With midterms wrapped up at Durham College, many are reflecting on their studying habits and workflow.
Ashley Gifford, a graduate of Seneca College’s Acting for Camera and Voice program, hasn’t had to worry about midterms for a few years. Her midterm experience was quite different, with more time to prepare for summative assessments. She shared her top study tip from school: time management.
“Yes, I have all of these projects at the end of the week … but this is what’s right now, [because] if I did focus on the other stuff I would be overwhelmed by everything,” Gifford said.
Professors and DC staff are also working hard during this time of year to keep up with marking after assignments are handed in. Danelle Driscoll-Dasilva, an Instructional Design Consultant for the Centre for Teaching and Learning, explained that if professors and students communicate with one another throughout their program, mental health can be prioritized. “We know our students nowadays, they’re not only in school, they’re working, they have families, lots of responsibilities,” she said.
Mental health is an important topic, especially during this time of year. Durham College offers many different services to support students, including academic support through the Student Academic Learning Services, or SALS.
One study tip from Emily Huxter, a DC professor and Learning Specialist at SALS, is to create a study schedule. “Going through each of your courses and saying ‘OK, what are all of the different things that are due and what are the dates? Can I put that in some type of calendar?’” she said.
Huxter also emphasized the importance of taking care of your mental health during intense study periods. A reward-based system, Huxter explained, can help to motivate students through their work.
“Having things that are dependent on the effort you’ve put in and not necessarily tied to a grade, but act as that reward system, can be really motivating when you get into those challenging moments,” Huxter said.
Mental health services are available to students on both the Whitby and Oshawa campus.