(Flyer
made by SSP Peer Supporters)
(Picture from the consultation day with faculty collaboration)
At the sessions co-hosted with faculty offices, many students came with course-related questions like “What’s a syllabus?” or “I don’t know how to register for classes.” Many first-year students had concerns about their course registration, and we helped alleviate their concerns by providing them with resources such as the course registration guide and academic handbooks. Additionally, by collaborating with other staff members, we were able to offer more accurate information tailored to everyone's needs. We received warm feedback such as:
“Now I feel confident about
registering for classes!”
“I’m so glad I came to ask!
(Photo:
Scene from SSP’s independent consultation booth)
At the SSP-exclusive consultation sessions, 223 first-year students joined our event! To attract students to drop by our event, we displayed posters on a whiteboard near Room 8 and handed out leaflets. We received a wide range of questions, from faculty-specific topics like elective liberal arts subjects and English course features, to campus life matters like bicycle registration and health check procedures. Since these sessions were held just before the final registration phase, many students were feeling stuck after not getting into their lottery courses. We helped them think through their next steps together, not just by giving answers, but by encouraging them to work through the process with our support. This experience reminded us how important it is to empower students to find their own solutions.
To achieve our goal of helping as many students as possible, we also opened a Google Form through Instagram to collect questions and respond online starting this year! We received a variety of inquiries, from what to do when trains are delayed to how to use school facilities such as the ICT lab and library. This format seemed especially helpful for students who couldn’t attend our event or felt shy asking questions face-to-face. It was our first time trying this, and we were pleasantly surprised by the number of questions asked! Although we had a hard time keeping up with responses, we learned that preparing answers in advance and having more members ready to help is key. We hope to continue and improve this initiative moving forward!
(Snapshot of our Instagram story)
[Translation:
Q - I want to know how to use Zoom for on-demand classes and online lectures.
A - For on-demand classes, professors will send out a link, so you don’t have to set up for anything! It’s very helpful to download Zoom on your laptop! Click this link below to learn more about how to use Zoom!]
At
our SSP-only sessions, the number of peer supporters was just right for the
number of students, allowing us to respond to each person carefully. Some
students mentioned feeling nervous about attending alone, so perhaps we could
have done more to help solo participants connect with one another. We see this
as a future challenge—to create more opportunities for building new
friendships.
Last year, we didn’t post much on Instagram, so this year, we’re planning to share more helpful info about student life! You can also find us on manaba+R and our official SSP X account (formerly Twitter), where we post updates about events, useful resources, and tools to support your university life. Be sure to check them out!
Reported by: SSP Peer Supporter (OIC) Nagisa