Asking for help is something that I have previously viewed as a weakness, but now know is a skill that only the strongest of people possess.
When I say asking for help, I am in no way implying a one-size-fits-all concept — there are so many different ways to ask for help in different aspects of one’s life. As important as it is to learn from your own mistakes, asking for others’ perspectives and incorporating them into your learning and growth can be helpful in gaining a different or outside perspective.
As far as school work goes, attending a professor’s office hours or voicing your questions in class can be extremely beneficial, but that doesn’t always work for everyone. Sometimes, you can find yourself in a place where you don’t even know what questions to ask to get the help you need. I’ve definitely been there and know how helpless you can feel in such a situation. That moment where you feel weak is where you can make one of the strongest decisions: asking for help. Whether it be making a point to reach out to others in your class to collaborate on work or getting a tutor, asking for help when you feel helpless is one of the strongest things you can do.
This doesn’t just go for classes; asking for help in any aspect of your life can immensely improve your situation. Scientifically speaking, most natural processes require a certain energy input, so if in order to reach a goal you need a little boost of help to get started, that is absolutely reasonable and, in nature, expected.
As far as available academic resources for when you need help, going to office hours for your professor and TAs is a great start. Not sure what to ask or even where to start? Maybe ask about a homework or test question you got wrong and how to approach something like it in the future. Beyond this, the academic support center has tutors for most all classes with students who’ve been in the same shoes as you and will know how to help. Outside of campus, there are so many free online resources available to students. I often get so caught up in all of my work that I forget that I can find an instructional YouTube video on whatever topic I am struggling with.
As well as academic resources, there are also many accessible mental health resources both on and off campus. CAPS is a great place to start, being free and on campus and having many outside resources and referrals. Asking for help can sometimes feel less scary if you are asking someone who does not know you personally and can offer a great deal of objective advice and support. Doing this also allows you to kind of take a step back while you explain your situation to someone who is not already aware of it. I have used the resources that CAPS offers and found them truly helpful, and it’s really nice to know that we have a bunch of people solely dedicated to taking care of the mental well-being of Stevens students, especially at no cost for us!
While I tried to make it sound a little easier, I am fully aware that asking for help can still be a scary thing to do. Instead of trying to focus on the act of asking, try to think about the success you will find after you receive the help that you need. Along with asking for help, try to also be there for others when they need help. This is definitely not one of the easiest parts of our lives, and if we all support each other as a community, we can get through it together.
