By Olivia Turner | Staff Writer
After a long and well-deserved winter break, the Baylor campus is once again filled with the hustle and bustle of its beloved Bears. Friends have reunited with friends, books have been bought and classes have commenced. But for some, chaos has reigned.
For many Bears, getting back into the flow of attending classes, poring over notes and typing out papers is not for the faint of heart. Thankfully, there are plenty of helpful resources a student can access if they feel overwhelmed by their sudden copious responsibilities, and they’re all right here on campus.
In the basement of the Sid Richardson Building works Trish Baum, program manager for Academic Resources. Baum assists students in all the ways she said she lacked when she was a college student.
“I hated my college experience,” said Baum, in comparison to her much more forgiving high school study schedule. “It was always a heart attack on the next page.”
Because Baum is able to relate to Baylor students’ similar stories, likened to drowning in duties and deadlines, she said she was able to come up with a way to keep Bears’ heads above water. She calls it ‘Semester on a Page.’
“It is a wonderful tool not meant to rule your life strictly,” Baum said. “It’s a guide. It just shows you where you can switch things around if you need to, if you don’t, how to finish your homework early so you can have a little me-time in the evenings.”
In addition to ‘Semester on a Page,’ Baum also has monthly and weekly schedules she customizes to fit the needs of any student she helps. They function by reserving specific windows of time for specific subjects of study, which Baum said helps prevent procrastination.
While the schedule promotes plenty of time for work and study, Baum said they also provide windows of time for students to go to the gym, spend time with friends and indulge in their hobbies.
“One hour a day is not going to ruin your GPA,” Baum said. “Take that time. That time is just as important as an hour of biology if it puts you in the right mindset.”
However helpful the schedules are, though, Baum said it is essential to maximize the scheduled study slots in order for the plan to flow.
“You may be looking at your notes and just reading them over and over and over, and that is not the most effective way to study,” said Baum. “That’s where I come in and show them when to study and how to study effectively so hopefully they don’t lose their mind.”
According to Baum, all students have to do to improve their study methods and get organized this semester is visit her in her Learning Lab between the hours of 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. and admit defeat. There, tutors and graduate students help Bears pick up the pieces to study effectively.
Studying for tests is not the only academic challenge Baylor students with face this semester, though. Writing, whether it’s an essay, a paper or even a resume, is a task that often leaves students wondering where to begin. Luckily, there’s a campus resource for that as well — the University Writing Center, found on the second floor of Moody Library.
According to graduate tutor Matt Turnbull, who used to work at the Writing Center, every student should stop in no matter how excellent of a writer they consider themselves to be.
“Everybody benefits from talking to another person about their writing project,” Turnbull said. “Just talking about writing ends up being almost magical in terms of helping students clarify what they’re trying to do in a paper or a project.”
When it comes to writing, Turnbull said he recommends getting ideas down on paper, even if they’re messy at first. Only then, Turnbull said, is when students should focus on the details and clarification that will make the writing the final draft they dreamed it to be. Even if a student struggles with ideas, that’s what the Writing Center is for, said Turnbull.
All a student must do to get help from a Writing Center Tutor is to walk in or make an appointment online. Because of the Writing Center’s numerous benefits and overall accessibility, Turnbull said he is adamant about getting students in for they help they need.
“I just can’t recommend it highly enough because students just don’t realize it’s free, it’s available and it’s for everybody,” said Turnbull.
