Juggling the holidays and finals without slipping

Commonly referred to as “the most wonderful time of the year,” the winter holidays are just around the corner. And yet, December brings not only the snow (or slush), Christmas lights and crazed shoppers, but also the end of Fall Term and the dreaded final exams.

Though some of you undoubtedly look forward to all the festivities, the stresses of shopping, finals, and even the discomfort of the cold can be a bit much for students to endure, all in just a couple of weeks.

So, we at The Advocate would like to help inform MHCC students on ways to deal with these stresses and what options for both studying and counseling are available.

Be it through the tutoring center, computer labs or counseling centers, MHCC provides a wide variety of options for people struggling with their classes or those looking to refresh their knowledge with finals on their minds.

The MHCC tutoring center, in the mezzanine above the library, offers some personal assistance with their classes in nearly all subjects, such as math, science, English and literature. Make sure you check the times tutors for specific subjects are available before scheduling a study session.

You also might consider meeting with your teachers during office hours to get help on homework or studying. Who better to help you with your studies than the instructors themselves?

To even further explore tips and tricks for students to implement in preparation for finals, The Advocate sat down with Lawrence Gillius, a Learning Success Center coordinator and the main man behind the student success seminars.

Gillius said the best way to head into finals with a level head is to stick to the basics. Make sure you get at least eight hours of sleep, eat regularly (and avoid caffeine) and if you’re finding the pressure too much to bear, go work out or go for a run. After all, a healthy body is a healthy mind.

According to Gillius, time management also is something students will often overlook, and that “distributive practice,” rather than studying all in one night, is the most effective way to keep the stress out of studying and to help retention. He said students can print off a monthly and weekly planner online at www.mhcc.edu/lsc (under the “study skills” icon) to help them organize their time.

At the same website, students who might not have time to head for the tutoring center can obtain some online tutoring. They may chat live with a tutor or submit some of their work, like an essay, and within 48 hours receive their paper back with feedback.

Besides tutoring, Gillius said there are Student Success Seminars available to any interested students.

The seminars, all held in Room AC 2307, run through Thursday. Scheduled sessions are as follows:

“Coping with Stress,” 1:10 – 2 p.m. Tuesday.

“How to Succeed on Tests,” 2:10 – 3 p.m. Tuesday and 4:10 – 5 p.m. Thursday.

“Understanding Test Anxiety,” 1:10 – 2 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

“Satisfactory Progress: Keeping Financial Aid,” 12:10 – 1 p.m. Thursday.

If you take advantage of all these seminars and tutoring services and still find yourself in a panic come finals week… just take a step back and breath. It’s not the end of the world: That’s at least a week later (according to some).

There are far worse apocalypses than failing a math test, just waiting to happen.