Do you have what it takes to attend and graduate a four year university? The staff and faculty over at the University Center (UC) believe so. They, as well as several students attending have provided The Clipper with some pearls of wisdom to ensure a successful effort through the plethora of programs they have available.

The first thing to keep in mind while attending at a campus like this is to maintain good communication with your advisors as well as your instructors. The fact that UC is a satellite campus for seven different universities from around the state makes this an even bigger argument to keep in good contact with everyone you need to.

Because a good portion of the classes offered are online, students won’t always have an office they can go to if they have a question about the material they’re going over. The best option for anyone with a question is often contacting the instructor or aide via email or even just getting a hold of another classmate for a suggestion.

Don’t forget to register early. Courses become available once they are organized for the next semester, which is structured slightly different than the quarter system used at EvCC. The various program directors had the sense to set aside seats for students not at the main campuses to attend classes elsewhere, but that doesn’t mean anything close to a guarantee about getting in. You’re still competing for a spot so get it saved as soon as possible to prevent the hoop-jumping that will await you otherwise.

Oddly enough, many UC students were surprised when they couldn’t find the textbooks they needed at the bookstore on campus. Well, that’s because EvCC doesn’t have the same programs. Once you’ve got that bit figured out, you’ll just order you books and supplies online; most of which can be ordered fairly quickly through online resources like Amazon, eBay, or from various bookstores.

As with many college books, of course, they can be pricy, but if you look long enough you might get lucky and find whatever you’re looking for at a much less expensive rate than the mainstream options can provide. I personally saved about $200 just from looking up the ISBN of the books I needed, then using a search engine to look them up throughout the internet.

Although this will be different from person to person based on how they search, it’s a good start.

The last, and probably most valuable, advice anyone at UC can give you is to manage your time wisely. You may have longer to complete the semester and the due dates for everything give you plenty of time to get things finished, but students are typically juggling six or more classes at a time with; each having higher demands regarding quality of work than students may have needed to perform to as a freshman or sophomore.

Some courses even have grading criteria revolving around how experimental students get with their assignments, forcing them out of their comfort zones and to try new ways of thinking and problem solving. Couple that with the average student needing to maintain a job to pay for tuition, and the aforementioned books and you’ve got yourself a pretty full plate.

“It’s nice because I have the opportunity to work,” said Hayley Statema, a student of the Integrated Communications program through Washington State University. “However, I wish I didn’t have to. I can’t focus as well as I’d like to on my classes, but it’s still a doable thing.”

Yes, attending UC is a lot of work; and yes, it can be a major demand on your time, energy, and wallet. But look on the bright side: many of the current job openings are looking for people with higher degrees and often pay is based on level of education. So go on, finish that assignment so you can get a decent grade point average and ask the folks at the University Center all the questions you have.