Year One Newsletter

Year One Newsletter arrives to your inbox regularly during your first year to help you navigate being New to UB.

Tips for Success

Current students offer their top tips to find success at UB.

Figuring out how to manage your time will ensure your success in and out of the classroom. Be sure to make time for yourself in addition to classes, friends, family, and work. OL Eman and OL Toya recommend using an electronic calendar or physical planner to help you plan your time in advance and keep track of your responsibilities and assignments.

The academic adjustment to UB can be daunting, but there are many ways to find success! OL Aria recommends communicating and building relationships with your faculty early in the semester and utilizing on-campus resources. UB offers many great resources, including academic advisors, teaching assistants (TAs), your UB Seminar instructor, and the Center for Excellence in Writing (CEW).

Utilizing your campus resources will allow you to reach your goals and enjoy your college experience as much as possible. OL Taj and OL Toya recommend Tutoring and Academic Support Services (TASS) for tutors and coaches to support your path to academic success, Accessibility Resources to identify reasonable accommodations to successfully complete your courses, and connecting Counseling Services to maintain your mental health.

Be open to navigating challenges and finding new ways to solve problems. College can bring many new opportunities and obstacles. OL Kal and OL Eman each recommend finding a good balance between academics and a fulfilling personal life. It can be easy to lose track of time spent in any one area, so using your preferred organizational and social resources can help you adjust when necessary and keep that good balance!

The best way to manage the stress of midterms and final exams is to have a plan for studying and ask for help along the way. OL Toya and OL Aria recommend using your preferred planner or calendar to start preparing early, taking care of yourself by attending events to de-stress, and attending office hours to get additional assistance with class material. It can be easy to think that not studying much in high school means you don’t have to study in college, but blocking time to study and seek assistance in college is critical for success.

Current students offer their strategies for how to build connections and community when you are New to UB!

Check out UBLinked to learn about campus clubs and events. Whether you want to find events and clubs with people similar or very different from you, UBLinked is your go-to tool! OL Yousuf did not start to get involved outside of class until after his first semester but wishes he used UBLinked to find clubs and opportunities even sooner! Once he did, he felt happier with his extracurricular experiences and better understood what it meant to be part of the UB community.

Connect your academic experiences with involvement outside of class. OL Kal and OL Yousuf suggest reflecting on your specific goals for adding value to your academic journey to help guide your pursuits. If you are excited about getting involved with experiential learning, check out the Career Design Center to explore internships and Blackstone LaunchPad if you have an entrepreneurial spirit!

Recharge yourself with friends, family, and self-care. OL Toya recommends attending club events that fit within your time constraints and allow for socialization and fun between classes as well as planning time to celebrate successes with friends! From simply going to lunch together to planning a group trip, there are many ways to connect with your network and recharge.

Remember that everyone is figuring things out! It can seem like other students are already part of a group or feel at home right away, but OL Yousuf and OL Eman want you to remember that most students need time to figure things out and get settled at UB. Remember that UB has tons of clubs and campus resources to welcome you and help you make your college experience exactly what you want it to be.

Helping new students transition to life at UB:

Student Life

University at Buffalo
112 Student Union, North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260

Phone: (716) 645-6125