One of the biggest challenges during college for many students are exams.

Most college students can say when taking exams, the test anxiety begins to kick in. Most of this test anxiety comes from a place of wanting to succeed. For students who get test anxiety they believe grades are an estimate of their worth.

“Students feel triggered when they are put in a position where they are being evaluated based off how well they can complete a test,” said Caitlin Szalkowski a psychology teacher here at Hilbert college.

Another main reason students get test anxiety is due to the emphasis that is put on test and the importance of getting a good grade. Malaka,  a junior in college said she tries to use strategies to help her stay calm.

“When I’m taking an exam, I start to get anxiety and when I start to read the questions everything goes blank,” she said.

She also went on to say this  happens because she’s so worried about getting a bad grade that it starts to affect her testing. 

“I don’t do exams in my class due to the stress they cause, and they don’t prove how well a student knows the material,” Szalkowski said. “I just give out short quizzes to make sure they understand what we’ve discussed”

As thrilled as any student would be to have no exams most teachers do like them and use them. So here a few tips to overcoming test anxiety.

    1.  Making the most of class time

Showing up to all classes and taking notes of the material will be a big help in the end. You can learn a lot just by going to class and taking notes and engaging with the material. Then when it’s time to study you can look over your notes again.

    2.  Retrieval Practice

Retrieval practice is a strategy in which bringing information to mind enhances and boost your learning. This one of the most beneficial ways to study according to psychologist. “you are forcing yourself to pull out information from your memory to your consciousness and in doing this it enhances the strength of that memory” said Szalkswski. One of the best ways to practice retrieval practice is through flash cards.

    When taking an exam don’t spend too much time on a question that you don’t know the answer to. Go through the test and answer the questions you do know. And after that go back to the questions you weren’t sure about. This will also help you with time and making sure you don’t run out of time due to spending too much time on questions.

      When taking an exam, it’s important to just focus on going at the pace that feels most comfortable to you. Focusing on others finishing before you will only make you more nervous and start to rush.

Attending college as a parent can be extremely stressful. It may be difficult to reach deadlines, show up to class, fully focus on assignments, and so much more.

Hilbert College Student, Justine Chitwood, experiences these issues every day in her academic career. Raising three children and attending college as a Junior, she is pushing her way towards graduation because she is determined to do so.

“It is something I have struggled with for some time now,” she said. “I want the best for my family, and I am determined to make sure they do not receive any less. The key to balancing everything on my plate is time management.”

Chitwood said she has been experiencing many issues trying to balance so much on her plate, but she is pushing through because she is determined to do so.

Chitwood was also asked why she chose to go back to college after she had left the first time.

“I have always been someone who pushes for what they want,” she said. She said the decision to go back to school was difficult, but she knew she had to for her children.

Chitwood is still attending Hilbert College, but she is doing it online. She has found that balancing her schoolwork is easier when she was able to do it from home. She is working on her time management, and she hopes to make a change in her children’s lives. Being a parent and going to college is difficult, but it is not impossible.

Hilbert is currently halfway through the semester which means it is time for academic advising. Academic advising is where students meet with their advisor to make their schedule for the upcoming semester.

During this process, advisors are here to guide students in making the best possible schedule to ensure they are on track. Students should meet with their advisors sometime between the last two weeks of October in order to be prepared for registration. Students unaware of how to schedule a meeting with their advisor should email them or stop by their office to see if there is a sign-up sheet. After students meet with their advisor, they will be approved for registration which will begin November 2nd.

Registration can be done through Self Service on the assigned day for each class level. To register for Spring classes, the academic advising process is necessary so it’s best to contact your advisor soon.

Kameron Milton, sophomore student at Hilbert College studying Cybersecurity, said the academic advisement process is helpful to him.

“Academic advising teaches me about how my classes work and the easiest way to graduate. It makes the process of making your schedule a lot easier and stress free. Also, my advisor is very helpful because she gives me resources to succeed in school”, said Milton.

Milton gave a couple of tips to any students who haven’t done this process yet.

“My number one tip is to look at your major map before your meeting, so you have an idea on what classes you need to take. Also, it’s best for you to try and get this process done as soon as possible so you can register on time.”

Mary Ann Hobar, chair of the Forensic Science/CSI department and advisor, said there are a lot of things she likes about academic advising.

“What I like the most about academic advising is getting to meet and know the students, finding out what careers they are interested in, explaining internships that are available, answering whatever questions they may have and helping them stay on track with the courses they need”, said Hobar.

Hobar also mentions that academic advising is beneficial for both students and the advisors.

“They have the opportunity to ask questions about specific classes in our program and what is required for them”, said Hobar.

She also adds that students are able to make a schedule that works best for them whether they are athletes, commuters, dorm students or have jobs.

Located on the Hilbert website there is a pre-advisement checklist that students can print and fill out before their meeting. A link for this checklist will be provided below. The checklist is helpful to students because it prepares them before meeting with their advisor.

Hilbert senior psychology students have begun collecting data for their senior capstone studies.

Five senior students spent last fall researching topics of their interest to use to run their own study this spring. Assistant Professor of the psychology department, Dr. Caitlin Szalkowski is overseeing the students’ studies.

“Students get to understand what life as a researcher looks like in the field of psychology” Dr. Szalkowski said when asked about the benefits of senior psychology students completing their own study.

“Students also gain skills like organization, time management, and problem solving, that are needed in all professions” said Szalkowski.

Data collection for these studies has started and will continue through April 13^th, 2022. If you wish to participate in any of the five studies, please contact Dr. Szalkowski at CSzalkowski@hilbert.edu.

Residence Life recently announced that they will not be offering single rooms in the St. Joe’s dorm building, starting in the fall.

This change in the dorm room set-up is mainly due to the new addition of sports teams, including football, women’s ice hockey, and track and field. The idea with this is to increase availability with dorm space, to allow the incoming freshman and transfer students to live on campus and not have to worry about housing issues in the upcoming semester, Grace Adams, Interim Director of Residence Life, said.

Adams mentioned that this has not been the only reason for change in the housing selection process in recent years.

“The pandemic and amount of space was the impact changing how housing selection has been conducted the last two years,” she said. “The decision to not offer singles at housing selection was in anticipation that we may have a higher number than normal of incoming students and will need the potential for full occupancy between all buildings”.

St. Joe’s dorm rooms are already quite small, and students who have their own room enjoy having their own space to themselves.

“There are always growing pains with change,” Adams said. “Our hope is to thoroughly train our staff in the fall to be prepared for the possibility of increased tension or mental health concerns. While St. Joseph Hall rooms are not as big or as new as Trinity Hall, they are still larger than a handful of options at other schools in Western New York. St. Joseph Hall is on our list to make improvements and part of doing that is getting feedback from students who live there for what would be most beneficial.”

Residence Life is allowing students to join a waitlist, and depending on availability, may be permitted to reside in their own space, but there is no guarantee. The waitlist determination is based on student status, as well as credit hours achieved by the next semester, Adams said.

The Resident Assistants (RA’s) in each of the dorm buildings will continue to reside in their own space, as ‘it is important for their role and their mental health’.

Adams also mentioned that there have been concerns about not offering singles for the next academic year and are willing to take feedback under consideration for future processes and will make adjustments as needed.

“We hope to take the student insight and perspective to apply positive change and improvements over the next few years”.

The Student Government Association elections are now open and will remain so through Friday.

Students can find voting stations where they will be directed to a voting website through a QR code throughout campus:  two in Bogel Hall at the chapel and switchboard, one in Paczesny Hall near the 78 West Cafe, one in the Campus Center lower level and one in Franciscan Hall’s Student Involvement Center.

Voting is open through 10:30 p.m. Friday and students can learn about the platforms of various candidates at the voting stations.

Kody Harrison, the current SGA president, who is up for reelection, said he hopes Hilbert students will feel compelled to make their voices heard in this election.

“I know personally that there are some students that believe that their voices are not being heard and this is the greatest way to be that one voice,” Harrison said in an email. “The SGA Senate are the people who represent the student body as a whole. This is the opportunity for students to have their voice heard by choosing who represents them in these large scale decisions that are being made on campus.”

The process of academic advisement is beginning for all Hilbert students as the semester has headed into April.

This is a time in which students must meet with their advisors to discuss which classes they plan on taking for next semester.

During this meeting, it is also a time to ask any questions about certain classes, such as which ones are available and which ones are still needed to be taken for a student’s specific program and the modules within it.

Jin Zhang, professor and advisor, said that the advisement process is very beneficial to students

“Academic advisement can assist you in better understanding the requirement of your major, help to make an appropriate academic schedule, provide relevant information for tutoring sessions, and explain how the registration and course selection process goes,” said Zhang.

If your advisor has not yet emailed you about scheduling a meeting, it is important to reach out to them as soon as possible. This can be said for all future academic advisement periods as well.

Registration will also be starting shortly after the advisement process, and the Hilbert academic calendar provides the registration dates for each class level.

Students can register for their classes on self-service and will only be able to register with their advisor’s approval, which is why this process is essential.

Hilbert student Mckenna Staruch said she takes her meetings with advisors seriously.

“Meeting with my advisor and looking at my program sheet always helps me figure out the classes I should take, and if I am on track with my planning,” said Staruch. “It is overall beneficial to have that kind of help.”

Last month the Hilbert Office of Career Development held a resume writing workshop lead by Rachel Wozniak.

The Office of Career Development at Hilbert provides many Skillshops as opportunities for students to advance their resume and cover letter writing. They also plan events that consist of learning about interview preparation, and appointments for sophomores to discuss their career plans.

The skillshop provided instruction about the six C’s of resume writing, the formatting of a resume, and what specific information should be included.

Hilbert student Kaylanna Szuniewicz attended the workshop as well and said that it helped her with her resume writing.

“I think the workshop was pretty good, and highly beneficial. I think being only you and I, while also already having a basis of a resume also helped.” Szuniewicz said.

Wozniak works with each student directly to help them improve their resume, and to make them feel more secure in their writing.

The Career Development section in Blackboard also has a variety of information about resume writing, as well as an example provided for students to base theirs on.

There will be many more upcoming Skillshops throughout this semester, which can be viewed in more detail and registered for on Handshake.

Todd Boberg, the Graduate Assistant of Career Development, said these upcoming Skillshops are beneficial to all students.

“All these upcoming Skillshops offer a great opportunity to learn more about resume and cover letter writing, as well as preparing for interviews,” he said. “Students at any class level can benefit from these events, especially those graduating in May.”