Resources around campus to ease the pain at the end of the semester
Jason Abisch
Equinox Staff
When the stress piles up and finals are around the corner, what is there to do? Students have already been cracking down on their study habits and showing up less and less to their organization meetings. Fortunately, when finals come, there will be numerous resources made available for students.
Residence halls have already implemented a weekly study session hosted by the RAs.
On Reading Day, the day before finals start, all classes are cancelled so students have time to prepare for their exams. Some of the programs offered on this day include stress relief programs and events put on by the Counseling Center programming committee.
Sponsored by the Health and Wellness Department, other resources that will be offered include free massages, a tea bar, and a dog trainer that brings puppies in for students to play with as a way to de-stress.
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Nate Gordon, the coordinator of First-Year Residential Experience, and his staff have drafted a variety of programs offered to first-year students. Some of these programs include more study sessions and a make-your-own eye pillow.
“The purposes of these programs are to provide a space for students to be fully prepared to take their final exams and not feel stressed or overwhelmed,” Gordon said.
Another program offered is by the Zorn Dining Commons. Every semester during finals week the dining commons host late night meals. The DC stays open until midnight offering a variety of foods such as chicken nuggets, Italian pasta, and other foods not normally offered during regular meals hours.
Junior Chelsey Watson, a psychology major and a Writing Center tutor, believes that having a strong support system including the Writing Center services is essential to students’ success during their college careers.
Her approach to helping students with their papers is to talk to students to assess what their needs are and verbally communicate what they want to argue, and then put it down on paper.
“It’s really to make sure it connects to what they write and what they say,” Watson said.
The method that the tutors feel is best is to work on specific areas of focus and organize their thoughts.
A majority of the Writing Center assistance is with ITW classes.
“A lot of it is organization,” Watson stressed when discussing common problems in student writing.
In regards to finals week, the Writing Center will be open on Reading Day and until the end of the week.
Senior Catie Stack, an RA in Holloway Hall, plans to offer multiple options for her residents to participate in during finals week.
Additionally, there will be 24-hour quiet hours in all residence halls starting the Friday before reading day.
“It’s to promote healthy study habits and a more relaxed atmosphere,” Stack said.
Stack and her fellow RAs are putting on programs dealing with stress, which is one of the biggest factors contributing to students’ grades dropping or taking a leave of absence, according to research on the Keene State website.
Also, she is planning programs around time management, and giving her residents more effective ways of studying.
“Students are here to go to school,” Stack said. “They should be provided with a place to study.”
Generally, in every residence hall there are designated areas that are geared for students to have quiet study time without interruptions.
But in reality, students are always going back and forth through the hallways and causing a distraction for other students.
“I hope that everyone will be respectful of each other while studying, especially for first-year students.” Stack concluded.
Finals can be a tough time for students, especially for those who just started their first year in college.
The best way for students to avoid getting overwhelmed and feel prepared during this time is to take advantage of all the services KSC has to offer and start or continue to follow a healthy diet and sleeping pattern.
Jason Abisch can be contacted at jabisch@ksc.mailcruiser.com