Start With a Plan.

Four key areas:

  1. Community
  2. Self
  3. Academics
  4. Campus Life

Plan 4

Plan 4 is an academic success tool that will help you imagine a bigger picture about what you can accomplish during your time here at the U and beyond. Plan 4 will help you explore your potential and the amazing resources around you. Exploring is part of university life and Plan 4 will help you use your explorations to guide you toward a rich and rewarding experience. As you keep the Plan 4 principles in mind you will find yourself achieving more than you ever thought possible. You will ask more questions about your academic experience. You will, have a stronger sense of your community, your academic goals, campus life, and yourself. Plan 4 success.

Plan 4 life. Plan 4 U.

Community

  • Learning Communities
  • Support for Student Success
  • Engaged Learning
  • Capstone Experiences

You were raised in a community that probably mattered a great deal to you. Attending the University of Utah launches you into a new community that is diverse and unique. And we want it to matter to you too. Did you know that the University of Utah is larger in population and geography than many towns in Utah? The Univer- sity of Utah has a long and deep commitment to community engagement. The communities that surround our geographic borders support us with their knowledge and trust us with their students. The many immi- grant and refugee populations that identify Utah as their home provide important opportunities for enriching our research, teaching and service. Increasingly the University of Utah is a global community with students in Korea and many opportunities for you to travel to communities abroad.


As you work with your Plan 4 we hope you will consider these questions and opportunities:

  • How will my community be different because I'm at the U?
  • What communities will I join and how will I participate?
  • How will I be different because of my community experiences?

  1. Learn about your community.

    Learn about ASUU
    Learn about intramural sports
    Explore the Student Life Center
    Visit CESA and the Vet Center
    Explore the Bennion Center
    Discover student clubs and organizations Attend sporting events
    Use your Student Arts Pass
    Learn about the MUSS
    Look at the options created by sorority and fraternity houses

  2. Learn about others' communities.

    Participate in the Lowell Bennion Day of Service
    Participate in the Engaged U Day
    Participate in an Alternative Spring or Fall Break

  3. Immerse yourself in local & global communities

    Do a Learning Abroad Program
    Do a Community Engaged Research or Service Project Volunteer for service with the Bennion Center

  4. Invite others to join you.

    Take a leadership role on campus or in your community Design a Community Engaged Research or Service Project
    Lead a Learning Abroad Program
    Lead an Alternative Spring or Fall Break project

Self

  • Learning Communities
  • Support for Student Success
  • Engaged Learning
  • Capstone Experiences

As you start your college journey, it's important to take stock of the person you are now, which is the foundation for the person you imagine you want to be. Your University experience includes many opportunities to reflect on as you refine your sense of self - both inside and outside of the classroom. And, our community is filled with people who can help you learn how to be emotionally, physically, and spiritually healthy. Take the time to look around for opportunities, people, and experiences that will shape who you are in ways you never thought possible. Then, think about how you want to share this emerging you with the broader world. We can't wait to see where you go from here...


These questions can help guide the process of becoming the person you imagine you can be:

  • How will my life be different because I'm at the U?
  • What do I imagine learning about myself as a Utah student?
  • How will I be different because of my self-reflection?

  1. Reflect on who you are.

    Meet and talk with a Student Success Advocate
    Identify clubs and organizations that will help you learn more about yourself
    Find out how offices like the Center for Ethnic Student Affairs, the Women's Resource Center, or the LGBT Resource Center can help you learn more about your identity
    Consider how staff at the Counseling Center can help you reflect on who you are
    Learn about the Campus Life Mentor program
    Discover the programs sponsored by the Center for Student Wellness

  2. Set Goals.

    Meet with an Academic Advisor to set your academic goals
    Use the Exploration Center in Career Services to set career-related goals
    Attend the Women's Leadership Summit and develop leadership-related goals Consider the Leadership Studies Minor as an enhancement to your major

  3. Find a mentor.

    Engage with faculty who share your interests through the MUSE Project
    Conduct research with a favorite professor through UROP
    Ask a Student Success Advocate how to connect with potential on-campus mentors
    Ask someone from your academic department to have lunch with you
    Attend the Women's Leadership Summit to connect with on- and off-campus mentors
    Connect with community and government mentors by getting involved with the Hinckley Institute

  4. Share a healthy and confident you.

    Use Career Services to match your interests and skills to a meaningful job
    See how the Bennion Center can help you incorporate community engagement into your post-college life Learn about how to continue to engage with the University of Utah through the Alumni Office
    Be an Orientation Leader who helps new students find their way
    Be a LEAP or BlockU or Beacon Peer Mentor
    Mentor a younger student in your major

Academics

  • Learning Communities
  • Support for Student Success
  • Engaged Learning
  • Capstone Experiences

The most important thing you will do at the University is take classes. In your classrooms you will learn things that will expand your horizons and may even surprise you. In fact, we hope that you experience awe and wonder in your academic pursuits. You will learn about the power of your own learning. While it is very easy to think of yourself as someone who consumes knowledge, we also hope that you understand your responsibili- ty to produce knowledge; this is a time to ask good questions, to share experiences, and to help peers who might be struggling. There are many ways to select and participate in classes and we hope you will consider taking classes that stretch your imagination.


As you work with your Plan 4 we hope you will consider these questions and opportunities:

  • How will the academic conversation be different because I'm at the U?
  • What do I imagine discovering in my classes?
  • How will I be different as I discover my academic passions at the U?

  1. See what's out there.

    Attend Major Expo
    Take the Majors Exploration class
    Meet with University College Advisors
    Learn about different kinds of minors and certificate programs
    Attend a great lecture like the World Leader's Lecture Series, the Gardner Lecture, the Tanner Lecture on Human Values, or the Frontiers of Science Lecture Series
    Meet with your favorite General Education Teacher

  2. Find your academic passion.

    Begin taking courses in your major (or an area you think might become your major)
    Find an academic mentor in your major
    Get involved in clubs or organizations associated with your major
    Explore the possibilities of internships, learning abroad, UROP

  3. Learn by doing.

    Do an internship
    Do a Learning Abroad experience
    Do a UROP
    Do a Community Engaged Learning Experience

  4. Integrate knowledge & experience.

    Enroll in a capstone course
    Attend an undergraduate research conference in your discipline
    Participate in the SPARK Lab
    Write an Honors Thesis

Campus Life

  • Learning Communities
  • Support for Student Success
  • Engaged Learning
  • Capstone Experiences

You do not have to live on campus to make the U your home. We hope all students create their own Utah family and find their very own "living room" in which they can laugh, grow, play, and relax. By engaging with co-curricular activities, you will build skills and networks of support that can also aid achievement within the classroom and in your future career. We hope you expand your University of Utah experience by taking advantage of the many student activities that a flagship institution can provide.


As you work with your Plan 4 we hope you will consider these questions and opportunities:

  • How will campus be different because I'm at the U?
  • How do I imagine engaging with my campus?
  • How will I be different because of my campus involvement?

  1. Explore opportunities.

    Attend Swoop Camp
    Go to PlazaFest to check out student organization and department tables
    Connect to a mentor through the Campus Life Mentors program
    Join Picture Your First Year and document your experience in photos
    Apply for ASUU First-Year Council if you're a first-year student
    Attend Transfer Tuesdays if you're a transfer student
    Become a part of the Residence Hall Association if you live on campus
    Pledge service hours through the Bennion Center during Welcome Week
    Dance the evening away with friends at Crimson Nights
    Become a member of the MUSS (Mighty Utah Student Section) for athletics events
    Take part in Campus Recreation by going to the Field House, joining a rec sport, or on an outdoor adventure Look for a student job at the Campus Employment Fair

  2. Focus your involvement.

    Share your University wisdom and apply to be an Orientation Leader or Campus Life Mentor in the Office of Orientation & Leadership Development
    Attend workshops through Student Equity & Diversity
    Get more involved in one of the many student groups offered through ASUU Groups
    Go through Greek Life recruitment to find a compatible sorority or fraternity
    Engage with the Veterans Support Center, Women's Resource Center, Center for Ethnic Student Studies, and/or LGBT Resource Center
    Become a Community Engaged Scholar through the Bennion Center
    Work as a writer, photographer, or DJ for Student Media
    Acknowledge your hard work as a transfer student and join Tau Sigma Honor Society
    Apply for a position in the Union Programming Council and create fun programs
    Engage in the Alumni Association through the MUSS Board or Student Alumni Board
    Interview to be an Admissions student Ambassador and share your love for the U with potential new students

  3. Take on responsibility.

    Apply to be a Presidential Ambassador
    Interview to be a Leadership Intern in the Office of Orientation & Leadership Development
    Take on leadership in social justice as a Center for Ethnic Studies Student Coordinator or through a position in the Bennion Center
    Join the Student Health Advisory Committee to educate your peers on campus wellness
    Take part in Pride Week by volunteering for the planning committee
    Run for an officer position in a student organization
    Try out for a Greek Council position if you are in a sorority or fraternity
    Apply to be a Career Services Ambassador

  4. Leave your mark.

    Mentor students stepping into your former leadership positions
    Document your My U Signature Experience through MUSE
    Lead an Alternative Spring Break
    Celebrate your academic and campus achievements with Phi Kappa Phi or other honor societies