Five Ways to Reduce Stress

Juggling college with work, family, friends and life can get a little crazy sometimes. We all need a little help along the way. Be sure to take advantage of the resources we offer to help you keep the worry at bay.

The contest is open to all currently enrolled NIU students. Entries consisting of original artwork or photography can be submitted up until 5 p.m. on November 18, 2024. Students may submit multiple entries. We encourage submissions to review past years' winners and think creatively about how to avoid repetition or duplication.

A committee of faculty and staff will select the top three submissions based on quality, originality and holiday/Huskie spirit. The students with the top three selections will receive a one-time scholarship (first place $500, second place $300 and third place $100) and be featured in the president's electronic holiday card.

Now is the time to start preparing to register for spring 2025 classes. Read the tips below and learn when to register and how to register for classes. 

1. If you have not met with your advisor, do so. They are here to help you.

2. Log in to MyNIU and Navigate Student.

Registration for spring 2025 classes opens Monday, Nov. 4. We would love to have you join us for UNIV 301: Braven Leadership Career Accelerator.

UNIV 301 will help you learn important career skills, create career readiness materials and get you plugged in with career professionals so you can get a great job and succeed in the workforce when you graduate. Plus, industry leaders will mentor you along the way.

“The experiences through Braven have been great. The United event at Willis Tower was incredible — just being in a professional environment and being able to talk to professionals in the field I want to go into. Learning networking skills was huge as well. I love this course.” - Haley Heckermann, management major and current UNIV 301/Braven student.

“One of the best things about Braven is the leadership coaches. We have a person who works at Microsoft and another person who works at a big company. Having regular one-on-one meetings and being able to bounce ideas off them is something I'm definitely taking advantage of.” - Kevin Dela Paz, computer science major and current UNIV 301/Braven student.

Registration for spring 2025 classes is right around the corner. Do you know that you can search for and select classes that use low- ($40 or less) or zero-cost course materials in MyNIU?

To find courses with affordable course materials in MyNIU, apply the Textbooks/Low Cost or Textbooks/Zero Costfilter to class searches. Or you can search by the keyword low cost.

Note: Course materials are defined as required books, textbooks, ebooks, streaming video, CDs or DVDs. Because students using the book charge program must purchase texts through the bookstore, the cost of materials is determined by the bookstore price. 

Want to know more? Check out our Affordable Materials Search and Filter for Students page.

We introduce you to Mission, our new AI chatbot that can reach out to you through AI-assisted text messaging as well as respond to your questions around the clock. Mission will help connect you to campus services and information — no logins or app downloads required.

Mission will send a welcome text message to all undergraduate students Wednesday, Nov. 6, and will periodically check in with you to understand how you are doing and see if you are facing any challenges.

Just add the number (877-619-3949) to your contacts after receiving the first text, and feel free to ask Mission questions any time of day or night.

NIU Adventures offers custom team building experiences.

Looking for a cost-effective way to unite your team? Bring your employees, student staff, clubs, organizations, friends and family to NIU Adventures for custom team buildings. We can tailor the experience to fit the needs of your group. Come spend some time to get to know each other, improve communication, expand leadership skills or spend some quality, structured time together.

There is still time to book before the semester ends, or you can get a jump on booking for the spring.

Visit our Team Building webpage for more details, and to request a workshop. You can also email us directly at adventures@niu.edu. We look forward to team building with you.

Orientation leader applications are now open! Apply before Wednesday, Nov. 13.

Orientation leaders are undergraduate students who help incoming first-year and transfer students transition to NIU. Their primary role is to build connections between new students and help form a sense of belonging on campus. This is a paid student leadership position.

This is a great opportunity to develop your leadership skills, communication skills and build your résumé while making a positive impact on new Huskies.

2025 Orientation Leader Application.

Contact Scott Johansen, program assistant for student training and development for the Office of Orientation and First Year Programs, at sjohansen@niu.edu with any questions and to learn more about the orientation leader position.