I am part of the Honors College, so I chose to attend on July 6th, which is the earliest I possibly could go.
8:00-8:45 AM SOAR Check-in
My mom and I arrived at Missouri State and followed the signs to the Plaster Student Union. That is where we wrote our name tags and received some materials to read throughout the day. Then, I followed the helpers to take my student ID photo. Then, we were directed to our appropriate meeting area.
8:50-9:15 AM Welcome to Missouri State!
My group met in the Grand Ballroom for a warm welcome and to receive some information. Students were dismissed with their SOAR groups and their family members remained in the ballroom.
9:15-10:00 AM SOAR Group Meetings
In this session, each SOAR group found their own area for some Q&A and, my group at least, got to know each other a bit. My SOAR group discussed where we were from and what activities we did in high school.
On the other hand, family members remained in the ballroom for a session called, "What I Wish My Family Knew...". There, they learned about how to support their student's education. Some topics were: on-campus jobs, time-management, and trying to accept Missouri State as your home.
After these sessions, we (the students) met back up with our parents in the ballroom.
10:00-11:00 AM Money Matters
During this session, we got to hear from Financial Aid and Financial Services about financial opportunities and how to pay campus bills.
11:00-11:35 AM Get Involved @ MSU
This session covered topics such as student clubs and organizations. I learned that they advise: 1 academic organization, 1 organization you are familiar with, and 1 new organization. We then proceeded to the Blair-Shannon dining hall.
11:35 AM-12:35 PM Lunch
Personally, my favorite part of the day. We were provided with salad, chicken parmesan, some more pasta, mixed vegetables, a roll, and a cookie. Everyone sat in their respective SOAR groups and there were accommodations due to COVID-19. After we were dismissed, we walked with our SOAR groups back to the ballroom.
12:35-1:20 PM MSU: A Community that Cares
This session was very informative and helped put some parents at ease. We got to hear about University Safety, Student Conduct, and Magers Health and Wellness Center. I had already done some research on these topics beforehand, but I still learned some new information. Our SOAR groups were then dismissed with our family members again.
1:30-2:30 PM Be Advised
During this session, we got to hear from our SOAR advisor about General Education courses, major and course requirements, and academic opportunities. This session helped me rethink my planned schedule to make one that was more balanced and specific to me. Students, again, left our family members and followed one of our SOAR leaders to a different location.
2:30-4:00 PM Advising and Registration
My SOAR group gathered in a classroom and got to sit back and relax our feet a bit. We had time to look over our advising notes to think about what courses we may want to take this semester. Our advisor took us one at a time for a one-on-one meeting to discuss the best course selection for each of us. When we finished that brief meeting, we returned to the rest of the group and registered for classes. Then, you're officially a college student! I arrived prepared, so my meeting and registering for classes went VERY quickly.
While we (the students) were being advised, our family members were in the ballroom for, "College Life 101". They learned more about Residence Life, Dining, Commuting, and the Bookstore.
My Little Adventure
Since I finished my advising session early, I had some time to waste. I had a scholarship check to turn in, so I went on a solo adventure to the financial aid office to hand over the check. The walk over there was great because it was the first time that I have walked on campus by myself and it just felt like I belonged. It wasn't a big thing, but it made me feel independent that I was handling that much money on my own. After I was done there, I met my mom at the bookstore, got some cute shorts and a planner, and headed over to the Campus Expo. At the expo, there were tables set up for several things including: Residence Life, Magers Health and Wellness Center, Foster Recreation Center, Army/ROTC, and several other student organizations. After all of that, my mom and I walked back to the car and started the 3.5 hour drive home.
