considering).
While it is not unusual for most students to not get a lot of sleep during “reading week” and finals, you and your student should discuss how much sleep they are getting. Most first-year students are not sleeping enough because they save all their studying until late nights and early mornings. You may wish to re-emphasize that it is important to use time between classes to do homework, and not catch up on sleep. Most students are studying a lot, but not studying wisely.
One person who can help your student with their studying habits is Brother Thomas Giumenta, C.S.C., the Learning Assistance Counselor for the Shepard Center. He can assist with time management, test taking, note taking, reading strategies, test anxiety, learning and memory strategies, and individual academic counseling. Brother Tom is also offering a course next semester for students who experience difficulties and challenges with academic work. All interested students can register for this 1 credit course, University Success – ED 102, through Self-Serve.
Another helpful resource which you should encourage your student to explore is the Learning Commons. The Learning Commons provides assistance that supplements classroom work. Students can connect with peer tutors in a variety of disciplines, including math, writing, speech, and international languages. If you missed our article last month, check out the new programs they have developed to support all UP students.
Grades will be posted for classes and be available to students on the Tuesday after Finals Week. As a reminder, grades are not “sent home,” so talk to your student and ask them about their grades. If your student has added you as a Proxy through Self-Serve for the student information view, you have permission to view their grades online via the Banner Self Serve Proxy system. After checking in with your student, you may notice a difference in the grades your student got in high school compared to the grades they are getting in college. Many students struggle in classes such as calculus, chemistry, biology, philosophy, physics, and macroeconomics. Never fear – as highlighted above, there is help available for students who need to learn how to better manage their time and get outside assistance to pass their courses. Remember that many first-year students struggle in their first semester, but do very well in the following semesters. It is all part of the learning process!
