Student discounts are one of the best things about attending a university—just because most businesses understand how broke you are and are willing to give you a little break. However, there are also so many great, and free, on-campus resources, exclusively available for students, which are often overlooked because we may not be familiar with them. From academics to travel to life after college, keep this list handy and make sure you’re taking full advantage of all the excellent resources our campus has to offer.
Belk Library and Information Commons:
http://library.appstate.edu/services/index.html
As college students, we sometimes forget the initial purpose of a library: to check out books. Between group meetings and displays of chocolate croissants in the Wired Scholar, you can go an entire semester without actually walking down a row of books with the actual intent of checking one out. When the time comes that you finally have to get some print sources for a research project, avoid wandering aimlessly down the shelves and simply “request” the titles you need through the library website. Saving you a lot of time and effort, the library will find and pull the books you have placed a hold on, and send you an email when they are ready to be picked up at the circulation desk. The library also offers recording equipment for those daunting group video projects and a digital media lab on the third floor that has computers with editing software and a helpful staff if you have questions. What’s the icing on top of this cake? The website also features a link where you can check “computer availability” to find out if it’s even worth making the trek on a busy pre-exam day.
Career Development Center:
http://careers.appstate.edu/pagesmith/283
The Career Development Center is an extremely valuable resource for students in every year of college. From help with grad school applications, to resume and cover letter workshops, to mock interviews, it is this department’s job to make sure you are prepared for what’s to come. Making an individual appointment online is painless through the Career Gear website and all services are available to not only current students but also ASU alumni for a full year after graduation. The school buys exclusive access to specific online job boards to aid your search and the website also offers information that spells out protocol on application follow-ups, contacting employers directly, networking, and many other aspects of the professional world.
Post Office:
http://www.postoffice.appstate.edu/student-services
The on-campus post office is not just a place to get coupon books out of your P.O. box and pick up a package from your mom every once in a while. Services currently available through the post office include domestic money orders, stamped envelopes and postcards available for purchase, and even passport application services. For those of you who are graduating in May, there is also a table set up where you can sign up for mail forwarding once you are no longer a student and forfeit your P.O. box.
Health Services:
http://healthservices.appstate.edu/pagesmith/105
Yes, we dread going. Yes, we are paranoid that we are going to catch some strain of the flu every time we walk through the doors. However, there is a broad spectrum of services offered through this department that go far beyond testing to see if your roommate gave you mono. Students have access to travel abroad services that provide appropriate immunizations, medication, and information as well as a slew of other important domestic vaccinations. There’s a full-scale women’s health services that is also available to students, as well as an allergy clinic, STI testing, and a pharmacy that allows you to pay through your student account.