Entering college can be a complete 180 from being in high school when it comes to the chore of responsibility. Students are faced with the responsibility of asking questions and waiting for a response, because they no longer have their parents at their disposal to do so.

Fortunately, Northwestern State University of Louisiana is equipped with many sources that can answer your questions such as advisors, professors and current students at the university or even the NSU student needs page.

The NSU student needs page is a Facebook page run by NSU students, alumni, parents and even professors. Where the page allows students the ability to post questions, concerns, sell merchandise and anything they can think of.

But when it comes to these sorts of pages, posts tend to get repetitive. Almost every week students will be flooded with questions that have most likely already been asked or answered, so how can students figure out the question or look up the questions before asking them?

Once you are on the NSU student needs page a search bar will be at the top of that screen. Once located, students can enter any keyword or phrase that pertains to their question and from their results will then appear with questions similar or exact to what students may be looking for.

Using this method allows for a cutback of FAQ’s and allows for viewers to see questions that can pertain to urgent or important matters.

Here are five frequently asked questions and their answers.Question: “When do refund checks come out?”

Refund checks are a remaining sum of money released to a college student after their tuition and fees have been covered at an institution.

Once the school year starts it takes about two to three weeks for your financial aid and scholarships to process, therefore, it does take time to receive the refund check. But if you are looking for an exact date, financial aid will send out an email regarding questions and within that email they will release the day of when refunds will be disbursed.

Question: “Who is the best professor for this class?”

This question is a very valid question, but it will be answered differently by everyone. Most students prefer how they like to be taught and work better with different teaching styles, but asking someone their opinion on a professor isn’t always the best route to take. If you are curious about workload or style of teaching look into Rate A Professor, an app that allows students to rate their professors and leave comments about their experience in a class. But be open-minded that everyone’s experience with a professor is different.

Question: “Is this email a scam?”

Scam emails can somewhat be difficult to tell apart from NSU affiliates, but there are some key differences between the two. Scam emails often have a “Click here” button which will normally take a student to a page that will have them enter personal information or their school email and password.

Another giveaway is the layout or font of the email. NSU emails normally have NSU related signs tags or signs attached to the email, while scam emails will be boring white pages and a random name at the top. Or if you get contacted by an email that gives you a job position with an extremely high paying job, that is a scam, so it is important to pay close attention to the details on the email.

If you do happen to fall for a scam email or believe that you have fallen for one, contact the student help desk, where they can assist you there. To email for support contact [email protected] or call (318) 357-6696.

Question: “Does DB roll over to the next semester, and when does it hit my account?”

Declining Balance is a personal account students can pay for in their tuition bill to save money and use your student ID to purchase food or goods around campus. But when does it hit? DB hits 1-2 days before the semester starts. As for whether it rolls over to the next semester, yes it rolls over, but only for Fall to Spring not Spring to Fall.

Question: “What are the library hours this week?”

Occupying the library resources is one of the most common activities amongst college students so memorizing the hours can be crucial. Luckily, the library has their hours posted on its doors and on their website. But what does one do when it’s finals week, the week leading up to spring break or the weekend hours?

The library will often post their new hours on the doors and often you will find them posted on the student messenger. The student messenger is always updating times for events or operation hours for buildings on campus. A service that is sent to all current students without having to sign up for it, all you must do is check your email inbox.

Students should never be afraid to ask questions and should feel encouraged but remember sometimes doing research before asking may be quicker than waiting for a response.