Stressed about midterms? Try the learning centre!

Q&A with Joy Kim: a worker at the Learning Centre

By Jenn Markham, News Editor

Q: Have you noticed the amount

of students seeking help increases during midterm exams?

A: I would say yes, in general. Usually during midterm and final exams, we do have more students coming in asking for help. In a final exam period though, it’s a bit too late to help them. So it’s always better to come by the LC sooner.

Q: Are there more new applicants during midterm exams?

A: As an online tutor, I’ve seen more paper coming in for reviews and most of them are pretty long, so I would say more students are using tutoring services during midterm exams and when big papers are due.

Q: Have you noticed the stress level

increases as well?

A: Yes, even we tutors feel more stressed! We are all in this together. As an online tutor, it’s easier to not be affected by students’ high stress level because we don’t get to interact with them. But I remember when I worked as a face to face tutor and had to help students calm down and focus on what they needed to get done that day or week.

Q: Do you find that people need

a different kind of help around midterms?

A: Yes and no. They need the same kind of help in writing around midterms. They still need to brainstorm, do research, write drafts, and revise their papers. But they need very practical ways of doing it around midterms because they don’t have enough time! Some students need

help on how to take tests and write an in-class essay effectively. At the LC, we have handouts on this and the one I particularly find very useful is on presentations.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for students getting through midterms? A: I think they really need to plan ahead. Otherwise nobody can avoid stress. If it’s too late and students didn’t plan ahead, then study smart! Don’t just study hard, but know yourself and study in a way that works for you. For example, you don’t have to read entire chapters when you don’t have enough time to study for the subject. Read the chapter summary, headings, look at the diagrams, charts, and try to grasp the main concepts.

Also, remember to put things in perspectives and remind yourself that there’s life outside of school. The

c

ae

midterm period will pass and you will get to have some fun. Lastly, remind yourself of your short term and long term goals. Ask yourself why you are studying in the program now? Because you want to be a dental assistant, nurse, writer...etc.

Q: How would you describe the staff at the Learning Centre?

A: They are nice, willing and trying to help people at the College. I know many students whose lives have changed by coming to the LC. Peer tutors are your classmates who have received training to help you and you get to learn how to study effectively from them. They are funny, understanding and there to help you. Personally I love working there and consider the people there one of the most amazing bunches I’ve ever met in my life.

Imaginus Poster Sale was Off the Wall

By Jenn Markham, News Editor

“Anyone who’s at all a visual person can’t avoid being distracted by this” echoed in the atrium at the Imaginus Poster Sale. Hundreds of posters were on display for students to take home, and most of them were under $10.

Students had the opportunity to help Imaginus set up, take down and advertise for their display at both campuses. Unfortunately the working

staff is unable to comment about the event, but they sure seemed to be having as much fun as the students. A theme for the sale was the diversity of posters being shown. Some posters stood out as best sellers including: Tv Shows such as Big Bang Theory, E-Cow Nomics, Periodic Table and

a panoramic view of New York at night. Reoccurring images included the Eiffel Tower and the Beatles, which were both shown from a number of different perspectives.

Images of couples kissing in various backgrounds such a beach, an old car and the Eiffel tower popped up a lot as well. Students saw everything from Super Mario Characters to half naked women and everything in between.

There were controversial posters about war and peace, funny posters with sassy sayings and posters with statements looking for a reaction. It was interesting to wander the show with someone you didn’t know very

well, and ask what they thought of certain images an easy way to find out a lot about a person in a short time. Someone thinking ahead and looking for Christmas presents would have found something for all the personalities on their list. Even students who didn’t purchase anything enjoyed wandering through the show and not only because it was strategically placed between Tim Horton’s and the majority of classrooms.

Does Video Game Addiction Exist?

By Maria Asselin-Roy, Staff Reporter

ideo game addiction is not \ | a recognizable diagnosis;

however, studies have estimated that about eight percent of children and teenagers are addicted to video games. Children are spending a considerable amount of time watching television, playing video games, sending texts, and using the internet. (A much different lifestyle than the children of fifty years ago) Asurvey done in 2009 by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health interviewed approximately 9,000 students in grades 7-12. The results

revealed that nearly ten percent of students get seven or more hours of “screen time” each day. Just over ten percent of those students réported having a video game problem.

Having a video game problem is defined similar to problem gambling. Meaning not to look at how much gaming is actually done, but whether the activity is taking over aspects of a person’s life. Another study based on the assessment of teachers explained that a child who watches lots of television or plays video games for much of the day have increased attention problems.

According to the American

‘Academy of Paediatrics, children

who had more than two hours of “screen time” per day were about two times more likely to show attention problems. If people (mainly children and teenagers) are spending an increased amount of time playing video games and display signs such as lying about how much they played, jeopardizing employment, relationships, and education, or has

mood disturbances, than that person is most likely addicted. If these signs are displayed and the person is taken to a specialist, that person will probably have an informal diagnosis of video game addiction.