Variety of programs offered as Finals near

Finals season has officially begun at BW.
Students across campus will soon be studying day and night for their end-of-semester assessments. Whether they’re waking up early to study and sip coffee in the Cyber Café, studying during meals, or staying up late into the night, students will be preparing across campus for Finals, which begin Dec. 4.
While it’s safe to say that completely blowing off studying for finals is the wrong path to follow, there are easier ways to ace these tests without causing too much stress, said Alsace Toure, the Director of The Learning Center.
Toure said that finals are often a time of stress, and the more students are aware of the types of programs that are available to them, they better off they’ll be. While students can technically study anywhere, Toure feels the best place to study is Ritter Library, for its quiet and study-oriented atmosphere.
Avoiding procrastination is one of the big aspects of studying effectively, she said, and being able to get things done earlier has proven time and time again more effective for students because they have more time for things like sleeping, eating, and being socially active, she said.
There are also plenty of sites on the Internet and apps to download that are specifically made for studying, according to Toure. She said that sites like Grammerly.com, Quia.com, Howtostudy.org, Quizlet and Khan Academy are all tailored specifically for students, and many students have seen improvements and success with the aid of these tools.
Veronica Cator-Szymanski, a freshman at BW, has been using these tools–especially Quizlet–for a while now, and she plans to put the website to good use for her first semester of finals.
“I use Quizlet to study whenever I can,” she said. “It’s the best way to study anything factual because there’s so many different facets to how you can learn with it.”
Believe it or not, Toure said, probably the newest study aid is social media. Baldwin Wallace’s Learning Center has both a Twitter page and a Pinterest board dedicated to giving students tips on how and what to study, she said.
In addition, drop-in tutoring support is always available through the Learning Center, and an appointment can be made through the SMART tab in Blackboard, she said.
The Writing Center has also proved to be a great resource for students. Professors from the English Department and beyond take valuable time to sit with students to practice and review writing skills, which helps to ensure the perfect paper, she said.
Although finals may seem scary, and the amount of work needed to achieve success on them seems extensive, BW has multiple platforms and programs to help students study smarter—and also making time for eating, sleeping, and fun.