A Guide to the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith

Is there anything more exciting and scary as when you are getting ready to begin college? Whether you are attending as a traditional student, straight from high school, or if you are an adult who is starting college later in life, knowing that this is the gateway to your career and future can be intimidating, and it is helpful to have some kind of advance information to assist you in getting started. Having attended the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith, I can vouch for the excellent education and opportunities that are provided and that are being continually added and developed, every year.

First I would recommend looking at their website, www.uafortsmith.edu. Not only is there information on location, contacts and recruiting, there are lovely pictures of the campus, and the students depicted are actually real, current students, not models or long ago students, and they are also not pageant winners or the children of faculty members. These students just happen to be photogenic and willing. I find that to be better advertising than simply showing pictures of Miss UAFS, cheerleaders and athletes. While those students are not left off the website, they are not the only students to be pictured.

The website is also a font of information concerning degrees, degree plans, course catalogs with descriptions, class schedules by semester, and financial aid information. There is an area dedicated to employment opportunities, as well. Since the University of Arkansas - Fort Smith has only become a four-year university within the last decade, it is in a continual state of growth. There are more programs added, after careful planning, whenever possible, and there are continuous improvements made to existing programs, as well. The faculty is diverse and well-trained, and there are many different degree plans, technical certificates and life-long learning opportunities, not to mention the ability to take courses that help keep people up-to-date on changes in methods and technologies for their careers.

University of Arkansas - Fort Smith does have a beautiful campus, and they work to maintain it throughout the year. There is a lovely bell-tower clock that is great for helping students to keep up with the time as they hustle across campus to get to their classes, and it adds to the atmosphere, quite well. There are many excellent indoor and outdoor places to relax between classes and/or study quietly.

I found that the best places to meet people, outside of classes, were study groups. If you are not put into a group by an instructor for different classes, either look for other students that may be interested in starting a group or let the instructor know and ask him or her to announce this to the class. Not only does this help reinforce the information that is taught in the class, it helps to form friendships that can last throughout your college career and beyond. I enjoyed many study groups, and I met interesting people who enhanced my learning through groups formed by instructors, too.

Another great way to meet people is by joining clubs, sororities or fraternities. There are multiple options for students with varying majors and varying interests. These groups have many types of events that assist new students in meeting others. I was personally involved with several honor societies, and this allowed me to find other students who were interested in the same courses that I was taking, as well as many other students who were involved in other career paths, but who proved to be valuable friends through college and beyond. Places we chose to meet were in the Campus Center, which has various comfortable rooms available, labs within the class buildings, Boreham Library and during good weather some of the lovely park-like settings outside.

As for the dining experience on campus, there is only one cafeteria/eatery, and it is in the Smith-Pendergraft Campus Center. Although it is the only one, it has diverse offerings that are well-prepared, and it is kept extremely clean. The hours of the cafeteria are from Monday through Thursday, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. There is a page within the website, http://www.uafortsmithdining.com/, that gives information on the services that are offered through the eatery. It is usually a good place to meet with friends and classmates, so you are able to have a meal while you work or to just socialize. There are some fast food restaurants near the campus, but many times it is just as easy and less expensive to eat on campus. There are discounts available for students and employees, alike.

The Campus Center also contains the bookstore, and it is the place to go when you are looking for a place to find information on student organizations, campus events and it will be the first place that you go to register and enroll, as well as look for financial aid, advisors and possible student-worker positions. Being a student worker is also an excellent way to meet people and learn about the campus and the best places to meet people.

One word of caution that I have for any new student or a person considering becoming a student concerns parking. Do not expect or even bother trying to park close to the campus. I would recommend planning to be at school quite early in order to walk to class and be there on time. Unless you have a class that starts at 8:00 a.m., and you plan to be there at 7:00 a.m., you will get your exercise. Trying to get a parking place close to the campus is a frustrating and sometimes scary process.

University of Arkansas - Fort Smith is a non-smoking campus, so it is necessary to leave any part of the campus to smoke. The campus includes the parking lots and sidewalks, from what I understand. If you are a smoker, you will need to plan your courses to allow you to either leave campus with enough time for a break or clump your classes, so you will be able to get through them then smoke after you leave school.

I sincerely enjoyed my experience at University of Arkansas - Fort Smith. I met many fun and interesting people of diverse ages, experiences, ethnicities, and so on. Many of them remain my friends, today. I think I learned from them as much as I learned from my excellent instructors, and I enjoyed sharing such a beautiful campus and so many good times with them.