Student Support Services provides a broad array of services designed to support many aspects of your educational experiences while you are attending NMU. An individual support plan is developed for all participants that identifies necessary services to assist advisees in meeting their academic and personal goals.
Academic Advisement & Course Selection
Student Support Services' advisors provide detailed guidance to participants in the area of academic course selection to ensure course requirements are met in a timely manner in your academic major, minor and general education programs. Advisors help to ensure a ‘good balance’ of courses is selected that best assures a student’s opportunity for success.
Academic Major and Career Exploration
It’s often common for students to struggle with the decision to declare an academic major. As a matter of fact, the averageNMU student changes their major 4 times prior to making a firm and lasting commitment to a specific area of study. Your SSS advisor will walk you through this process and provide a variety of tools to help you research specific majors and related careers. Do you want to get a head start?
Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook at: http://www.bls.gov/ooh/
During my undergraduate experience, I was fortunate to have many involvements that were influenced by SSS and with the encouragement of my advisor. These include being a summer orientation staff assistant, a resident advisor, one of the SSS office assistants, and a member of the Ripple Effect Organization. If it weren’t for the connections I made in SSS, I am not sure that I would have even thought twice about pursuing any of those opportunities.
Sabrina Kaminski
B.S., '20
Assistance with the Financial Aid Process
Students often view navigating the Federal Student Aid system as an intimidating task. Participants in the SSS program will work with their advisors to build an understanding of their financial aid options at the federal, state and university levels. Assistance with FAFSA completion and scholarship searches will also be provided.
The SSS program at NMU has developed an excellent working relationship with our Financial Aid Office. Professional staff in the Financial Aid Office frequently consult with SSS advisees, provide workshops for NMU Donor-Funded Scholarship Applications and assist in administering the SSS financial Aid Grant.
Financial Literacy information
Each SSS advisee has the opportunity to engage in financial literacy education via individualized counseling with their SSS advisor, attending SSS sponsored workshops and through referral to seminars, workshops and lectures sponsored by the Northern Michigan University. In your first year as an SSS advisee, you will work with your advisor Identify key issues such as:
- Where is the money to fund my education coming from?
- Understanding student loans, grants and scholarships
- How much money will I have?
- What are my expenses going to be?
- What’s the best way to begin to manage my expenses?
- Understanding credit score basics
Referral Services
Although SSS provides a great deal of support to its advisees, we cannot provide everything a student may need. In these instances we provide participants with referrals to appropriate campus and community resources that will help meet their specific needs. Some of these resources include:
Tutoring Services
At NMU, tutoring is viewed as part of the campus culture. Dedicated students use the services available to make them even stronger in their academic pursuits. Student Support Services provides tutoring support through a College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) master certified program. Individualized tutoring is provided for 100 level entry level courses through senior-level coursework. In addition, many of our tutors can provide valuable instruction in time management, note taking and test preparation skills.
Exploration of Graduate School Options
Many SSS participants continue their education through enrollment in master’s and doctoral level programs. Your Student Support Service advisor will assist you with the exploration of the graduate school experience. This assistance includes identifying careers of interest that require graduate or professional degrees and developing specific goals during your undergraduate experience that will expand opportunities for entering graduate school. Assistance will also be provided for graduate school searches, completing applications and identifying sources of financial aid.