College campuses often get a bad rep – I mean, isn’t their sole purpose to hold classrooms and torture students with a lack of parking? Contrary to that popular opinion, MTSU is designed to be not only a learning space for its students but also a living space that brings the community together. On any given night, you have an endless buffet of ways to spend a fun evening on campus: concerts, plays, sporting events, and much, much more.

But with a crammed student schedule and so many things on campus going on, how can you keep up with it all? Lucky for you, there are a few places on the web for you to place your bookmarks and keep tabs on to find out what’s going on.

Keep up with the socials

Twitter isn’t just for memes and fast-food chains roasting each other, just like Facebook isn’t just for old people getting into politically-charged arguments. Following accounts affiliated with MTSU is an awesome way to connect with your classmates and get the quickest heads-up on what’s happening. In fact, every future graduating class of MTSU students has its own “Class Of” page designed to promote community and keep each other aware of what’s going on around campus and in the Middle Tennessee area.

In general, social media is the quickest way to get important and updated information out. Just as quickly as you can fire off a sick meme on Twitter, a lunch meetup or video game tournament at the Student Union can spring up at any moment. This also makes it great for keeping up with Blue Raider athletics. Even though we’d all like to make every single game, there will come times where following our teams through social media must suffice. Each team has its own social media pages that post numerous game updates, so be sure to follow along!

Real news, straight from the source

Students working in MTSU Center for Media Innovation in the John Bragg Building. Photo by Andy Heidt, MTSU Photo Services.

One awesome aspect of attending MTSU is our outstanding students having a training ground for careers in media. With an army of talented creators who are just steps away from being full-time professionals, the quality of our student-produced content is phenomenal. News outlets such as MTSU Sidelines, MT10 News, and WMTS 88.3 radio are professional-grade media outlets produced entirely by students! Whether it be the radio shows, television programming, or an endless stream of student publications, you can easily stay entertained and informed on everything relevant for MTSU students.

It doesn’t stop there though. MTSUNews.com (which you’ve obviously now found) is the official outlet for news related to MTSU. Also found on the site are articles from the latest edition of MTSU Magazine, a seasonally-published celebration of everything accomplished by every aspect of the university.

In a climate where your selection of media consumption is important, you have a huge selection to choose from. With multiple outlets each for radio, print, and digital media, keeping up with what’s happened and what’s coming up is a piece of cake.

Your guide to campus… in your pocket!

MTSU Mobile App

Raider Xpress tracking, campus weather updates, and a school news feed? There’s an app for that! Putting decade-old jokes aside, your smartphone is all you need to keep up with everything. We all use it for tracking Rutherford lot buses (if you live in the 21st century and don’t avoid the lot like a caveman, that is…no offense, Geico Caveman), but it is also an excellent tool for keeping up with what’s going on.

If you scroll down the sidebar, you have access to an MTSUNews.com newsfeed, a calendar for all athletic events, and a page dedicated to schedules for the Campus Recreation Center. All of this information wrapped up into a neat and tidy mobile app means that you have one less thing to keep up with! It won’t remind you to submit that assignment by 11:59 PM, though. That is one thing you’ll still need to keep up with on your own.

Also featured on the MTSU Mobile app is a link to myMT, one of the most important websites to familiarize yourself with if you want to take advantage of our awesome campus life.

myMT: The hub for campus involvement

Hundreds of students mingle Tuesday, Jan. 24, during the spring Student Organization Fair inside the Student Union Ballroom. (MTSU photo by Jimmy Hart)

Right on cue, myMT is your one-stop shop for campus involvement. Featuring a page for each of our 300+ student organizations and a calendar of campus social events, this should be one of your first stops when looking for ways to get involved. If you’re on the fence about joining a student organization, I highly recommend it. I guarantee that you’ll find an organization that fits you, and it often results in meeting lifelong friends.

Virtually every event listed is free, and some even include free food! Most events are sponsored by student organizations or by SPARE and are a great way to meet people and find more opportunities to get involved on campus. The event list usually doesn’t list regular meetings of student organizations, but you can easily find meeting times by viewing their respective organization pages. Finding an organization and regularly attending their meetings is a perfect way to cure boredom and feel more connected to your school.

By the way, you’ll find your Event Pass on myMT, which is scanned for admission to student-only events. You’ll need it frequently if you feel inspired by this article, so it’s a beautiful coincidence that I’ve shined a light on this cool website!

When in doubt, trust the Master Calendar

Click this image to visit the MTSU Master Calendar!

I almost didn’t include the Master Calendar in this article. I figured that I should ease you all into the art of keeping up with our campus, but I think you can handle it. I trust you with its power. Weighing in at… however much a webpage weighs… the University Master Calendar is the mitochondria of campus life. If 7th-grade science taught you anything, it’s the powerhouse of the cell! 

It’s actually not that scary. This calendar simply lists out every event taking place on campus. Every concert, every sporting event, and every tornado siren test is listed on this page! You can filter it to include whatever type of event you’re looking for, making the list slightly less daunting. If you click the link for an event you’re interested in, you’ll find a nice description and any information you may find helpful when attending an event. I highly recommend you check it out!

With so many resources available to the student body, you’ll have a harder time finding a day without something to do. College is the perfect time to experience new things, so don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try events that you wouldn’t typically attend. Who knows, you may find an event where you meet your new best friend or develop a new favorite hobby!