R E A C H into Final Exams

As the semester winds down and final exams approach, many students are feeling vulnerable and anxious and we may see it affecting their work or impacting their times with us. The REACH domains of responsibility and healthy and balanced living strike me as extra important right now and we need to be aware and cautious about how we are modeling these behaviors for them during this time of year. As we see and speak with students over these next few weeks, there are questions and statements that come to mind for me:

Responsibility

• A student’s job doesn’t go away just because it’s finals week. Time management is crucial at this time.
• Communication within their staff and with supervisors will be important for students as work hours will need to be adjusted to accommodate a studying and final exam schedule.
• Does the student take ownership for their current standing in the class heading into their final exam? Taking class seriously from the beginning helps ease stress during the last month.
• How has the student demonstrated that they know the grades they have were earned, not given?
• Does the student understand accountability and how they are in control of their preparation?
• Looking into what needs to be earned over the next few weeks in order to achieve a desired grade will be helpful in being proactive.

Healthy and Balanced Living

• Lots of finals within a 2-day period? Help your students write out what needs to get done and set a time for each. Procrastination is easy when feeling overwhelmed so having a schedule is helpful.
• Many students brag about pulling all-nighters to study. It’s important to talk to your students about a sleep schedule and that studying is more about quality than quantity. Sleeping also helps memory!
• Taking breaks to work, socialize, eat and sleep are critical, even though some students see it as wasteful during final exams.
• Students who are overly stressed and anxious are ones to keep an eye on, and good conversations about future employment and “busy seasons” can be wise as they will need to know how to balance even more once graduated.

Submitted by —
Sara Gothelf
Academic Advisor,
Athletics

Any questions or comments? Please send us an email at VPSA@utsa.edu.