SAM Center Sponsors Summer Study Skills Workshops

Are you a constant procrastinator who needs to develop better time management skills? Do you have trouble reading your own notes or get stressed during test taking?

The Sam Houston State Student Advising and Mentoring Center will address these topics in its Study Skills Summer Workshops, which will begin June 3.

"We have done study skills as one of the sort of essential programs for the students," said SAM Center director Bernice Strauss. "The SAM Center is made up of advising, but also academic support programs. One of the mainstays of the academic support programs has been study skills. We've offered study skills in the fall and spring, and now we're going to offer study skills in the summer."

The one-hour per week sessions will be held on Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Thursdays through June 26, with times ranging from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m., 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. each day to accommodate different students' schedules.

"We wanted to have a range of different times for different schedules," Strauss said.

Students will teach the four sessions, which are titled Procrastination and the Essentials for Success, Time Management, Reading Textbooks and Note Taking, and Test Taking and Stress Management.

"The sessions are taught by students, people who know what works and doesn't work," Strauss said.

The program, which was piloted by the Counseling Center, has had a positive turnout, according to Strauss.

"We have run data on it since then and between when the SAM Center opened in the fall and spring, we've had over 600 students participate in the study skills," she said. "I'm certainly very happy with it."

The workshops have also produced results for student participants, Strauss said. "All of our data suggests that students' study skills will improve, and you can see this in your GPA," she said.

There is no deadline for registration, and students can sign up by calling 936.294.4444 or coming by Academic Building 4 Room 210. The workshops are free for all students. The SAM Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Strauss said students who are unavailable at those times during the first summer session can also participate in the workshops during the second summer session, which will run from July 8 through July 29 at the same times, during the fall or any time the student is available.

"We'll work with them (students) individually or we'll do whatever we need to do," she said.

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SHSU Media Contact: Jennifer Gauntt
June 2, 2003
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