“They are so supportive in offering a sense of stability, and sort of a rock on which to lean through troublesome times and times where I'm feeling a little anxious about being here at Columbia.”
At age 36, Lisa Davis GS’23 is in many ways precisely the non-traditional student for whom the School of General Studies is designed.
“I had come to a point in my life where I needed to reconstruct my academic career.”
Of course, age has not provided Lisa immunity from facing many of the same challenges of her younger classmates.
“My biggest challenge has been figuring out how to finance my education,” she said. “Also, maintaining my sense of wellness, and just my sense of self in this stress culture that sort of comes with attending a school like Columbia.”
Lisa has sought, and received, assistance finding work, relieving stress and receiving emotional support from various places in the school.
“I primarily turn to my academic adviser and other members of the Dean of Students Office at the School of General Studies,” she said. “I've leaned on them quite a bit.”
She has also spoken frequently with resident advisors and peer advisors.
“They are so supportive in offering a sense of stability, and sort of a rock on which to lean through troublesome times and times where I'm feeling a little anxious about being here at Columbia.”
Lisa said she was initially nervous about asking for help, so she understands how other students new to Columbia could feel the same.
“Push aside those thoughts, because Columbia has already considered everything that you could be experiencing before you even got here and has put systems in place for you to access.
"So, please access them. Please do it, because it's helpful.”
It’s also important to be open to opportunities when presented with them. Lisa said a chance encounter walking on campus had a major impact on her life. She could have easily said no to a peer adviser who asked if she needed to talk.
Instead, she said yes.
Lisa was a little overwhelmed with all that she had going on in her life. She figures her emotions must have showed on her face.
The peer advisor sat down with her in a campus café nearby. He reminded her that everyone on campus is an overachiever and that it’s tempting to try to do everything all at once and be perfect when doing it. What he told her put her at ease.
“‘Just slow down a second,’” she quoted him. “‘Your self-worth is not on trial here if you can’t reach everything, all the goals at once, in one semester.’”
Lisa has had many more conversations with peer advisers, sometimes in the GS Student Lounge, sometimes by appointment. All are current students in the school.
“They have a wide array of experiences on the campus that can speak to a lot of the experiences new students will have,” she said. “So, they're sort of the perfect people to speak with about challenges.”