Thousands of students returned to the South Dakota State University campus this week looking for a successful year.

 Freshman Sasha Roth came to college with a plan to succeed academically.

  “I plan to study hard and not procrastinate. I’m definitely going to use some of my resources, such as tutoring and study groups as much as I can,” Roth said.

The Wintrode Student Success Center, located on the south side of campus, is a resource for all students looking for success. Advisers and tutoring options are available for free in Wintrode throughout the school year. Kristen Carlisle, assistant director and academic advisor at Wintrode gives advice to students daily.

   “There are a lot of resources available both from the academic side of things and the student affairs and student engagement,” Carlisle said.

Academic success can also come from student engagement. SDSU has over 200 student organizations to get involved in, including The Pride of the Dakota’s Marching Band, the Hobo Day Committee, KSDJ radio station, and more.

“On campus we have things like tutoring, which is free for student to use. Whether it is the math help center, the writing center, or the Wintrode tutoring program,” said Carlisle.

The Math Help Center is located in Harding Hall, room 128. It provides free tutoring for 10 math courses. The Writing Center is located in Briggs Library room 103. Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a program that offers review sessions weekly in courses that students have struggled in the past. There are SI sessions available in some accounting, biology, and chemistry courses.

Time management can be key to student success. Finding time to balance academic, social, and work life can be challenging for students.

“Students can be very successful if they plan their study time and make sure you’re investing enough time on tasks,” said Jody Owen, Director of First Year Advising at Wintrode.  According to Hannah Adrian, a junior agricultural business student, academic success comes with class attendance.

“Going to class, reading your book, and asking questions in class are the best ways to be successful at SDSU,” Adrian said.

A successful year in college can be measured both by grades and experiences. College is a time for students to find things they are interested in. The best way to find their interests is to meet new people that students will share their experiences with. 

“There are two things I always tell students. Number one, go to class. The second thing is open your door. When you’re at the residence halls leave your door open and meet some people,” Carlisle said.