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Show AggieLife Page 16 Ho wTo Wednesday, April 28, 2010 Services: Providing opportunities continued from page 9 The ultimate guide to everything and anything the Disability Resource Center (DRC), another How to survive Dead Week Dead Week - bodies strewn across library tables, books and papers wilt with sudden overuse. Arguably the most dreaded week of the semester, apart from Finals Week, Dead Week consists of late-night study sessions, excessive amounts of caffeine, stress and regret that more time and attention weren't spent earlier in the semester. It's a time for cramming and jamming every possible bit of information into your brain. I hate Dead Week. I don't handle stress very well, so Dead Week becomes a dark and frustrating hell of my mind. No matter what you're studying, there are certain study tools that have proven to be effective. - Find your happy place. Don't study somewhere distracting. It may be nice to study out in the open, around all your friends and everything, but it may not help you learn. I need a certain amount of constant white noise when I study, so my usual perch ends up in the Quadside Cafe at the northwest, curved couch. If you need complete silence, try the third floor of the library or the TSC. Both have tons of chairs and tables and are generally pretty quiet. - Take breaks. Having an eight-hour study session might sound impressive, but you will learn more if you break it up and give yourself time to absorb the information. Try studying for an hour then walk around, eat an apple or answer a text. - Use a mix of notes, oral repetition, flashcards, everything. Mixing up the media of study will create more opportunities for your brain to latch on to the material. Your mind learns through visual, auditory and kinesthetic, or by touch. Utilize all these and your brain will have a greater number of ways to remember things. - Have a list. Write down what you need to do, what you need to study and how you can still have fun doing it. This way, you won't have to remember your task list on top of studying for all your classes. - Prioritize. Don't waste time studying for the class you already have an A in. Focus on the hardest class or the one with the lowest grade. I stress about the class that I don't think I'll pass, not the one I can skip the final and still get a good grade. Putting more energy into the more stressful class will ease your tension and make you feel more secure. - Meet with professors. They have office hours for a reason, plus they're writing the final. They can help you with anything you don't understand and tell you what you need to pass the class. Though it may be hard to believe, they are people, too, and they have been in the same position we are now. - Relax. In the end, the worst thing that could happen is that you'll have to retake a class. It's not that big a deal. Acing your final isn't worth a mental break down. Have some fun at least once a day. It'll all pass and then you'll have summer to detox from school. Kasey Van Dyke is a sophomore in print journalism and political science. Questions or comments can be left for her at aggietownsquare.com . student service, has assisted, "on average, 700 students a year by providing the support they need to have a successful career in school," even before the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The mission of the DRC is to "provide qualified persons with disabilities equal access to University programs, services and activities." Diane Craig Baum, director of the DRC, has seen this mission fulfilled since 1981 and said she's seen the center grow in number as well as variety. When I started, we had 47 students," she said, "and now we have 500. We've also seen the types of disabilities change considerably. The larger group is people with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder and depression." The DRC offers services, such as, but not limited to, note-taking assistance, sign-language interpreters, counseling and referral, a peer-mentor program and priority registration. This, Baum said, is one of the biggest benefits of the DRC because it "levels the playing field." "They get to compete with other students without their disability interfering," she said. Baum said working with the students can often times be an "emotional experience." "We go to commencement every year," she said, "and watch our students graduate. One of the most important things is seeing a student find their way." Baum went on to give advice to students considering seeking help from the DRC. "Give us a chance to help," she said. "Having a disability is not anything to be embarrassed about or shy about." Offering students services such as academic advising, course selection, tutoring, financial aid planning, faculty mentoring, reading instruction, study skills instruction, math instruction and major or career advising, Student Support Services (SSS), also in the University Inn basement, has a mission to "support disadvantaged students who have potential to meet the challenges of higher education by strengthening and developing their academic and self-management skills." Nazih Al-Rashid has been director of SSS for 22 years and explained the services provided by the program are "aimed to retain them (the students), help them perform better and increase their chances for graduation." He went on to say the services provided are based on research and aren't "hap-hazard." Aside from group and individual tutoring, financial-aid planning, academic advising, among others, Al Rashid said an important service provided is the atmosphere of the program and office. "Each SSS participant knows there is a friendly spot to visit and contact with," he said, "a place they can come and feel secure and welcomed." Aside from being the director for SSS, Dr. Al-Rashid has taught classes in sociology, which he said have given him a "special vantage to see student needs and the class environment." As for his personal experience, he said it has always given him a "great reward." "I know for sure that the program and the staff contributed," he said, "to create a better experience for the students in promoting their success and impact our community positively due to their graduation with a bachelor degree." In one of its pamphlet, SSS quotes a previous student, Lupe Young, who said SSS helped her adjust to college and gain confidence. "The program was very influential in keeping me on track with my goal to graduate," she said. "I am now employed as an accountant for a large firm in Las Vegas and will be attending graduate school." Besides being an American citizen and an undergraduate student at USU, students must meet one of three criteria. A student must either be on a low income, a first-generation student or have a documented disability, learning or physical. Because the three goals of SSS are a high retention rate, high graduation rates and high academic success, Al-Rashid explained that the program conducts a longitudinal evaluation study. For six years, they follow students from three groups on campus: the average USU student, those that fit the requirements for SSS but don't receive their help and those enrolled with SSS. Al-Rashid said the study shows that the program is reaching its goals. "That (the study) is one way to see if we are doing well or not," he said, and we are doing really great." Al-Rashid encourages students to contact SSS for application during the first week of August, well before classes start, by calling them at 7973372 or e-mailing them at ssstrio@usu.edu. Though some might be reluctant to receive help, he said SSS students are the "average USU student." For more information, visit usu.edu/drc, usu. edu/sss or call the Logan Vocational Rehabilitation office at 787-3487. - k.vandyke@aggiemail.usu.edu COLLEGE OF NURSING WHERE AMBITION MEETS INNOVATION.' • No wait list • Earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 18-months • State-of-the-art classrooms and lab facilities • Focused theoretical content • Dynamic clinical experiences NOW ENROLLING FOR AUGUST 2010 HENDERSON, NEVADA CAMPUS AND JANUARY 2011 HENDERSON, NEVADA AND SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH CAMPUSES Federal financial aid available for eligible students. APPLY TODAY! Admissions and Enrollment Office bsnadmissions@usn.edu South Jordan College of Nursing University of Southern Nevada 10920 South River Front Parkway South Jordan, UT 84095 P: 801-878-1063 usn.edu 0 2009 University of Southern Nevada |