With finals week on the horizon, most students are finding themselves in a time crunch, struggling to finish papers and prepare for exams.
But the University has established many different facilities, not only to help ease the pain of finals week for students, but also to help their grades improve.
One such facility is the Writing Center, located inside of Lloyd Hall. There, the staff reviews students’ papers and gives advice on how to improve them.
Luke Niiler, director of the Writing Center, said they have been as busy as ever, if not a little busier.
“Right around now and at midterms time, that’s when it’s crunch time,” Niiler said. “We’ve had more walk-ins now than on our normal weeks as well, but our staff has done an amazing job juggling all of their responsibilities.”
Niiler said none of his 35 employees have shown any struggles in their performance while preparing for their own finals.
“The staff does a wonderful job of coping,” he said. “Our goal here is to help students become better writers by serving as an active and inquisitive reading audience for their work. We achieve that client by client, paper by paper.”
The Writing Center will be open today until 6 p.m. and Friday until 3 p.m. before closing for the rest of the semester. It will resume operations as school resumes in January.
Another facility to help students prepare for their finals is the UA Center for Teaching and Learning, located in Osband Hall.
Elva Bradley, director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, said their volume typically picks up towards the end of the semester as well. However, she said that both this year and last year has produced fairly constant numbers of students.
Bradley said the center offers tutoring, exam preparation and study skills workshops for all students interested.
“We have had a great number of students take advantage of the service, which is good,” Bradley said. “But the one thing that disappoints me is that we tend to see students who are highly involved with their academics. We don’t see the students who are experiencing academic difficulties.”
Like the tutors in the Writing Center, Bradley said the CTL tutors are not experiencing problems while studying for their own finals.
“We work with our tutors and give them a detailed orientation sessions to tell them what to expect,” she said. “First and foremost, we want our tutors to be successful. They’re all incredible at what they do. It’s a very rewarding and enriching experience for them. What better feeling is there than knowing they’ve made a difference in the lives of their peers?”
The CTL will remain open during finals week. It is open until 10 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, and until 4:45 p.m. on Friday.
In addition to tutors, UA student organization FATE will be handing out Final Exam Survival Packets, which include gift cards to local organizations and candy, among other items.
David Wilson, director of Alumni Funds, said students who are active FATE members can get a free package, while supplies last, by stopping by Alumni Hall. Those students not in FATE can get a package, along with a FATE cooler, two shirts and more than $100 in coupons and other gifts for $15.
Students interested in making an appointment at either the Writing Center or the CTL should visit their respective websites or call their front offices.
