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Busy, New or Just Uncertain? Tips and Tricks to Help Ease Your AU Experience

If you’re new to Athabasca University or perhaps you’ve just been super busy with your studies, chances are you may be missing out on some really great services or networking opportunities.  No worries, I got you.

Tap Into Student Life

If you’re wondering where your fellow students reside and how you can connect with them, there really is an app for that: Athabasca University Students, available on iTunes as well as the Google Play Store. So many resources in one place.  The newsfeed alone will keep you current on everything thing from contests and award deadlines, fellow student successes/pain points and even perhaps connecting with others that are taking the same courses or in your field of study.

Other App options:

  • Ask a Question
  • Study Tips
  • Buy & Sell
  • Photos
  • Study Buddy
  • Groups

This is a GREAT place to start.

Online Exams – Anywhere


Depending on your life circumstances (physical location, scheduling demands, transportation options) it can be a bit of a juggle to get to an exam center.  Well, things are looking up for us AU students.  Would you believe me if I told you, you could take your next online exam from your kitchen or living room?  I tried ProctorU for the first time to write a test last week while visiting my boyfriend in San Jose, California, 1600 miles from home.  He was away at work so I set up at his kitchen island and it was so easy!

A few tips:

  • Be sure to book your exam ahead of time.
  • Once you’ve booked your exam with ProctorU, you STILL need to register the exam with Athabasca University.
  • Super helpful video on what you need to know to get ready for your online exam: https://youtu.be/EiehIf14Zkg.

Insider Tip:

Your dedicated AU Student’s Union has recently purchased over 100 ProctorU codes (AKA free exam for you!) and we want to get them into the hands of AU students!  We are currently brainstorming fun and interesting ways to distribute these codes and welcome any ideas you might have.  Please email me at vpex@ausu.org. From brilliant to totally ridiculous, I’d love to hear it!

How’s your writing game?

If you’ve been out of school for a while or just want an extra set of eyes on your papers before submitting them, the University has a great resource, the Write Site.  Here, you can submit drafts of your work and writing coaches can assists you in grammar, organization, mechanics, style, vocabulary and many more areas.

Maybe you have a personal trainer at the gym or a personal dietitian to help with your meal planning, why not a personal coach to help spruce up your writing skills?  Click on the link http://write-site.athabascau.ca for detailed info on what services are offered and guidelines for submissions.

Utilizing this single resource could be an easy, effective way to up your game and your grades!

I hope these are helpful.  If you have any questions or are wanting to know about any of our additional services, please do not hesitate to contact me or the AUSU office.

Enjoy your summer everyone!!

Melinda A. Goertz
VP External and Student Affairs
Email: vpex@ausu.org
Cell: (780) 689-7860