I didn't want to get “lost in the crowd”
I was nervous about going to college. I’m from a very small town and even though UNCG is a mid-sized school, I was worried that I’d get lost on campus. I didn’t want to be just another number. I went to LinkUp hoping to make connections to other students on a smaller scale before the other thousands came back to campus. What a great decision! I met some really cool people that weekend and I keep in touch with a lot of them to this day. We got to know each other in a smaller group setting and formed great bonds that way. I even met some staff members who helped me to get adjusted to college life. Getting to meet them outside of their offices let me know that they are real people and they really care about my success here at UNCG.
When other students were moving into the residence halls, I was already hanging out with my LinkUp friends. I wasn’t intimidated by the first day of classes, either. I was settling nicely into my own comfort zone. In addition to that, I knew I had LinkUp workshops to look forward to throughout the year. These turned out to be great ways for me to get additional academic support, continue learning about on-campus resources and to reconnect with the whole LinkUp crew every few weeks.
Because I participated in LinkUp, UNCG didn’t feel so big after all. Thanks, LinkUp!
—Shoaib Siddiqui