First-Year Guide

Your academic advisor is here to help you progress in your degree or help you find a major that's better suited to your future plans. You'll meet with your advisor each semester to decide your courses for the next semester, but feel free to meet with them to talk about other degree and major-related issues.

Your advisors are a valuable resource during your time at UT. They have expertise to share in planning your schedules and planning your four years at UT. Meet with them early and often to be sure you are on track!

We strongly encourage you to start sketching out your four-year plan early on. Doing so will help you to determine how best to organize your courses, and how best to fit in all of the other things you want to do while you are here.

Download your degree plan, run an Interactive Degree Audit, and work with the course schedule to find course corequisites and prerequisites. Then start mapping! Make an appointment with your advisor to review your plan and make sure everything is where it needs to be for you to take full advantage of your time and opportunities at UT.

CNS Non-Academic Coordinators help students navigate when life events and academics collide. So when situations in your life arise that could interfere with your studies, be sure to talk to a non-academic coordinator. Appointments can be set up with a non-academic coordinator in the CNS Student Wellness Center in PAI 3.04. 

College is in some ways more formal than high school was. Here are some tips to make a great first impression. You're going to need recommendations from your professors for graduate school, jobs, and scholarships, so be sure to always start and continue the right impression that will land you a glowing letter of rec. 

• Respect social media boundaries your professors may have.
• Not sure exactly how to approach or interact with your professors? Here are some tips to get you started!
• Ready to ask for that letter of recommendation? Here are some tips on how to start the conversation and get the letter that's going to help you get the job/admission you want.

College is about academics, and it is about experiences, too. Every week, the college dean for students sends an email with a message about your experience and with announcements and events happening that week. Take some time to find out what is going on, and make room when you can for enjoying all that the university has to offer.

Here are some web resources to bookmark:

• Living the Longhorn Life
• Texas Today
• CNS events calendar
• Campus Life: Arts and Culture
• Texas Athletics calendar

As a College of Natural Sciences student, you take rigorous courses. Our most successful students take full advantage of every tutoring and group study opportunity. In fact, there are very few students who wouldn't benefit from tutoring or joining a study group. So plan on including tutoring and study groups in your weekly schedule to take advantage of the full benefit of UT's academic supports. 

• Sanger Center Learning Center: Offers one-on-one tutoring, drop-in tutoring, learning coaches, peer academic coaching, and many free classes and workshops.
• Residential Hall Study Groups: Offer opportunities to meet others in your class. 
• PCL STEM course peer-tutoring is available. You can also reserve rooms in libraries for your study group.

Learn more about tutoring

Not sure what you want to do? Had a plan and discovered it’s not for you? This happens to lots of students and is very normal during your first year. Below are some tools you can use to discover some other options to try.

Wayfinder

Wayfinder has information on every major at UT, along with stories from students and alumni about deciding on majors and the (very often) non-linear paths you might take to end up in your career choice. 

The Vick Center

Feeling unsure about your major? Feeling unsure about science? Feeling unsure about...well...everything? The Vick Center offers services if you are feeling stuck or just need some help figuring out where to go with your current major. (If you have questions about course scheduling and plan to stick with your major, continue to meet with your CNS advisor.)

During your time at UT, you may be working with the Office of Financial Aid to pay for your tuition. You may need to fill out a FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid (if you're not sure, check with the Office of Financial Aid). 

In addition to financial aid, you may also be interested in applying for (or you are already managing) grants and/or scholarships. There are scholarships available just to CNS students and some for anyone at UT. Be aware of annual deadlines for the common scholarship application in the spring.

Living on campus can provide lots of advantages, especially for first-year students. You are surrounded by other students dealing with many of the same challenges as you, there is great opportunity to make new friends and, of course, you are very close to your classes (so you can roll out of bed and make it to your 8 a.m. class, right?)

Thinking about living off campus instead but not sure where to start? Or thinking ahead to move off campus later? Here are some tips to keep you safe.

College, and especially the first year, is a time to try new things and discover what you do and don’t like. You may think you already know what you do and don’t like, but getting outside your comfort zone and trying new things is a big part of transitioning into adulthood. So don’t be afraid to try something new! As you progress in your college career you’ll come across many opportunities, but here are some ideas to kickstart your adventures.

Research: FRI & ARI

Some of you are already part of FRI (the Freshman Research Initiative), but did you know you can also apply to begin research after your first year? Check out the Accelerated Research Initiative! If you weren't in FRI, but you want to get involved in research and can commit to a 6-8 week research internship over summer, you can start your second year in ARI!

Eureka

Eureka is a database that houses information on all kinds of research happening across campus. Explore some areas of interest and see what’s out there!

Service

Service Learning is a great way to help your community, build your resume, and experience new things. If you are interested in helping our UT community or the greater Austin community, there are lots of ways to get involved. Here are a couple of places to start your search: 

• HornsLink offers ways to connect with organizations campus-wide that are making a difference at UT, in Austin, and beyond. 
• Visit Volunteer UT for more ideas and to meet others who make service a priority during their time at UT.

Involvement and leadership

• Find a community with other students of Natural Sciences. You’ll find your passion, make a difference and secure lifelong friends.
• Living the Longhorn Life is a series of events that introduce you to inclusive, free and fun opportunities to get involved on campus. Events focus on mental and physical wellness, sustainability, making connections and building community.

Internships & job opportunities

It’s never too soon to start thinking about internships and job possibilities. Connect with CNS Career Services or the Health Professions Office to learn more about and apply for job and internship possibilities.

Study abroad

If you know or think that you’d like to study abroad during your time at UT, start exploring programs now. Not sure how you’ll pay for it? Texas Global, the campus study abroad office, has lots of great information about scholarships and calculators to help you figure out how much it will cost for you to go abroad.

You will also want to work with your academic advisor to find your best time to go abroad. Remember that four-year plan you put together and had your advisor review? Revisit your plan to see which year, semester, or summer would be your best fit to go abroad.

Mental Health

Every student encounters something that does not go as planned while in college. So when your turn comes, know there is a whole campus here to support you and get you back on track. Here are some resources to know

• CMHC: UT has an amazing Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC) located in the Student Services Building (SSB). Whether you want to be preventative (“I’ve got 4 tests in one day!”), you’re homesick, you just helped someone go through a mental crisis (self-care is important too!) or you’re the one in crisis, help is just a visit away. 
• BCAL: The Behavior Concerns and Advice Line (BCAL) is open 24/7 and answered by trained staff. When in doubt, call them at (512) 232-5050 or connect online.
• Students in Crisis: Need to talk to a licensed counselor right away? Call the CMHC Crisis Line: (512) 471-CALL (2255). There is someone available 24/7 to help you out.
• In the Student Wellness Center: CNS has its own counselors called CARE Counselors. You can call them with concerns or to schedule an appointment. 

Health

• Student Health Services offers opportunities for doctor visits, vaccinations, and care when you are unwell.
• UT Rec Sports and its Gregory Gym offer classes, equipment, a rock-climbing wall and loan-outs like camping gear. Explore the extensive offerings to keep you healthy and active in your time at UT Austin.

CNS Non-Academic Coordinators

Different from mental health counselors, the CNS Non-Academic Coordinators help students navigate when life events and academics collide. Be sure to speak with them at the beginning of a crisis if possible to start the documentation trail if it’s needed. 

When you find yourself in a financial emergency or other type of crisis, check out these resources:

• List of emergency and life support resources offered by UT and the college
• Emergency cash and short-term tuition loans through Financial Aid
• Student Emergency Services can help with financial and other types of crises

Consider your parallel paths for career/graduate school/professional school goals. Never put all of your eggs in one basket. Visit these resources to find your Plan B:

• Your academic advisor
• Wayfinder
• CNS Career Services
• CNS Health Professions Office