End-of-Year Made Easier with OAAR
Exams can be stressful no matter what year it is, but with all the challenges 2020 has presented, we wanted to shine a light on the Office of Academic & Accessibility Resources (OAAR) to help you get your exam plans lined up early! We spoke to Academic Access Specialist Cassidy Hruska about the OAAR’s offerings, study tips, test anxiety, and more.
Academic Access Specialist Cassidy Hruska
Describe the OAAR and what services it provides to students.
Cassidy: Getting accommodations for a disability? That’s OAAR. Tutoring and supplemental instruction? Also OAAR. Writing center? Yep, OAAR. Stressing out about managing your college schedule or adjusting to virtual learning? You guessed it— OAAR offers academic coaching, too. When it comes to getting help with academics, it’s almost easier to make a list of what OAAR doesn’t do! It’s not like we’re a wild laboratory that can inject all the necessary information into your brain so you ace your semester, but we can try to make things go as smoothly as realistically possible. Pretty much, the Office of Academic and Accessibility Resources is a group of people who are available to help all Chatham students determine and obtain what they need to succeed academically.
What attracted you to working at the OAAR?
Since I worked in schools while completing my undergrad degree in education, I saw students of all ages and abilities struggle with how to learn, study, and succeed in classes. I also saw that many people working in education never help you figure out how to do those things— they just expect you to do them! When I found the OAAR department I knew it would be a great way to help fill in some of those gaps. Plus, I was definitely that kid who ran around saying, “Do you wanna know a fun fact?!” Now it’s my job to share strategies and ideas!
Do you have any essential study tips for upcoming exams?
Funny you should mention— on the OAAR Instagram we post studying & test taking tips each Tuesday! We tackle a variety of topics there, but if I had to choose my personal favorite tips it would be to use a study system that you can take on the go (Quizlet was my choice). During my undergrad I was a commuter student, so every bus ride or spare ten minutes was crucial study time. I had to have my materials with me whenever! Studying in short spurts also really benefited me— then I didn’t avoid it altogether because of the time commitment. You may notice I’m only talking about what worked for me, though. That’s because the biggest thing to remember is that your brain is completely unique, so there’s going to be a different combination of study tactics that work for each person. Keep trying different combinations of approaches til it clicks.
“Our services are available to all students. You don’t have to have a registered disability or be totally bombing classes to ask for help. If it’s just one class that’s tricky, maybe a life circumstance is making one semester more difficult than the rest, or this whole virtual learning thing is throwing you off, those are all good reasons to seek out help through OAAR. ”
Do you have any essential exam-taking tips for people who may have test anxiety?
I could ramble about this for a while, so I’ll limit myself to two. First: clear out your brain by writing down your worries. Stress limits your working memory, so free up that brain space for exam-related info. Scientific studies have shown that this can improve your exam score! Another big thing is to ask your professor questions, be it before, during, or after the exam. Just because they didn’t offer up a study guide doesn’t mean they won’t let you know the types or number of questions. I bet they’d be willing to clarify the wording of a question if it’s throwing you off. And nothing shows dedication like asking to review test questions that you missed after it’s been graded.
Does the OAAR have any upcoming events you’d like students to know about?
The chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card! It just takes a follow, a comment, and a tag to enter. Check out @chathamuoaar on Instagram! Even more valuable than the gift card— you’ll get study tips, tech recommendations, and important OAAR resources right on your feed.
All students at Chatham are encouraged to explore the offerings of the OAAR. To schedule an appointment, register for an account and then make an appointment using the OAAR Scheduler. Don’t forget to follow them on Instagram!