by Dustin Chavira
Summer’s slowly approaching, which means a good number of students are likely to take a break from Whatcom in order to pursue hobbies, work or other things.
Speaking from experience, I can say that this is also the point in the quarter when I begin to relax and take it easy.
In other words, college begins to slip away from being my No. 1 priority, as other things begin to take that spot; work, family related things, and other events become a bit more important than college.
Things start out pretty well, but I begin to become a bit lazy and I end up missing material in class.
While this is usually the case for every other quarter, this feeling of wanting to drop everything and relax is much stronger because it’s summer.
Because of this, I begin to lose track in class, and my grades take a hit.
Following afterwards, anxiety and stress slowly build, resulting in lost sleep and creating a feeling of hopelessness.
I tried to deal with this on my own, which ended up being a bad idea.
While it’s easier to suck it up and move on at first, it really does come around in the end, and it can only get worse, especially if you’ve missed something crucial in class.
This was what I attempted my first year at the college as the quarter drew to a close; this obviously backfired and my grades suffered quite a bit.
Things changed for the better though, and these past three quarters have been different, as compared to my freshman year here.
As for what changed, in my case, I started going to the Learning Center as soon as I felt like I was falling behind in class.
As soon as I feel that I may be falling behind in class, the Learning Center is the first place I go.
The Learning Center itself is basically a help center, where you can study by yourself or ask for help if you need it for math, writing, one-on-one and online tutoring.
While you may have heard about it if you have ever had a math class at the college, you can also go for the Writing Center, if you’re feeling like you are running out of things to write about for an English class.
The end of the quarter is probably the most stressful for many students, as finals are coming up as well as a break, so it would make sense that your attention isn’t always concentrated on class.
Seeing how much closer we are getting to the end of the quarter, it would also make sense that more students are paying a visit to the Learning Center.
So, in case you are feeling lost as the quarter comes to a close, don’t pass it off.
The Learning Center is there to help so use it to your advantage.
If you feel like you’re beginning to get a bit too relaxed or like you’ve missed something in class, the Learning Center is great for that as well.
You’ve already paid for it, so use it to your advantage.
