Dear University of Utah student:

We are so glad you are here! The new “How do I” series in @TheU is designed to give you insider advice about how to succeed as a student and to provide you with useful information about student resources for success.

At the University of Utah, we promise to help you succeed with what we call “The Utah Pledge.” The pledge represents our best thinking about experiences that will set you up for success, connect you to communities of friends and supportive faculty and staff, and prepare you with critical skills that will help you in your academic work at the university.

We know that starting in a learning community like LEAP, BlockU, Diversity Scholars or Honors makes it more likely you will come back for a second year and graduate! Learning communities have what we call “wrap-around support,” including a peer mentor, a librarian, a student success advocate and a University College advisor. You will be surrounded by individuals working for your success and helping you have a tremendous first year.

Your advisors and peer mentors will help you make a plan for how you can graduate in four years, and student success advocates will help you imagine a plan for how you can maximize your undergraduate experience with deeply engaged learning experiences like undergraduate research or community-based service.

We believe the impressive range of deeply engaged learning experiences offered by the University of Utah is what most distinguishes us as an institution and reflects the distinct advantage of studying at a Research 1 university. You can imagine learning abroad in your junior year, working in a scientific lab as a senior, you can plan a project through the capstone initiative that makes real the theory you learned in a classroom.

Each month, @TheU will introduce you to these exciting opportunities and more, so stay tuned. You’ll be glad you did.

Best to all of you!

Martha Bradley-Evans
Dean of Undergraduate Education
Senior Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs