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Show CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 BS - f" f feaSSS & v ij !l a l 1p'? si's h t V I 04.20.201 !SI "' 1 V 1 VOLUME XUV --- ? fc.M , &vu;a4 . Issue 1 6 wrrinj y. yy - 1 v Pi 1 1 r 'S. i y I Ajt'i i Katherine Crawford Corie Walch StaffWriters Conner Kay, Photo illustration ofstudentstaff writer Nicole Katfakis taking a break from studying and resting her head on her books. the spring semester draws to dose, are you suffering from much caffeine and not enough sleep? Are you looking at a pile of unfinished projects and papers while you have exams to study for? If this sounds familiar, perhaps you need a better presway to manage As sure. Rachel King, a pre-la- w student, describes her experience with finals week; The last week of school is always stress-fil- l. Im usually running on a few hours of sleep, coffee and Red Bull and the library consumes my entire being. Trying to cram an entire semester worth of knowledge into a paper or exam is pretty grueling. Stress can make the pressure of finals more difficult. According to the American Institute of Stress, Stress can have wide ranging effects on emotions, mood and behavior, including; difficulty concentrating, racing thoughts, trouble learning new information, forgetfulness, disorganization, difficulty making dedsions, increased frustration, irritability, and edginess, reduced work efficiency or productivity; and constant tiredness, weakness, and fatigue. Avoiding stress is the key to success during finals week. Without stress students are able to work more effidendy and productively. Lisa Jones, director of the Counseling Center, explains how stress can affect efficiency and performance. Certain levels of stress can increase productivity, however when stress reaches a certain level it can affect performance negatively and can disrupt thought processes. Below is a collection of stress-le- ss activities and advice to help students through finals week. First, manage time wisely. Third, attend classes. finding a tutor, contact the START Center at The Math Tutoring Center and The Writing Center are additional resources for personalized assistance. The Math Tutoring Center is located in Converse 4. Nikki Kopfman, an education major and frequent visitor to the Math Tutoring Center explains, Math is definitely something I struggle with. The tutors in the math center are extremely accommodating and they are always available and willing to help. The personalized attention makes getting through material much easier. Tutoring is free and available any time without an appointment. Tutoring is available for courses starting at from the 095 level through 210. The Math Tutoring Center is open Monday through Thursday 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Students can take advantage of the Writing Center for help with a paper. According to the Westminster College website, the Writing Center provides free assistance with writing to all Westminster students, faculty and staff. When you come to the Writing Center you can expect an individualized session with an experienced writing consultant. Consultants are advanced writers trained to assist you with a wide array of writing issues. The Writing Center is located in room 122 on the main floor of the Giovale Library. Their hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Friday 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The library is another valuable resource, whether for a quiet room in which to study, meeting space to work on group projects or access to printed primary references and databases. The library extends 801-832-22- Time management is an important skill for succeeding as a student, especially in the weeks leading up to finals. Prioritizing and completing projects in order of imand deadlines portance, will help students to complete these assignments on time and dear the way for exam preparation. Surviving finals is all about managing your time, agrees King. This hasnt always been an important concept for me. I remember a few years ago I was up till 3 a.m. trying to write a paper that I should have started weeks ago. It was due at 10 a.m. and after writing just two pages, the ten-paminimum seemed impossible. I also had two exams that week that I hadnt started studying for. The workload builds up fast and can be really overwhelming so its important to not leave everything to the last minute. time-constra- int ge Second, talk with professors. Professors are here to help students succeed. Faculty is required to have office hours where students can get additional assistance outside the dassroom. The Westminster College Faculty Handbook states that faculty is expected to be available to students who need help, either by phone, email or office hours one-on-o- ne During the last few weeks of the semester, students may dedde that certain dasses and assignments take priority over others. Jason Dunnigan, a senior communication major, explains, Portfolio is stressful and extremely Other dasses and assignments take the back seat to my portfolio because it has a huge impact on my search for employment after graduation. Like Dunnigan, students may rationalize skipping easier dasses when more demanding projects like portfolios and these are approaching. However, keep in mind that participation matters in almost every dass. Many teachers incorporate participation points into the breakdown of grades and losing those points could drop the overall grade. Carr explains, I like to see a steady attendance all the way through the semester. There is a beginning, middle and an end and Im teaching the whole time. Im always amazed when students miss dass, then come and ask me, did I miss anything? If you werent in dass, you can assume you missed some pretty important time-consumi- ng. stuff. Fourth, take advantage of the free resources the college provides. meetings. Tun Carr, an education professor, Regardless of the subject or discipline, professors are covering material thats difficult to understand. So being with a professor able to visit helps students make those cognitive explains, one-on-o- ne According the Westminster College website, the START Center offers free tutoring in many subjects. Tutors can help students with spedfic questions or general knowledge on a topic. Tutoring services are a great outlet for support in a setting. For more information about one-on-o- ne 'KWHaaiawAWMrll4t1ir Healthy alter 80. B-1- |