Spartan Experience Overview
UNC Greensboro’s Spartan Experience is YOUR Experience! Your time in college is valuable in and out of the classroom. This program will enable you to make the most of your time while you complete your degree and give you the tools to be able to articulate how your campus life helped you develop personally and professionally. Areas of focus in the program, or Competencies, are based on 21st-century student outcomes and feedback from employers denoting the practical skills they look for. The five Competencies are:
- Leadership: Through the Leadership competency, you will develop a skillset including discovering your core values and how to be a changemaker within your community for the common good. With practice and reflection, you will develop a leadership framework to actively participate in a global community.
- Inclusion: In the Inclusion competency, you will explore personal values and your ability to interact and appreciate the lived experiences of others. You will learn to navigate differences and become a lifelong learner of diverse individuals and cultures. Additionally, you will gain a deeper understanding of systems of power and privilege, intersectionality, and how social systems develop and maintain social inequality, so that you can recognize and actively work to dismantle systems of oppression.
- Well-Being: Through the Well-Being competency, you will develop an understanding of wellness within yourself and your wider community, following the eight dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, social, environmental, cultural, financial, career, and intellectual. The experiences in this competency will provide you with life-long knowledge, skills, and awareness to strive for optimal well-being individually and in the global community.
- Career: Through the Career competency, you will gain a deeper understanding of your professional interests/values, financial planning, and career goals. Additionally, you will learn how to seek campus and community support while exploring options, developing job skills, expanding your network, and pursuing career opportunities.
- Connections: Through the Connections competency, you will learn more about yourself and those in your community. The skills and experiences in this competency will help you engage with the campus and create meaningful relationships while honoring and respecting others’, and your own, identity and values.
Participating in the program will supplement your time at UNCG and will help you:
- Plan your personal/career goals
- Develop wellness practices
- Develop leadership skills
- Increase intercultural and global understanding
The Spartan Experience can be used as a supplement to a resume, scholarship applications, and graduate school applications. Studies have shown employers are looking for employees who have documented and proven “practical competency” or the ability to work with others. Involvement in the program also provides a connection to campus life!
Your progress through the Spartan Experience will be recognized as you meet various milestones, which you can track through point accumulation. Recognition at various point milestones includes a sling backpack, Spartan swag, presence at the Spartans of Excellence Banquet, and more! Learn how to view your Spartan Experience Points here.
Opportunities to participate in the Spartan Experience can be viewed on Spartan Connect. Once on Spartan Connect, navigate to the Opportunities tab at the top of the homepage. From there, you can choose to view Experiences to complete or work on a specific Skill within a Competency area.
As you attend events and complete experiences with the program, Spartan Connect will update a document called a Co-Curricular Transcript. This document will show your progress through each of the Spartan Experience Competencies and keeps track of your other involvements on campus such as memberships in student organizations. You can view your Co-Curricular Transcript in the Profile section of Spartan Connect.
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Ellie Jarvis ’26
Information Systems & Supply Chain Management
“I was curious – what would a career coaching appointment experience be like? I scheduled the career coaching appointment and to my surprise, it was more than talking about a resume or cover letter. There was no expectation of having a definite career plan, and I was able to freely share my thoughts on the steps I wanted to take on my career journey. The experience also encouraged me to meet with company representatives through Handshake. One experience or “step” is all it takes to lead you to open doors and great opportunities!”
Jaslyn Davenport ’26
Biology
“I recently completed the Bronze Leadership Challenge as part of the Foundational Leadership Experience. The skills I learned in this experience are skills I now apply to my daily life, such as how to be a well-rounded leader. This experience also pushed me out of my comfort zone in the best way by encouraging me to go out into the community to do various services like the UNCG blood drive and many other rewarding experiences.”