As the half-way point of the Fall semester begins to approach, Winona State University students begin to prepare for their midterms. Long “to do” lists detail the various assignments and topics to study for upcoming exams as students work to get organized. One way that students can get help to be organized for studying for their exams, and for studying for classes in general is through Winona State’s Tutor Services. The helpful resource that can be found on the second floor of the Darrell W. Kreuger Library offers various ways for students to get help for their classes, whether they are looking for a peer tutor for a specific class or a tutor for other skills helpful to succeeding in class, the tutor services are a great resource to help students to prepare for their midterms.
A Study Skills Tutor, Hannah Boudreaux, is one of the people that can help students when trying to gain more skills or strategies for studying. Boudreaux, a first-year graduate student majoring in Organizational Leadership, notes the various ways that she is able to help students as a tutor. She details that there are various ways that can help students increase their study skills: retrieval practice, which students use writing or sketching to practice remembering content, spaced practice, where students spread out their studying time to allow for more effective use of their time and dual coding, where students use both words and images to contain information. Boudreaux also emphasizes the importance of getting help, by using all of the support systems that are available to students on campus, when preparing for midterms.
“Seeking help not only clarifies confusing topics but also builds stronger study habits. I’ve found that creating a study schedule, staying organized, and actively discussing course material with others makes studying more meaningful and less stressful,” Boudreaux said. “Additionally, getting enough sleep, fueling your body and taking care of your physical and mental health is important.”
The article “7 Tips to Help Your Student Manage Midterm Stress” from University of Colorado Boulder offers several tips for parents to help their students to deal with oncoming midterm stress, noting that it is important to focus on the achievements that you make, even if they are small. Even students can take this advice, “Celebrate the end of midterms by having a nice dinner at home or at their favorite restaurant, taking a day off to relax and practice self-care [and] treating themselves to an extra special coffee order or a trip to the movies.”
Although midterms can be daunting, there are various ways that students can get help on campus, whether booking an appointment through tutor services or getting help in other ways, such as utilizing stress resources such as Mantra Health where students can find help for emotional wellness coaching and courses to engage with self-care.
