Interview by Nida Ansari, featuring Tristan K. Today's student spotlight is all about Tristan, one of the Fourth Year Reps on the Society this year! I virtually had a conversation with Tristan about his roles on campus (specifically as a Learning Peer Helper in the Library) as well as some study and organization tips he thinks all students should know. Read all about our conversation here! Nida: Hi Tristan! Tell me a little bit about yourself. Nida: So, you're a Learning Peer Helper in the Learning Commons at the Library. What does this role entail? Tristan: So, in this role I meet with students one-on-one to go over learning and academic strategies. I often meet with students and ask them what brings them in and typically they have a concern to do with time management, organization or studying. I then work with the student and suggest some tips that I think will help! Students can book a one-time consultation with me, or they can book several times with me or other Learning Peer Helpers if they want to come back in and get advice on a long-term basis. There’s also a great program at the Library called the Academic Action Program where a student will get paired with a Learning Peer Helper and throughout the semester they’ll meet to discuss strategies, to check progress and to have some additional support and accountability. I always encourage students to apply for this if they want to make a big change to the way they approach their academics. Nida: What's your favourite part about being a Learning Peer Helper? Tristan: My favourite part of the position is being a part of a team. There are about a dozen of us who work together and meet every week to go over our experiences in consultations and share new ideas about strategies we can try out and suggest to other students. I’ve learned a lot of strategies for time management and studying that have come from other Learning Peers that has helped with my own studies and often informs the tips I give to students in my consultations. I really enjoy hearing what strategies other people are using and seeing if those will work for me, so it’s been a great learning experience being on this team! Nida: It's been a busy month in terms of academics! How do you personally prepare for midterms and midterm season in general? Tristan: My optimal study method really depends on the circumstances. I’ve had some semesters where I only have one midterm and others where I’ve had 4 midterms in 3 days. My ability to study well depends on the time I have to devote to studying. If I have the time, I’ll make sure I go through all the assigned readings carefully, actively reading and making notes. Then I’ll try to make either cue cards or practice questions of key ideas/concepts. If I don’t have a ton of time, I like to do chapter/unit summaries where I only make notes on the most important information. For me, what works best depends on the time I have and my ability to manage it. I often make a ‘best-case’ plan of action but if studying ends up being more difficult than anticipated (e.g., lack of motivation, taking too long) then I try to change course to make sure I’m still studying in the most effective way for me. So, I think my biggest advice is to plan out your studying ahead of time, but always check back in with yourself to see if it’s working or if you’re going to have enough time to cover everything with the method you’re choosing and then adjust accordingly if not. Nida: What have you noticed has been something many students have struggled with during the pandemic? Tristan: I think a big struggle for students has been separating school-life from home-life. I think the lines are getting blurred and students are realizing that they have to adjust their habits to doing school at home. Before online school, people were better able to separate their academic and their personal lives when ‘school’ meant attending lecture on campus, getting a coffee, and then studying at the library, whereas now it’s waking up and walking to the desk 5 feet away. I’ve had students struggling a lot with either feeling like they can’t motivate themselves to do schoolwork at home, or feeling like all they should be doing at home is schoolwork because they can’t separate the two. Nida: What would be your biggest tip to first-years coming in to university about managing their time? Tristan: I think my biggest tip to first-years has to do with my answer to the last question. I think you have to develop your own habits that are going to make you feel productive, but not overwhelmed, while doing work from home. Try to develop a routine, decide when you’re going to start and stop work on any given day, plan breaks for yourself throughout the day, and reward yourself at the end of the day by spending time with your family/roommates (e.g. watching a movie). I just think the biggest time management tool for students is to strike a balance between work and play; it can be overwhelming to start your university career from home, so schedule your lectures and study time into your day, but breaks and down-time are just as important. Nida: Is there anything else you'd like to add? Tristan: I just want to say that I think everyone should commend themselves on making it through every assessment, and every day of school right now. Nobody is having an amazing time and I really want people to know that it’s normal to feel like that. I think people have to realize that it’s okay if they aren’t feeling 100% nowadays, and that attending lectures and getting some work done is an achievement in and of itself. Students are experiencing a lot of stress and uncertainty which is completely understandable, so I don’t want them to feel alone when they experience these feelings. I would just say to appreciate the little things and that it’s okay to have a bad day, to be unproductive or to take a day for yourself. Do something that makes you feel good every day and keep in mind that there are better days on the horizon. Nida: Thanks so much for talking with me today, Tristan! Tristan: Thank you so much for having me, I really enjoyed this! I’d just like to add that I encourage students to take advantage of online consultations with myself and the other Learning Peer Helpers on the library website. We enjoy the work we do and love to help out in any way we can! Given Tristan's experience as both an upper year student and as a Learning Peer Helper, I think many can benefit from his solid tips and advice! It was great talking with him and getting to know all about personal study methods and his experiences working with students as a Learning Peer Helper. Thanks Tristan! - Nida Nida is a second-year student at the University of Guelph and is the Marketing Coordinator on Psychology Society. Do you have a cool job or position on campus or want to highlight something you've done? Make sure you fill out our submission form and send it back to us by email so we can showcase your ideas! Resources
About Peer Helpers in the Library: https://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/about/work-us/peer-helpers The Library: https://www.lib.uoguelph.ca/
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