Student Life

Just as in your overall experiences in middle and high school, the college experience goes beyond the classroom. Each component of the college experience requires that you be active in some way.

Academic Experience

While the college experience goes beyond the classroom, it is important to note that the academic component is the reason why you are in college or a university. It is your academic coursework that will help you move toward a degree that will begin to open up opportunities and the benefits associated with continued education.

• Meet with your academic advisor each semester. They are a great resource and can guide you toward resources if you encounter challenges. Don’t know what to major in? Many universities have resources for academic and career exploration. At the University of Arizona we have the A Center.
• Get to know your instructors. Instructors have office hours that they set aside on a weekly basis to meet with students who have questions that may help them to better understand the material that is being taught in class.
• Seek tutoring or tutor others. There may be academic resources available to assist you in better comprehending your classes. Tutoring on campus may come with a cost, but if reasonable it may be an investment in your success. A less expensive option may be studying as a group. If you are able to explain a topic to someone else, you have mastered your own understanding of the topic. At the University of Arizona, we have the Think Tank as one tutoring option.

Living & Dining on Campus

Some universities may require students to live on campus during their first year of college, however, Arizona universities give students the choice to live on campus or to be commuter students (students who live at home).

In Arizona, living on campus can be an additional expense that exceeds the cost of tuition. Some students decide to live at home, some students will live off-campus with roommates, and some students are motivated to find scholarship opportunities that help them and their family afford the on-campus living opportunity. Housing & Residential Life can help you explore options on the University of Arizona campus.

Regardless of whether a student is living on or off-campus, most full-time students will find themselves on campus for a considerable amount of time and needing to have food options available. The University of Arizona Student Unions have Meal Plan options available. First-year students living on campus are required to have a swipe meal plan. This is a cost that can increase the cost of living on campus and should be planned for.