Do you find yourself looking for information on goal setting, time management, and other aspects of balancing your life as a student, professional, parent, or other roles? You@PSU is a wellness resource available to all Penn State students that can help. Barry and Brittany, Penn State World Campus students, tested the platform and let us know their thoughts on what they enjoyed, who can benefit from You@PSU, and what interests them about the tool.
What piqued your interest in checking out this resource?
Brittany: As a fifth-year student who has transferred schools twice in her college career, I’m almost always on the lookout for resources to help me manage my everyday life and long-term goals. I found out about You@PSU through our Student Advisory Board, who are always working hard to find solutions to problems that students may not even know exist.
Barry: I had no advance knowledge of what You@PSU was about, but any tool that can help me move forward personally and professionally is not a bad thing.
What did you enjoy about it?
Barry: It is discreet; the website says that no information is collected or linked to you when you log in. Additionally, when selecting a new goal, it gives you the option to choose a pre-made goal and tells you how many others are participating in that goal. I find this comforting seeing others pursuing and struggling the same way I am. It builds a sense of community as a Penn State World Campus student. The option to receive an email when you commit to a goal also helps hold you accountable for your goal.
Brittany: My favorite portion of You@PSU has to be the endless resources on the front page. There are articles available on everything from how to overcome burnout to how to handle anxiety and depression. It is easy to navigate throughout the website, and it’s created in a way that makes you want to explore each section. There are the three main portions: Succeed, Thrive, and Matter. Succeed is where you can look up resources related to academics and grades, learning style, and internship opportunities. Thrive is more focused on helping you develop as a person, including tips on how to handle stress, get more sleep, and manage anger. Lastly, Matter gives you insight into how to make friends, find your purpose and meaning, and how to volunteer more often.
What did you think about the “reality checks” and resources shared as a result?
Brittany: The “reality checks” are three assessments that measure various parts of who you are and what you need, in order to tailor the portal to who you are. I personally love this feature and enjoy that I can have my personalized articles and tips right in front of me, instead of me searching through pages endlessly. The goals page is a great way to keep track of where you are and where you want to end up. You can add different goals from the various sections and then keep track of your progress. It allows you to see how you’re doing in school in a more well-rounded way that doesn’t involve grades.
Barry: It is an exciting and honest assessment of where you stand and a much needed first step. This step is essential; how will you know where you are going if you cannot identify where you stand? I liked that it helps me identify issues or things outside of my peripheral that I had not considered. As a full-time worker and part-time student, internships came up when doing the “Succeed Reality Check.” Internships are the last thing I would have ever thought about doing, but I can see how that might hurt me once I get closer to graduation.
Who would benefit most from this resource, and why?
Barry: Any student who is struggling to achieve a goal, set a goal, or wants an honest assessment of how awesome they are would benefit from You@PSU. It gives you steps to achieving your goals. The beautiful thing about You@PSU is that it is career-focused, which grabs most people’s attention, but when you dig in, you start to realize that you need to be mentally sound before you can focus on anything else.
Brittany: College is an interesting time in anyone’s life and puts pressure on you in a unique fashion. Why wouldn’t everyone look for ways to make it easier? You@PSU makes life easier by putting your goals right in front of you and giving you resources to reach those goals. Students who struggle with long-term goals, anxiety about the future, or needing validation outside of grades for their hard work should all run to sign up now.
Any other feedback about You@PSU?
Brittany: You@PSU was originally explained as a platform that allows students to map out their goals, get real with themselves about where they can improve, and look for resources to help manage all the craziness. Obviously that sounded wonderful and, at the same time, too good to be true. I’m happy to say that I was wrong and that You@PSU really is that good.
Barry: De-stress was the least-used goal with the fewest students currently participating in (at the time of this writing) and is probably the one that most students need. I would encourage any student to find their de-stressor, whether it is breathing techniques, exercising, or some other form of stress relief. When it comes to mental health, we need to treat it as if it were physical health and ensure we exercise every day, we need to de-stress every day.
If you’d like to try out You@PSU, sign up now. Thanks to Barry and Brittany for sharing their experiences!
