Tucked in the basement of Coates Hall, the Center for Academic Success offers tutoring, workshops and one-on-one meetings aimed at helping students manage their time, sharpen their study skills and build confidence in the classroom.
The Center’s Director Alexandra Garcia said its goal is to support students at every academic stage, whether they’re struggling in class or just looking to improve their study habits.
“We like to call it a soft place to land for students,” Garcia said. “People can come here not just when they’re struggling but if they just want to make sure they’re doing the right things or getting ahead.”
Earlier this year LSU’s CAS was named a Learning Center of Excellence by the International College Learning Center Association. This is a certification that honors centers that meet the highest standards in academic support.
LSU remains the only institution globally to earn that distinction three times.
Garcia said the center is constantly updating its approach to meet the changing needs of students. This fall CAS launched a new Workshop Track System designed to give students more flexibility and control over how they learn.
“We used to just do three big workshops each semester: one on time management, one on studying and one for finals prep,” Garcia said. “Now we’re breaking those down into smaller 30-minute workshops that target specific topics like note-taking, test prep or study skills.”
Students can choose from three focus areas: time management, college studying and test preparation or mix and match individual sessions or complete an entire track. Those who finish a full track receive a digital badge and certificate that can be added to resumes, LinkedIn profiles or email signatures.
“It’s a little more tailored to what students actually need,” Garcia said. “Maybe you don’t want to sit through a full session on studying, you just want help with taking better notes. Now you can pick that one session and get exactly what you need.”
The workshop tracks are part of a broader push to make academic resources more accessible to students. CAS has also expanded its subject-specific workshops to offer sessions on how to approach problem-based courses, lecture-heavy classes and math-intensive subjects.
Garcia said the goal is to give students concrete strategies they can apply right away, not just general advice.
“We really focus on teaching students how to learn, not just what to learn,” she said. “If you understand the process, how to plan, how to organize, how to test your own knowledge, you’re setting yourself up for long-term success.”
Beyond workshops and individual sessions, CAS continues to run long-standing programs like supplementary instruction and peer tutoring. Both of these programs pair students with trained peers who have already succeeded in the same courses.
“Our biggest message is to come early,” Garcia said. “Don’t wait until you’re in a hole. We can help you before that happens.”
When it comes to preparing for exams Garcia said the problem isn’t that students don’t study but that many study inefficiently. She explained that many students study in a linear fashion.
“They’ll do chapter one on Monday, chapter two on Tuesday and chapter three on Wednesday,” Garcia said. “But if you do that, you give yourself a whole week to forget what you studied on Monday.”
Instead she recommended “interleaving.” It’s method that mixes up subjects or chapters during each study session.
“You want to blend topics together so your brain doesn’t get comfortable or forget anything,” she said. “If your class covers four chapters, don’t study them one at a time. Do practice questions from all of them together.”
Garcia said a common mistake students make is sticking to one study location. She said students try to study in their dorm rooms or somewhere completely quiet. This is a problem because when students go to take the test Garcia said the room is always full of people and other white noise.
“Try and simulate the environment where you’re going to take your test,” Garcia said. “If you’re going to take your test in Himes maybe studying and doing some practice problems or practice questions on the first floor of the library where it’s not loud but there are people walking [and] there’s a little bit of chatter.”
Garcia pointed out several go-to spots across campus where students can find the right environment for studying such as:
- LSU’s Main Library
- Coates Study Space
- Student Union – Second Floor
- African American Cultural Center
- Highland Coffees
- Starbucks
- Outdoor spaces
Garcia said that academic success is not just about putting in long hours. It’s also about keeping a steady balance.
“Your brain is like a muscle,” Garcia said. “It needs breaks.”
She recommended breaking up study sessions with short walks, meals or time outside. Garcia holds a doctorate in behavioral neuroscience and said the brain functions best when it has time to recover.
“I always say the brain is like a sponge,” Garcia said. “During the day you fill it with information and at night it soaks it all in. That’s when learning really sticks.”
She encouraged students to plan ahead and pace themselves, especially during midterms when stress is high.
“Be proactive,” she said. “Don’t wait until you find yourself in a pickle. Come early would be my number one advice.”
With the new workshop tracks, peer support and flexible resources the Center hopes students will see CAS not as a last resort but as a first line of defense.
“We all have goals,” Garcia said. “But if we don’t have systems in place to reach them it makes it harder. CAS gives you those tools to make it easier to get to your goals faster and with more confidence.”
