0 CommentsAs midterm hell season is upon us, look below to discover niche resources on campus that can help you with various issues. You have access to all of this for free so you might as well use them!
When you enter Columbia your freshmen year, so much is thrown at you at once. It is easy to forget how much support is available for you, especially since so much of what you learned during your crazy NSOP week was immediately forgotten. Here are some underrated resources that you may find useful this year.
Do you have a strange interpersonal conflict? The ombuds office is completely confidential, which is not the case of every office on campus. They help prevent conflict through providing a space for faculty, students, and staff to discuss work-related issues, academic concerns, and more. The office can offer conflict coaching, facilitation, mediation, and more. If you are having a roommate conflict, or an issue with a professor and don’t know who to turn to, this is a great option.
Wait, so what does ‘ombuds’ mean? Ombudsman is Swedish word which usually means an official who has the job of mediation or investigating maladministration. The office will listen to whatever issue you have, offer an impartial perspective, and offer options and resources to help resolve it.
Counseling Psychological Services
Okay, you probably have heard about CPS (not Child Protective Services), but there are a lot of misconceptions about them that students have. Many think that CPS will not provide as much care as they need, but they are able to provide so much. Once setting up care with them, you can see a therapist once every two weeks or so, if that is what fits your needs. They also provide psychiatrists and clinical social workers. All the staff are extremely professional, and if you don’t click with your first therapist, which can happen, just tell the front desk and they can reassign you!
Columbia College Alumni Association
This association provides great events and programs to introduce students to Columbia’s alumni community. Through this association, you can be paired with a mentor, which is extremely helpful if you are looking for guidance while in college! They also host many events (often with great catered food), where you can learn about life after college and where Columbia took them. Each semester, they also offer alumni hosted dinners, which are a lovely way to have a night out and meet other students, as well as alumni.
Through Alice! Health Promotion, you can meet one-on-one with a health educator to discuss important questions related to your wellbeing in college. Do you want to improve your sleep? Do you have no idea how to manage stress here? Or manage your time? Are you concerned about a friend’s mental health or substance use? All of these questions and more can be answered through setting up a meeting, or going to their office hours.
Do you still not know how to use CLIO? Don’t know what a Zotero is? Have no idea where to start with research in your specialty? Throughout each semester, Columbia Libraries host various workshops that can teach you about how they can assist your research, but also so much more!
Does someone keep moving your laundry? Do you always forget to set a timer? Are the machines always full when you want them? With this website (which also has an app), you can add your dorm and check the status of laundry machines.
The Food Pantry at Columbia works to help end food insecurity on campus, regardless of their socioeconomic status or other factors. It is completely student run, and now has a permanent location in Lerner! All you have to do is register online and place an order. The process is completely confidential.
GTD is a small group that meets each semester to learn time management strategies and build a community on campus of similar students. The group commits to weekly meetings and works to create systems of support and accountability. I participated in this group during the spring of my freshman year, when I realized that I was totally unprepared for how to manage my life at Columbia. The group gave me so many helpful strategies, and it was also just a comfortable space to talk about my experience and meet other students.
Header via Bwog Archives
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