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Feeling the Finals Crunch? Help is Here

Students studying
Finals are on the way and it’s crunch time—but it’s still not too late to get last-minute help thanks to tutoring services, later library hours, and even therapy dogs.
12/13/2021
By: Sarah Sweeney

 

Finals are on the way and it’s crunch time—but it’s still not too late to get last-minute help.

“We’re all systems go for finals week here in the Division of Academic Success, and every one of our services is available until the close of the semester,” said Amy Cohn, Director of the Center for Academic Coaching.

We’ve rounded up just a few avenues to finesse those papers and projects while gaining critical knowledge at one of the most important moments in the semester. 

Talk to a librarian

In today’s tech world, it can feel oddly novel (no pun intended) checking out a book or speaking to a librarian. After all, when information is right at our fingertips, what more do we need? Turns out, quite a lot. Librarians aren’t just bookworms, they’re highly-trained specialists who have access to a wealth of search engines, repositories, and knowledge—so, they can help unearth the books, resources, and nuggets of information to elevate a paper or project. 

During finals, Halle Library will remain open until 2 a.m. on Dec. 16, 19, 20, and 21, according to Brian Courtemanche, Director for the Diane M. Halle Library.

“We’ll have a librarian on duty until 2 a.m. should students need help, and the lower-level cyber-cafe is open 24/7,” said Courtemanche.

To help students de-stress during finals time, Halle Library also teamed up with Student Engagement to bring therapy dogs to the Callahan Center on Tuesday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m. for a pajama party, followed by Finals Feed. 

“Students can even read stories to the dogs if they’d like. And, yes, we’re told that the dogs will be in their pajamas,” said Courtemanche.

Head to the Center for Teaching and Learning

This new initiative, housed in the Halle Library, brings together almost all of the College’s academic support programs, including the Tutoring & Writing Center (TWC).

Staffed by professional and peer tutors from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, TWC staff can help students prepare for written exams and brainstorm ideas for papers, as well as offer assistance with assignments, projects, and presentation skills. Collaboration is key, and tutors strive to help students increase their confidence in both knowledge and written communications.

Before heading to the Callahan to visit the therapy dogs on December 14, students can also attend a workshop called “Work Smarter, Not Harder,” at 6:30 p.m. at Halle Library. The workshop will be led by Ben Horgan, Assistant Director of the Center for Academic Coaching, and division intern Laura Smith ’22.

Pursue peer tutoring

Each semester, approximately 80 peer tutors offer academic support to their fellow students through the Center for Teaching and Learning. Tutors are required to have a GPA of 3.2 or above and must have earned at least a B in the courses they tutor. And, because tutors come from a variety of majors and are representative of the academic schools at Endicott, students can seek out a tutor in the area of specialty they most need help in.

Need tutoring or writing assistance ahead of finals? Appointments are available!