Welcome to UTRGV: A Checklist for Incoming Freshmen

To help manage the chaos of a new semester, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley faculty and students offered useful tips, resources and important reminders that incoming freshmen may want to know about.

• Take advantage of your resources!
  • The University Library serves a large role at UTRGV as both a study space and a resource hub.
    • As listed on its website, not only does the library have a quiet environment for studying, it also offers reservable study rooms, boasts computers with various software and provides scanners and printers for both standard papers and academic posters. Online, students can access scholarly articles, government documents, documentaries and films, ebooks and databases, among other sources. For use outside the library, students are able to check out certain books as well as media equipment such as laptops, graphing calculators, audio recorders and cameras.
  • The Department of University Recreation runs fitness programs for UTRGV students, faculty and community members and has facilities on both the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses.
    • As stated on its website, students who pay their tuition and provide a student ID upon entry have access to UREC facilities. This includes various courts, a weight room and  fitness floors with a variety of workout machines.
    • For patrons who prefer guided group activities, several group exercise classes are offered, including boxing, zumba and yoga. Personal training requires an additional fee. Aside from these, UREC also manages club and intramural sports, an Outdoor Adventures program with a climbing wall and group excursions and swimming programs for a fee at both campuses. Additionally, the website has several online resources for students looking to keep healthy off-campus.
  • The UTRGV Career Center focuses on providing information and support for career and major exploration, resume creation and critiques, job and internship searches and interview preparation.
    • Students interested in planning ahead can schedule a career advising appointment on either campus or access the center’s online career information resources, such as salary data, job simulations, involvement opportunities on campus and the skill-building courses on the Coursera Career Academy.
    • Felicia Garcia, a senior Mass Communication major, advised freshmen to begin applying for internships in freshman year. “Don’t wait until your junior or senior year,” she said. “Because everybody’s taken most internships by that time.”  
    • Cynthia Saldivar, the Director of Student Success Initiatives focused on First and Second-Year Retention Initiatives at the Office of Student Success, pointed out several other services at the Career Center. “Our Career Center also has the Career Closet,” she said, “where if you have an interview coming up and you don’t have anything to wear, you can always look at the Career Center and they will give you slacks, they’ll give you a dress.  There’s a whole thing on the internet where you can pick what you want, what items of clothing in your size, and then they’re yours to keep for those interviews.” In addition, “Both Career Centers also have this really cool thing where you can take professional headshots.”
• Learn to navigate campus.
  • Maps are available online for the various campuses.
  • UTRGV Transportation Services handles shuttles and VOLTs to transport students within and between campuses. Vaquero Express buses have routes between the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses, between the Edinburg and Weslaco campuses, between the Brownsville and Weslaco campuses and between the Edinburg campus and the Visual Arts Building in Edinburg. VOLT routes run within the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses.
• Get involved with peers!
  • According to Saldivar, incoming freshmen are assigned a Trailblazer, an upperclassman peer mentor within the same academic college, to answer any questions they may have regarding the university experience. That Trailblazer will invite them to a student event monthly to help students connect with their peers and foster a sense of community. “And the idea is, you’re going with your Trailblazer, but you’re also going with students that are in your academic college.” Saldivar urges students to attend these events.
  • Saldivar also recommends participating in student organizations. “Whether it is a student org based on your major or whether it is a student org based on a common theme, there’s something for you.” Students can use VLink for news of upcoming events and to find information on student organizations.
  • Additionally, the Student Involvement Fair will provide a view of the many organizations that students can join. The fair will take place from noon to 2:00 p.m., on Aug. 29 on the Chapel Lawn at the Edinburg campus, and on Aug. 27 in the Main Courtyard on the Brownsville campus.
• Stay connected!
  • Jonathan Davila, a senior majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies for Mathematics, advised freshmen to pay close attention to their class syllabus. “Like, actually read it instead of going, trimming through it,” he said. In addition, students can keep their classmates informed and share study materials via a Whatsapp group chat. 
  • Saldivar recommends students download the Microsoft Outlook app for easy access to their UTRGV email account, to stay updated and easily access emails from the university and from professors.
  • Kevin Soto, a freshman majoring in Mechanical Engineering, had this advice for his fellow freshmen: “Make sure you’re talking to advisors … that’s what I’ve been doing right now and it’s been helping me a lot with … knowing the opportunities out there I can take.”
  • The Academic Advising Center guides students as they select courses and ensures students are on track for graduation.
    • According to the center’s website, advisors can also help with course substitution, lifting holds on registration, major exploration and connecting students with resources across campus.
    • Students can schedule an advising appointment via the EAB Navigate 360 application on their My UTRGV dashboard.
• Know where to go for academic help.
  • Check out the Learning Center. Located online and on both the Edinburg and Brownsville campuses, it provides free supplemental instruction and academic support to students. The Learning Center manages the Peer Led Team Learning program, which some students may encounter in their lower-level courses; provides academic coaching; and offers tutoring services.
    • According to Pedro Zuniga, the Assistant Director of the Learning Center, students can schedule an appointment for tutoring on the Learning Center website. Walk-ins are also accepted, and the availability of each subject’s tutor is listed on the website. Tutoring sessions are one-on-one and run for 45 minutes. To help the tutor best understand their issues, attendees are advised to bring all relevant course materials. Zuniga recommends that all students take advantage of tutoring services.
    • For students interested in support and solutions for their broader academic struggles, the center offers an Academic Coaching for Excellence program. Participants are paired with an academic coach who will provide accountability and a game plan for student goals. Meetings are held as many times and as frequently as necessary. Zuniga recommends this program for students who want help with “all the rigors, time management, stresses” of balancing personal life and the college experience.
  • The Writing Center assists students with writing projects that can range from academic assignments to scholarship essays and cover letters and can be at any point in the process of creation.
    • Consultations are online or in-person in Brownsville or Edinburg, are 30 minutes long and have a limit of 4 per week, 2 per day. Consultations must be scheduled at least half a day in advance and times are subject to consultant availability.
    • The Send Your Assignment service, an asynchronous review service, is also available via email. Feedback will be sent within 48 hours. No more than 4 submissions are permitted per week. Other resources include how-to videos, links and handouts with information and tips on writing and formatting.
• Know where to go for help with personal issues.
  • For students facing food insecurity, the Student Food Pantry can help.
    • Available on both campuses, the pantry is open to all UTRGV students and can be visited once a week for nonperishable foods. Prior to visiting, the student must fill out a registration form, either from the pantry’s website or in-person. When visiting, the student must bring their UTRGV Student ID.
  • UT Health RGV Student Health provides health services for students of UTRGV on both campuses.
    • Its website states that all charges are posted to the student’s account, and Health Service neither bills nor accepts private health insurance. Itemized statements for charges are provided, so students with insurance may file a claim with their carrier. For international students and others without private insurance in the United States, the University of Texas System Injury and Sickness Insurance is an option. 
    • According to the website, there is no limit to the number of visits a student may make to the clinics and visits are free of charge. Various procedures and services, however, will incur a charge. The website states such charges are “much lower than those for comparable services provided elsewhere.”
    • Students can go to Health Service clinics for treatment, medicines, routine examinations, and vaccinations. This includes blood pressure and vision screenings, as well as nutritional counseling, among other procedures. Common health issues will not require an appointment, but elective procedures will. Health Service also runs a pharmacy with medicine at a reduced cost.
  • The Counseling Center, meanwhile, provides several types of counseling services for UTRGV students, free of charge and confidential.
    • Services include online and in-person counseling, both in individual and group settings, such as support groups or couple’s counseling and self-guided mental health resources. Referrals can be made to on and off-campus resources, as well.
    • Additionally, free 24/7 virtual counseling is available via the university’s partnership with TimelyCare, which itself offers scheduled counseling, health coaching, self-care content and more.
    • Students intent on recovering from addiction to alcohol or drugs can look to the Collegiate Recovery Program for support in the form of peer-led support groups, 12-step meetings, peer mentoring and the SMART Recovery Meetings. The Vaqueros Crisis Line is available to help students in emotional crisis any day and hour, at 665-5555.
  • The Child Development Center is an on-campus childcare center for faculty, staff and students at the Edinburg campus with children between the ages of 3 months and 5 years.
    • As stated on its website, the center operates Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. It provides education and meals for children enrolled in the center. After a registration fee of $50, for students, enrollment costs $165 for a child aged 3 – 18 months and $150 for a child 19 months and older. Pell Grant eligible students can apply for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Grant for financial assistance, although there is a waiting list for enrollment in the center.

Best of luck and V’s up! Here’s to a new semester at UTRGV.