Student Success Workshops - Fall 2019

Whether you have selected a community college, junior college, or traditional four-year university, you will find that it is imperative to know about the resources available to you on your campus and in the surrounding community. Come and find out more about what programs, services, and resource tools WSSU has to offer you. (*Creating personal success on the historically black college and university campus / W. Weldon Hill, Douglas J. Fiore)

Good credit is critical to making sound financial decisions and is not optional. Unfortunately, many students have poor credit, which haunts them as they try to build and establish their credit. Not knowing how credit works, how your credit score is calculated, how to improve your credit score and maintain it, how to contest errors on your credit report, and how to read your credit report correctly are the primary reasons students fail to secure good credit. This workshop is designed to teach you how to create good credit. Primarily for sophomore and transfer students.

It is the start of a new semester. Now is the time to implement best practices when it comes to study skills. Find out what are the top 10 ideas on how to use your time better and study more effectively. We will learn how to: choose the right study environment for you … avoid doing things at the last minute … maximize your efficiency through “time blocking” … use flash cards to remember key ideas from class … form a strong team as a study group ... and much more!

This workshop is designed to talk about career development opportunities: to teach students how to prepare for internships and the job search, as well as provide some additional professional development tips. Sophomores ONLY.

The use of the internet has been taken over by social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Social media is a wonderful tool and outlet for some, but for many, time spent using social media can turn into a serious time management problem and become a time waster. Discover with other students ways you can monitor and reduce your time on social media for academic and personal productivity.

Creativity is misunderstood. It is not something you are either born with, or born without. Rather, it is a skill that you can develop. This workshop will develop both aspects of a two-sided creative process when approaching a problem. First, we will explore ways to “diverge” by learning to think outside of the box for solutions. Then, we will “converge” by narrowing down the choices in front of you to select the best choice available.

There may be times during the semester where the workload goes from feeling manageable to overwhelming. All of the reading, writing, lab time, papers, exams, and perhaps balancing school and work – especially when combined with all you have to do for your other classes — becomes too much. Whether you fall behind because you mismanaged your time or because it may simply be hard for you to manage all you were expected to do, one thing is clear: you're behind. What exactly are your options now?

Upon arrival on a college campus, it is essential that students are afforded opportunities to connect with others who can serve them in a learning environment. We discuss why it is important to work with, and choose as role models, people from all races, creeds, and genders. (*Creating personal success on the historically black college and university campus / W. Weldon Hill, Douglas J. Fiore)

The life of a college student can be overwhelming. Whether this is triggered by a specific event, or a gradual feeling, most of us feel overwhelmed at some point. In this workshop, we “get off the treadmill” for a moment so that we can back up and view things from a different perspective. We explore the attitudes and mindsets that might be preventing us from achieving our goals. We discover ways to look at any obstacle as an opportunity.

This interactive roundtable style workshop will take on many topics as students discuss college life and academics at WSSU.

Join fellow students as we learn about campus safety precautions and student conduct. Representatives from WSSU Campus Police with the Office of Student Conduct will answer questions, provide information, and review campus policy. Ways to prepare yourself academically before participating in festivities will also be discussed.

How do you know if the relationships you’ve built with faculty and staff will turn into great letters of recommendation? This workshop will break down the steps needed to ensure your letters of recommendation are strong whether for graduate school applications or for employment. Primarily for sophomores and transfer students.

Medicine is one of the hardest professions to join. Prospective medical school students must reflect on whether they are prepared to put forth the time and effort necessary to become a physician. Come hear Dr. Craig Fletcher, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research at the nationally-ranked UNC School of Medicine, to see if medical school is truly for you. Primarily for sophomores and transfer students.

Change is inevitable. Moreover, it happens all throughout the college experience. We cannot avoid it; we can only choose how we deal with it. In this workshop, we identify the common stages that a person goes through during a change experience. Then we discuss the strategies to help us rethink the change experience. Throughout the process, we will stretch ourselves to redefine what we are capable of during difficult times.

As the semester comes to a close, we will cover the important topics of goal setting, academic responsibility, and 10 tips for college success through final exams and beyond. (*Creating personal success on the historically black college and university campus / W. Weldon Hill, Douglas J. Fiore)

Capture the magic of the holiday season during Christmas at Biltmore! Come join us for this spectacular trip during Biltmore’s most beautiful time of the year as we visit America’s largest private home, elegantly accented with amazing Christmas décor! We will also visit the Antler Hill Village. Explore farm life and luxury in the early 1900s with knowledgeable interpreters and exhibits in the historic estate. Step into the everyday life of families who lived on the estate raising livestock, tending crops, and working at Biltmore Dairy. The old-fashioned shops offer Appalachian crafts, dry goods, old-fashioned candy, and more. Students of all majors are encouraged to attend. *ONLY 45 seats available. FOR TEAM B.O.S.S. STUDENTS ONLY.

Interpersonal conflicts are a part of life. Don’t just ignore the issue: have the courage to tackle it with the right tools. We can choose not to deal with it, but that often leads to a downward spiral either within ourselves or in the external conflict. Some of us may think we can only choose either silence or violence, but in this workshop, we talk about a third way: healthy communication. Avoid the four critical mistakes that most people make when dealing with a conflict. Practice good listening skills. Learn a proven 7-step process that moves the situation forward, towards a productive solution.