Center offers solutions for work overload
    Ever had one of those weeks where it seems there is too much work and studying for each class and there is no possible way to get it all done?
Most students have felt this way and feel they are helpless to do anything about it.
“It seems like I always have lots of tests in the same week,” said microbiology senior Jeremy Wells. “And they still give a lot of assignments even when we tell them we have all of these tests.”
Computer science sophomore Kelli Perkins agrees and also said it becomes so much of a stress that she just does not keep up with the work.
“[The instructors] think their class is the only one students have to worry about,” Perkins said.
Biological engineering freshman Brandyn Warren said she feels the same way, but because she does not often interact with her instructors, she feels she cannot affect the amount of assignments they give.
“I think if more students would go to their teachers, it would help,” Warren said. “Maybe we should, as a whole, talk to our teachers about it.”
Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Jeannine Kahn said when students sign up for a class and begin the semester, they should assess the situation and make sure the class is not too much to handle.
“But students can’t really contest to what’s on the syllabus,” Kahn said. “That’s why we have services available to help them.”
The Center for Academic Success offers students the resources they need to improve study skills, improve time management and prepare for exams, said Sarah Baird, the study strategies coordinator for the center.
“We work with students who have this challenge,” said Baird. “They are faced with faculty members who are really making sure their work load is significant.”
Baird said under the University’s unofficial guideline, with a full 12-hour load, students should study two hours for every hour they are in class.
“But we realize there are some classes that they do not need to study so much for, there are phases in the semester that are less stressful and there are some classes that require more than two hours,” Baird said.
Associate professor of the Manship School of Mass Communication, Jay Perkins, said students should understand that putting in the effort in class means they will get more out of the material.
“But it is up to the student in a way to figure out what they can take and what can make them go crazy,” Perkins said.
Perkins added there are many resources and Web sites that can help students out in balancing out their schedule and study load.
Baird said the Center for Academic Success understands the clashes between students and instructors in terms of workloads.
The Continuous Process of Learning program offers students advice in how to preview and review for classes so studying for exams is easier, she said.
Students should spend about 10 minutes looking over the information before they attend each class so they have more knowledge of the material that will be discussed, Baird said.
Within an hour after class ends, students should again review what was discussed because repetition strengthens the memory, Baird added.
According to Baird, a study done with a group of students showed those who do not study within an hour after the class retained only 20 to 30 percent of the information while those who did retained 70 to 80 percent of the information.
Also, Baird said the Intense Study Session shows students how to set a goal and follow through with it by allowing time for breaks between reviewing.
“We’ve found that students who have done this have gone from Cs and Ds to Bs and As,” she said.