Five Things Every College Student Should Know

 by Desiree Madere, TRIO SSS Peer Mentor

●     Checking your email at least once a day.

○     There are so many updates that come through email. It could be a professor reaching out to you, or an update from an organization you're in. It has helped me not miss important information! I recommend at least checking it once a day or more.

●     Stay organized

○     Staying organized can help in so many ways. Keeping track of your Canvas calendar can help you keep track of your assignments. Even keeping a planner to keep track of both assignments and events that you have!

●     Use campus resources

○     Our campus offers so many resources to its students. There is something for almost everything you need help with. These range from the Wellness Center, Writing Center, Career Services (resume help), Student Success Center, TRIO SSS, and so many more!

●     Go connect with your professors

○     Connecting with your professors can help you in so many ways. One of them being they will know you and get to know your work ethic. The professors you have had multiple times are some of the best people to get recommendation letters by. Connect with them by talking to them after class or going to their office hours!

●     Don’t be afraid to ask questions

○     College is all about learning! Sometimes you will have to ask questions and that is totally okay! Speaking from experience, professors are willing to answer your questions; you just have to ask them! Yes it is scary at first, but asking questions can enhance your learning so much!

What is TRIO?

 Federal TRIO Programs are designed to provide services from disadvantaged backgrounds and serve low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities. The goal of the TRIO programs is to help students progress from middle school to postbaccalaureate programs. There are eight different TRIO Programs: Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC), Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program (McNair), Student Support Services (SSS), Talent Search (TS), Upward Bound (UB), Upward Bound Math-Science (UBMS), Veterans Upward Bound (VUB), and a Training Program for Federal TRIO Programs Staff. If there are 8 programs, why are they collectively called TRIO? Let’s take a look at how the programs were founded.

President Lyndon Johnson declares the “War on Poverty” in 1964 and signs the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 into law later that year; this allowed the U.S. Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to be established, and the office generated many new social welfare programs, including a college-preparatory demonstration projected called Upward Bound. In the summer of 1965, the first group of Upward Bound students participate in summer programs hosted by 17 different institutions across the nation.

In 1965, President Johnson signed the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA), which authorized Talent Search to be created. Talent Search’s mission was to identify “exceptionally talented, exceptionally needy” students (TRIO History). In 1966, The U.S. Office of Education administers the first 42 Talent Search projects, serving approximately 50,000 students.

The first reauthorization of the Higher Education Act took place in 1968. Congress created a new program for undergraduate college students: Special Services for Disadvantaged Students (currently known as Student Support Services). In 1970, the Office of Education funded the first 118 Special Services for Disadvantaged Students, serving a total of 30,000 students.

The three programs (Upward Bound, Talent Search, Special Services for Disadvantaged Students) informally became known as the TRIO Programs.

Want to know more about the history of TRIO and how the other TRIO programs came about? Check out the Council for Opportunity in Education’s “TRIO History” website: https://coenet.org/trio-history/

Want to know more about the different TRIO programs? Check out the U.S. Department of Education’s “TRIO Home page: https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-higher-education/trio-home-page