One of the best things about being a graduate student at the U of A is that you can enjoy your campus life at the fullest. Indeed, graduate students have different responsibilities compared to undergraduate students. However, that does not mean that a graduate student could not enjoy life on campus. UA has many resources on campus, which enables students, both undergraduate and graduate to have better campus life. Therefore, a graduate student, despite their workload, is able to have an enjoyable student life.
For me, surviving graduate school means that we can manage to balance both school and personal life. As an international graduate student, I did have a hard time during my first year. Adjusting to a new phase of life, living in a foreign country, is not easy. This is natural for people coming to a foreign country. Problems with the weather, food, language, culture, and even school tasks might occur. The good thing is, campus has resources such as Cross-Cultural Mentors (CCMs) and International Culture Team (ICT) which help new students to adjust into the United States as well as the University of Arkansas socially, academically, and culturally. I personally have benefitted much from campus resources. Finding peer mentors is also beneficial so you do not have to run into your professor all the time. When I struggle with school stuff, I seek advice from friends (both seniors or peers) on campus.
Problems might come not only from school. However, when life gets tough, Fayetteville has many to offer. I personally love to do hiking or just walking along the trails. There are many hiking spots in Fayetteville. If you are an outdoors person, you will love living in Fayetteville. Some of my favorites hiking places are Devils Den (it has so many interesting trails, my favorite is the Yellow Trail), Lost Valley Trail (Ponca) and Whitaker Point Trail (Hawksbill Crag) (Deer). My host family oftentimes takes me to go hiking. Enjoying outdoor scenery helps me to refresh my mind. Fayetteville also has many parks which serve as an alternative place to study or relax. If you do not like doing outdoor activities or studying outdoor, the campus provides many study spots. Mullins library, for example, has four floors which provide students a variety of venues best work for them. For graduate students, Mullins library provides graduate carrel and graduate student lounge. Graduate carrel is an individual study room which a student can reserve at the beginning of the semester and renew it every semester. The graduate student lounge is more like a communal, open space for graduate student to study. International student lounge at Gearhart Hall can also be an alternative to study. This particular lounge is quiet and provided with comfortable chairs and sofas.
One more thing, there is also the perk of being a student. Always ask for a student discount when you go anywhere in town. Restaurants, bookstores, department stores, any stores and even the cinema sometime offer student deals! You will be surprised how keeping you ID card with you all the time can help you to save money. Last but not least, enjoy UA and Fayetteville!
