I pay a lot of money for these “free” resources, so I will be using them.
As I approach my May 2023 graduation, I find myself doing a lot of reflecting on my time at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. One thing I think often gets overlooked or underappreciated is the resources we have access to for “free” as college students. Things like health services, the gym and advisors won’t always be free to you, so make sure you’re using all your resources while you can. Here are some of my favorites:
1. UHS
I know that University Health Services (UHS) sometimes gets a bad rap because of the lack of appointments or other issues, but I am a UHS defender. In my freshman year of college I ran into a lot of health issues from living in the dorms and getting every sickness under the sun, to struggling with disordered eating and dealing with the side effects of that whole debacle. When I utilized UHS’s mental health resources I was not only able to get diagnosed, but I was also given access to therapy, a nutritionist, and a primary care doctor, all of whom worked together to help me overcome my ED. I know that I maybe had a rare experience, but I have also been tested for strep throat, norovirus, and other niche sicknesses and given not only testing for these things, but also medicine that was sent right to the Walgreens below it. Getting to Urgent Care or the hospital isn’t easy as a college student and UHS has been super helpful for most things in my experience.
2. Rec Well
Full transparency, I work for Rec Well so I am definitely biased, but we should recognize how lucky we are to have such incredible facilities. Memberships to gyms as nice as the ones on campus are expensive in the real world, but we have access to Olympic-sized pools and thousands of dollars worth of workout equipment in the center of our campus at the Nicholas Recreation Center. I am also very jealous of everyone not graduating this spring because the new Bakke Recreation Center will be open soon and students will have not only the Nick but the Bakke as well. Rec Well also has free resources for things like meditation and other wellness-related practices so make sure you’re using those too when you’re stressed!
3. Successworks
I just recently utilized the services at Successworks and WOW I wish I had gone sooner. You can get paired with an advisor based on your major and what you are looking to get out of the appointment. In January I started the post-grad job search process and found it extremely overwhelming. Between LinkedIn, Handshake, Indeed, and making resumes and cover letters, I wanted to make sure that I was doing everything correctly. I met with an advisor who reviewed my resume and gave me tips on how to tweak it, and then she helped me create a curated Handshake search in order to find jobs that best fit what I was looking for. This resource is available to students for up to two years after graduation which is also amazing. This is just scratching the surface of what Successworks does so please check it out if you are applying for jobs or internships during college.
4. The Bus System
I also know that the Madison Metro bus system has a lot of flaws, but as someone who came from a small town with no form of public transportation, I am a bus lover. I do not have a car on campus and have found myself in situations where I needed to get across campus, or even across Madison quickly, or in a warm way during the cold Wisconsin winter and the bus system usually comes in handy. Also adding in the fact that we get a free bus pass as students which means we can go to Hildale or Trader Joe’s for free on the bus instead of paying $8-$12 for an Uber or Lyft.
I know that these resources aren’t perfect, and they aren’t technically free (they mostly fall under the “segregated fees” that are part of our tuition), but we do have access to them as UW-Madison students and I think we should be using them as much as possible. The next time you are feeling overwhelmed by job applications, slightly sick, or want to get a quick workout in, make sure to ask yourself if your tuition already pays for things like this before looking outside of UW-Madison for these services.