An overivew of Truman’s campus resources for the new semester

The new semester means a lot of changes for students: new classes, professors, routines, and a fresh coat of snow on top of it all. What stays the same is our goal, as students, of career readiness.

The Writing Center and the University Career Center help students prepare for their careers, but students do not always realize the amount of services these offices provide. Utilizing these resources can be an opportunity to help ease your way into the new year and start off your semester strong.

The Writing Center is in the Kirk Building and provides students with feedback from their peers on how to become more effective writers. This could range anywhere from helping with general formatting to suggesting revisions to overcoming writer’s block. Writing Center director Dave Leaton explained that the Writing Center consultants provide students with guidance through the writing process to help them gain the skills and confidence to succeed.

“It could be anything,” Leaton said. “It could be for class, but it doesn’t have to be. It could be a piece of creative writing outside of class. If you want some feedback on a short story, bring it in. It could be a case study, it could be a personal statement for graduate school.”

The Writing Center works to provide students with the writing resources they need to succeed. It’s staffed by students of a variety of majors, which allows students the opportunity to work with consultants from across many majors represented on campus.

The Career Center, located in Student Union Building room 3100, connects students with resources and advises students on their plans for after Truman.

For freshmen and sophomores, this can mean helping them pick out a major that best reflects their core values and strengths. For upperclassmen, this means helping them develop interviewing skills, looking at cover letters, allowing them to practice with mock interviews and more.

Kara Levery, one of the Career Ready Coaches in the Career Center, described it as a place to make sure students are equipped with the skills they need for their next destination. The Career Center also arranges career and internship expos throughout the year, allowing students to start making connections early.