Welcome to UTPA. We know you are going to enjoy your college experience. We have found the UTPA community to be a great place to not only get an education but make life-long friends. This website will give you information that students have found helpful. We know you will too.
College is here! Congratulations for making it all the way

This is a phrase to refer to the fifteen pounds freshman students gain on average in their first year of college.  This is mostly because eating habits change. For example, when studying with friends, it is easy to also snack with friends.  This and stress from exams and homework can make you eat and eat, and eat…

Here is some things you can do:

Enjoy your walk around campus.  Yeah, I know, it is hard to walk all over campus. However, use it as a time to do a little exercise.

Snack Healthy.  Don’t just settle for junk food, find ways to get creative with your snacks. For example, you could buy healthy snacks and bring them to school.

Pack a lunch.  Buying food is not always the best option.  First, you spend money, and second, you give control away about the foods you eat and the ingredients in it.  Try to pack a lunch at least twice a week.

Exercise. This is your best option. Walk for at least 20 minutes every day and get into a routine that will help you walk or run regularly.

Good place and good food.  You can buy Chick Fil A, subs, wraps, smoothies, coffee, burgers, etc.  It is a good place to hang out.  The subs are their strong food though, it is close to subway quality and not as pricey as subway.

You know the food.  It is located across UTPA on 107.  Service is usually fast and the food is not cold when you get it.  Also, they don’t double Fry their stuff.  However, don’t eat their fried stuff often, it is not very healthy.

Join a journey group. Be part of a small group of friends that pray for each other and study the Bible once a week.
Go to Free Lunch. Every Thursday at noon, a good crowd students from UTPA go to the BSM for free lunch and hear a talk from a Biblical perspective.
Go Now Missions. Be part of a growing group of students that go on a mission trip to other parts of the world. This Summer UTPA BSM sent 10 students to places like Japan, Germany, South Asia, and Central Asia

Knowing what direction college life will take once you begin is something that many soon to be freshman students want to know. Even though there are many things that will radically change when you attend college, there are some that do not because they are based off of your every day life habits. Some things that will change are that your time will not be structured for you as it was in high school. What you do with your time before, during, and after class is up to you. Even though this may sound like great news to you, many students have found is not so great once you are in it. Many students have found themselves not knowing what to do with their time. Yes, they have lots of it, yet knowing how to structure it can be challenging.

A top college advisor has suggested that one of the skills all students must bring to college is time management. Ultimately he observes, the rate of success among college students can be accurately predicted based on time management skills. So, how can you develop good time management strategies when you start college? Here is something that may help you:

1. Decide… that making it in college is important for you. If you don’t start caring for your college performance from the get go, there will be other things that will interfere.
2. Find….. a group of friends that share your commitment for succeeding in college. You will be amazed how much friends with different priorities than yours can distract you from succeeding in school.
3. Invest….. time in college life. Enjoying college activities believe or not can boost your college performance and keep you motivated. Attending college sponsored activities is a sure way to get the most out of your time. Also, in some of these activities you will find good like minded people that can become a good network of friends to keep you focused.
4. Think…. about your spiritual life. Most students don’t think about spiritual matters during college. However, in our experience we have found that thinking about God and learning about him during college provides for a great college experience. Students that have done this have traveled the world, made life long friends, and have become caring and engaging human beings that will ensure a successful professional career and life.

Yes, you are starting college. Chances are you will meet many nice and attractive people that you might want to begin a relationship with.  This is cool, however, it cannot be cool either. We have seen students who get involved in a relationship right away and then miss out on experience college life.

You see, when you are involved in a relationship right away, you push away cool lessons you could learn about yourself in your new life as a college student.  Why don’t you make a commitment to yourself to not have a boyfriend or girlfriend right away.  Get to know yourself, get to meet tons of new people, enjoy college life in the context of cool and positive friendships, then and only then, once you have learned more about yourself, consider whether you are ready for having a special someone in your life.

If you ask other students, you will find that parking on campus can be difficult.  It is important that you arrive with time so that you are not rushing to class.  You can park next to the new wellness center and then take the shuttle. Another options is car pool with friends.

If you live in the dorms, make sure that you use your car for the times you definitely need a car, otherwise, parking will be very hard to find near the dorms.  Buying a bike may be a good options to move around on campus.

The BSM has limited parking available at no charge.  We have heard from students that when they need a quick parking spot the BSM has parking has come in handy.

Panini Grill. (Average Price) A must for sandwich lovers! Their food is really tasty, with $5 you can buy a sandwich and a smoothie combo! They are local restaurant and is family operated. Try the Corsicana on flat bread with the alapanini smoothie. You will like it! Sugar and University- Next to Jack in the Box.

Nice Italian restaurant with very good food and coffee. It used to be college friendly, however, it is now reaching other people. However, you can still go and splurge a little. They have a very good Italian chicken sandwich. It is located across from UTPA right next to El Pato.