Connections is a two-credit academic course designed to ease your transition to Utah State by helping you understand the purpose of higher education and how you can intentionally take advantage of the many opportunities and resources available to you as a college student.
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Brooke Lessar
Staff Assistant
Advising, Student Orientation, and Transition Services
- Find your why
- Understand your responsibilities as a student
- Develop a mindset of success and belonging
- Meet your mentors
- Maximize your opportunities
Connections Objectives
The Connections objectives have been framed as three big questions that students should be able to answer at the end of the course. In referencing assignments, workshops, and activities back to the big questions, we focus on the "whys" and "hows" of a university education. The intention is to help students become "intentional learners" who understand how to get the most out of their education and how to address challenges that affect college students.
Why am I here?
- What does it mean to become a learner, and what are the intellectual habits of mind that allow learners to contribute to society—within professions and communities—as Citizen Scholars?
- How is the Utah State University degree and each course intentionally designed to help me become a Citizen Scholar?
- How will I intentionally design my university experience in order to develop the intellectual habits of mind needed to contribute to my community as a Citizen Scholar?
How do I best engage myself in the process of becoming an educated person?
- What behavioral habits of mind do successful students have?
- What behavioral habits do I have that are productive, and which do I need to develop to succeed at the university and beyond?
- How will I intentionally engage with available resources to help me meet my goals?
How do I become a fully engaged member of the university community?
- What are the shared values of the university community, and what is my role in enacting these values?
- How do I develop a sense of belonging, engage in the university community, and find my place in the Aggie family?
- What have I learned from Connections about how to intentionally build and maintain mentoring relationships?
2023 Connections Dates
Student Connections
Wednesday - Friday, August 23-25, 2023
Online assignments through October.
What Do You Learn in Class?
Classes discuss the importance of failure and resilience, and how students can go about developing habits of mind that will help them professionally, civically, and personally throughout their lives.
- Resilience and Overcoming Challenges
- Building a Learning Community
- Time Management
- Intentionally Planning a Degree
- Becoming a Learner
- Communication and Conflict Resolution
- Inclusion and Upstanding
- Logistics of Navigating USU
Prepare to Attend Connections
Attending Fall 2023 Connections
Arrange your Schedule
Attendance in Connections is graded. Much of the learning that occurs in Connections is a result of participation in class discussions and activities. It is difficult, if not impossible, to recreate or make up a missed class or workshop. Class for the pre-semester version of Connections is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. The Connections luminary is also considered mandatory class time, and it is held Friday night from 7:30 - 10:00 pm. Arrange your schedule and work obligations accordingly.
Plan your Meals
Meals will be available in the cafeteria, or you can go off campus on the day(s) your class does not provide a meal for you. Connections instructors will provide lunch one day during the week.
Log Into Canvas: August 15
Log into your Connections Canvas course and participate in the summer homework discussion about "Becoming a Learner". This assignment is due before you arrive at class on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, at 9:00 am.
Submit your Waiver: August 23, 2023
Log into Canvas and submit your waiver as a “quiz” in your Connections course before class starts. If you will be under 18 years of age prior to August 23, 2023 you are required to have your parents or guardians sign in ink and upload a signed waiver to that quiz.
Check Into Housing: Starting August 23, 2023
For any on campus housing questions, refer to the online portal or connect with Housing & Residence Life.
Check In: Tuesday, August 22, 2023
Check in will begin at 1:00 pm. Sign in, get your t-shirt and get prepared for Connections.
Attend Evening Activities
After classes during Connections week, students are invited and encouraged to participate in various evening activities. Whether you are from Huntington or Salt Lake City, you will benefit from meeting other students and making connections with your peers. Evening activities are optional, but highly recommended (class on Friday night is not optional).