Fighting the Finals Slump on Centenary Campus
Finals week and the end of the semester are approaching at what might be a much faster rate than it feels like they should be. If you are one of the many students on campus, first year or not, who feels completely lost when it comes to finals and keeping your head above the water, here are some suggestions for on-campus resources that might help you finish out the year strong.
The professors on campus are a student’s best resource for getting help before finals. Professors want people to succeed in their classes, and they appreciate it even more when students come to them when they are having trouble instead of just suffering in silence. A lot of professors have office hours posted in their syllabi for their classes and there is always an option to make an appointment with them through email if their office hours do not work for a student. Students can also reach out to other professors of the same subject if they feel like their professor’s style of teaching or explaining topics does not work for them. It is also helpful for students to go to their advisor if they are having problems, as they can direct you to more resources or people that may be helpful.
The Learning Commons, located on the second floor of the Magale Library, is one of the best resources for students on campus. Student peer mentors who specialize in all different types of disciplines are available for students to get help in subjects that they might be struggling in if going to a professor might seem too intimidating or if they are too busy. Students can make appointments with peer mentors through the Learning Commons website, and the service is completely free of charge for the student.
But the peer mentors are not the only helpful resources located in the LC; Dr. Rachel Johnson is the director, and Kevin Porter works as the student success coordinator, and there are two more options for students to go to if they feel behind or lost. Ashley Dehart of the disability services is also located in the Learning Commons and is available if students might need to set up things with her that may help them before finals really hit. The TREK coordination faculty have their offices in the LC also; if a student has concerns about completing one of the steps in the curriculum, they are your resources to help you accomplish that.
If students start to feel unwell as finals near, either physically or mentally, the Health and Counseling Services are located on the first floor of Rotary. Through TimelyCare, students get free 24/7 access to a telehealth service to be able to speak to a licensed medical professional if they start to feel under the weather. Included in that is TalkNow, which is another 24/7 health service that provides student access to be able to speak to mental health professionals. But during regular hours students can make appointments with the counseling staff on campus and students can get up to six free appointments a semester and after that, they can help set up students with outside resources if needed.
When it is so easy to get stressed and overwhelmed during finals season, it can be nice to take a break from studying to try and decompress. Many different organizations on campus have fun events that are open for members and non-members to attend, and it’s a good way to branch out and explore other organizations that you might not have known about otherwise. The “What’s Happening?” emails that get sent out to the student body every week and flyers posted around campus are good ways to hear about events and see what might be interesting to take a break with and have some fun.
There are many resources on campus that hopefully, when finals are in full swing, students can make it through with all of the assistance that they might need. Finals this year are from Dec. 15th through the 19th, but these resources are available anytime.