As finals are quickly approaching, stress levels are rising.  Students are studying for finals, but are they studying in the most effective way possible?  Central Arizona College is here to help students, especially right now.   

According to Sylvia Vega, the Coordinator of Learning Support at the Maricopa Campus, “The library is the best tool for students to utilize for their finals studies.” Every CAC campus has a library that is open to students to use for studying.   

Signal Peak, San Tan, Maricopa and Superstition Mountain campus libraries are open Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Aravaipa campus library is open Monday-Thursday from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. 

Private tutoring is also an option that professors encourage students to take advantage of as much as they can all throughout the semester. All five CAC campuses offer private tutoring for CAC students. Savannah Montiel, a student worker at the Signal Peak Campus, confirmed that SPC offers in person tutoring Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Students can make last minute appointments with tutors on Fridays and Saturdays, and these sessions are strictly online, using Blackboard Ultra for live virtual sessions. On Friday and Saturday, online tutoring is offered with the same tutors from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Although there are several tutors, Montiel suggested requesting the tutors Henry, Rick, Michelle and Pat for the most difficult homework questions. 

On the Maricopa and San Tan Campuses, in-person tutoring located in the learning center by the academic testing area is available from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. The Superstition Mountain Campus tutoring hours are 9 a.m.-9 p.m., and the Aravaipa Campus tutoring hours are 8 a.m.-6 p.m.  

Sylvia Vega encourages students to submit their paper or math question to a tutor at least three days in advance due to the high volume of assignments coming in on certain days of the week. She wants students to know that they should allow tutors at least 68 hours to answer their homework questions. She confirmed that there will be, “No contact from tutors on Sundays, so do not include that in the 68-hour time span.” 

CAC professors are also happy to give their personal study tips to their students. Tatiana Keeling, an English professor at CAC Signal Peak Campus, encourages students get a good night’s sleep before a big test.  According to Psychology Today, getting sleep—and a full dose of it—might be the best way to ace exams. The article stated, “The National Sleep Foundation found that most young adults get only 6.8 hours a night.” 

Cramming your studying in during exams is not the most effective way to study. Harvard Medical School psychologist Matt Walker said in the same article that if a person goes 24 hours without sleep, within one week they will have lost the skill they learned during or even before those 24 hours. “So, college students who pull all-nighters during exam week might do fine on their tests but may not remember any of the material by next semester.” 

Remember to sleep well and study hard, and good luck on your finals!