If you are feeling stressed, know that you are not alone – the University of Manitoba offers numerous services to help you alleviate that stress and succeed this exam period, from both an academic and wellness perspective.

When it comes to preparing for your finals, one of the best things you can do for yourself is to start your preparation now (if you haven’t already). Cramming may be a fun word, but it is a much less fun activity! Spreading out your study time and reviewing regularly help to make sure you have truly learnt and understood the information and gives you time to tackle more difficult concepts (especially when time is needed to find some help!).

Creating a study schedule (and sticking to it!) can be a helpful way to keep on track and minimize stress. When doing this, gather up all the material you need to know for all of your courses and think – what final assignments do you have, when are your exams, and what courses are you feeling more or less prepared for? In your study schedule, prioritize the courses, or information, that you are finding the most difficult – it is still important to review the information you are more comfortable with to make sure that you really know it, but, when time is limited, focusing on the less familiar pieces will generally set you up for the most success across your courses.

Staying accountable to a schedule can be difficult, particularly when we feel overwhelmed. Studying with others can help you stay on schedule, feel supported and can help provide a way to clarify or work through things you might be struggling with.

With or without study buddies, finding a study strategy that works for you is key not just for this exam period, but for the future as well. Just re-reading your notes over and over is not very effective for most people – you may want to try something like flash cards, mind maps, study guides or visual representations. Another great option is doing practice questions. To be most effective, practice questions should follow the same format as the exam – so if you are making up your own, keep that in mind. Not only does working through practice questions help you identify what you do and don’t know, studying in ways similar to how you are tested often makes the exam less stressful (which improves our ability to recall the information we need) – you might even consider setting a timer when doing practice questions and tests to mimic the exam situation more closely.

Not sure where to start or just need some advice for how to most effectively study? The Academic Learning Centre (ALC) and UM libraries offer a variety of workshops, one-to-one appointments and other resources to help you have a strong finish to the semester. You can book an appointment with a content or study skills tutor, attend a Supplemental Instruction session or participate in a workshop. You can also, of course, contact your instructor or teaching assistant with questions – this is best done well before the exam to make sure they have time to respond and that you have time to use the response.

Though staying on top of your studies is important at this time of year, do not underestimate the importance of getting enough sleep as part of your exam prep strategy. It is also critical to take care of yourself – mentally and physically. If you are in need of some support, consider reaching out to the Student Wellness Centre, an academic advisor, or the Student Counselling Centre. If you are looking for other ways to help de-stress, consider attending a group fitness class, finding a fun outdoor activity, or taking some time for a hobby. 

Best of luck!

The Academic Learning Centre, in partnership with the Faculty of Graduate Studies, is hosting an intensive 2-day writing retreat designed to help graduate students progress in writing their theses/dissertations.  This Graduate Writing Retreat is based on the Australian National University “Thesis Bootcamp,” where attendees focus on writing as much text as possible in a supported environment. Each day starts with a short workshop on writing faster, managing procrastination, and developing a consistent writing routine.  Attendees will be provided with a quiet space, writing tutor support (if needed), beverages and snacks each day, and lunch for one of the days.

The aim for students attending this bootcamp is to write 5,000 words. This is a stretch goal and aiming big encourages commitment and focus. To increase success, attendees are required to develop and submit a writing plan in advance of the retreat (See: How to prepare a thesis “road map” )  to academic_learning[at]umanitoba[dot]ca with the subject line “thesis roadmap” by April 20, 2025 (midnight). Submitting early is encouraged. Students are encouraged to discuss their writing plans with their advisors or an ALC graduate tutor.

The UM Graduate Writing Retreat will run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday May 5 and Tuesday May 6 on the Bannatyne campus. Students must apply by April 13 to attend.  The Graduate Writing Retreat is NOT virtual and attendees must commit to attending all three days (flex time is available for parents who have children in daycare).

Charge Ahead program

The Charge Ahead program is designed to support students facing roadblocks in their academic journey. Book a one-to-one consultation with a Charge Ahead mentor, an experienced upper-year undergraduate or graduate student who understands the challenges you’re experiencing. Together, you’ll reflect on your academic journey and develop an actionable plan to move forward. Learn more by visiting the Charge Ahead program page.

Academic advising

Every student benefits from meeting with an academic advisor throughout their degree program, even if they feel confident in their planning and progress. If you feel like you have fallen off track, that is even more reason to book an appointment. The academic advising webpage will help you find the specialized advisor for you, because there are a variety of different advising offices for different students’ needs. Most students can refer to the advising office for their school or faculty, but there are also specialised advisors for Indigenous, international, first year, graduate, and transfer/advanced degree students.

Advisors can review your academic history and help you figure out a new plan with what courses to take or resources to help you succeed in those courses. They aim to get a holistic sense of your experiences and goals to formulate a plan that works for you. In your appointment, you can talk about short-term goals, like succeeding in a class, or long-term goals, like working towards your future academic and career aspirations. Even if it seems that way, you are never out of options, and an advisor can show you what those options are.

Career Services

For more career-specific help, Career Services is also available to all students! Similarly to academic advisors, career consultants aim to understand your unique academic and career journey to give you personalised advice on how to get where you want to go (or even to figure out where you want to go in the first place). Career services can help you takes steps towards your future career goals now through your academics, as well as connecting you with people and resources to start building the skills and networks to develop the foundations of your career now. The Career Services site has all the information about the different services and programs you can take advantage of.

UM Achieve

UM Achieve is a simple digital tool that helps you track your degree progress. You can run a degree audit, which will review your course history to show you what requirements you have completed and what remains to be done for a particular degree program. As well as reviewing your current degree of choice, you can run a “What-If Audit” to see how your current credits may apply to another degree program if you choose to switch (staying flexible throughout your degree and keeping your mind open to all your options is always a good idea). You can find UM Achieve through your New Aurora dashboard. If you look at your audit and are not sure how to meet the requirements you see, that is a perfect time to make an appointment with an advisor.

Academic Learning Centre

The Academic Learning Centre (ALC) is a treasure trove of in-person services and online resources, with the singular goal of helping you succeed in your academics. For one-to-one help, you can book an appointment with a tutor. Tutors can help you understand course content or help with your writing or study skills. Specialised tutoring services are even available for graduate students and students with English as an additional language. For group-based programs, the ALC can connect you with group study sessions and academic skills workshops. There are even resources you can access at any time online, including “tip sheets” and video workshops. This content covers nearly all the major areas you need to succeed, from specific tasks like note taking to broad skills like time management. You can find more information about all of the services described here on the ALC’s website.

Just reach out

Finally, one of the best ways to keep your head above water when you feel lost in your academic journey is to reach out and connect with the members of your community at UM. For instance, you can talk to your instructors about any problems you are experiencing in your class, or you could even talk to the head of your program of study for broader questions about whether the program is right for you. Getting in touch with your peers is always smart, too. You will probably find that your classmates have encountered many of the same challenges as you, so they may be able to offer advice, or you can tackle the problem together. If you connect with your faculty or department’s student groups, you might even discover additional academic resources offered by your peers.

If you are trying to bounce back for this winter term, you do not have to face any challenges alone. Each of the resources described above is available to University of Manitoba students free of charge, and the staff and students involved want students to take advantage of these opportunities to help them succeed. Best wishes for the new year and new term, Bisons!

UM’s librarians have worked hard to provide a plethora of resources for students. Whether they are first-year students getting used to the kind of work expected of them in the university, or graduate students grinding away at their dissertations, the library has helpful guides to guide students on the right track. UM Libraries have an online writing guide which explains the various aspects of academic writing, from identifying peer-reviewed sources to understanding the ins and outs of how scholarly information is communicated. This includes concise tips sheets to understand different kinds of assignments, especially unconventional or heavy assignments such as annotated bibliographies, theses and dissertations, and critical reviews.

Different faculties and disciplines will have different expectations regarding citation styles, formatting, or types of relevant sources. Navigating these aspects of courses and assignments and knowing where to find further information can be quite a feat. Fortunately, UM Libraries has subject librarians who can help students in specific disciplines. Students can consult with these librarians to get help understanding the expectations of their assignments, find relevant sources, and learn how to properly use those sources in their written assignments. University 1 Librarian Sarah Clark highlights the utility of meeting with subject librarians, “Student appointments are really important because often times, the initial question a student has can lead to related questions about their assignment, and deeper discussions about writing and research. This often provides an opportunity to mention services or resources the student may not have known about or considered before.” Visiting a subject librarian at the start of their assignment can help students work efficiently and avoid confusion or common pitfalls. For those seeking support, Clark points to the importance of consulting librarians directly: “if students have any questions about research or using the Libraries, I’d encourage them to contact their subject librarian either through email or by booking an appointment.”

In her capacity as a librarian, Clark supports the ARTS 1110 course by hosting in-class workshops to discuss information literacy. For new students, this exercise is crucial for instilling confidence and knowledge on how to navigate libraries. “There is often no way to know what students’ prior learning experiences look like,” stresses Clark. “Providing consistent information literacy instruction at an earlier stage of students’ university experiences can help set them up for success. They can become confident with resources, strategies, and techniques that they can apply and reuse in so many different courses and contexts going forward as their research needs evolve.”

The Elizabeth Dafoe Library offers Drop-in Study Sessions with librarians and writing tutors in the Brown Lab (Room 110) on Wednesday and Thursdays from 1:00-2:00 p.m. No registration is required, and these are opportunities for students to work on assignments and ask questions to hone both their research and their writing.

Students can find more information on writing and research skills through workshops offered by UM Libraries in the Fall and Winter terms. These workshops are divided in different series and students are encouraged to find the series that applies to them. For example, Library Essentials is for new students; meanwhile Graduate Student Research supports graduate-level writing and research.

UM Libraries are more than just study spaces or stacks upon stacks of books. UM’s librarians, and all the resources they have curated over the years, are key players in a student’s studies. Understanding that the library is more than just a place for research, but also a space to share knowledge and for students and librarians to assist students to succeed in their studies.

The Academic Learning Centre, in partnership with the Faculty of Graduate Studies, is hosting an intensive 3-day writing retreat designed to help graduate students progress in writing their theses/dissertations.  This Graduate Writing Retreat is based on the Australian National University “Thesis Bootcamp,” where attendees focus on writing as much text as possible in a supported environment. Each day starts with a short workshop on writing faster, managing procrastination, and developing a consistent writing routine.  Attendees will be provided with a quiet space, writing tutor support (if needed), beverages and snacks each day, and lunch for one of the days.

The aim for students attending this bootcamp is to write 10,000 words. This is a stretch goal and aiming big encourages commitment and focus. To increase success, attendees are required to develop and submit a writing plan in advance of the retreat (See: How to prepare a thesis “road map” )  to academic_learning[at]umanitoba[dot]ca with the subject line “thesis roadmap” by 9 a.m. Monday, December 2, 2024. Submitting early is encouraged. Students are encouraged to discuss their writing plans with their advisors or an ALC graduate tutor.

The UM Graduate Writing Retreat will run 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, December 11, 12 and 13, 2024 on the Fort Garry campus. Students must apply to attend.  The Graduate Writing Retreat is NOT virtual and attendees must commit to attending all three days (flex time is available for parents who have children in daycare).

Luckily, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) offers a variety of free resources aimed at helping students find success in their studies.

For some of the University of Manitoba’s notoriously challenging courses, peer leaders (students who have previously completed these courses) guide students through free weekly Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions. Noor Imran, a Faculty of Science student, SI leader, and content tutor, shared that, “these sessions […] helped me stay on top of the course material and identify knowledge gaps so I could address them more effectively. It was also a great opportunity to connect with people and see the thought process of my peers.” Other past participants have shared similarly positive experiences from these sessions, including SI’s value for test preparation and improving problem-solving capacity.  As an SI leader, Noor further noted that these sessions can help students better understand how to approach their courses, and university studies more generally, and build valuable study habits and time-management skills.

Content and study skills tutors are available both in-person and online for free one-to-one appointments. These peer tutors can help students address a variety of concerns related to learning and studying. Noor shared that, “Some of the most common things that students talk about are time management, content help, exam preparation, note-taking strategies and additional resources for academic support.” She also explained that “there are students who are not sure why they are not succeeding in their courses. In those cases, our appointments are almost a diagnostic session where I help them discover shortcomings in their study style/strategies that they might need to improve or change completely. I find that those appointments are fulfilling for the students since they end up with a concrete plan on how to improve their strategies.”

The ALC also offers a variety of other resources and workshops designed to help you hone your skills and gain confidence in your learning.

There are many other supports available across campus, too. Noor explained that “The Science Students’ Association (SSA) has a tutoring program… Student clubs like Undergraduate Microbiology Students’ Club (MiSC) and Chem Club provide academic services for students like exam banks and study nights. For help with mathematics-based courses, the Math Help Centre and the Stats Help Centre are also very useful resources.” Try reaching out to your department, faculty, instructors or student group(s) to see what other resources might be available to you.

There are also many strategies you can explore on your own. Noor recommended making a study schedule, finding a study group and trying out some different study strategies. “I recommend the ‘study guide method’ to students, which is something that works for me. The method allows me to re-explain the concepts to myself through re-writing my notes and customize my study guides in a way that will help me remember and connect concepts (e.g. drawing diagrams, making tables for compare and contrast purposes, making flowcharts for mechanism, etc.). I find this method to be more effective and explanatory than making flashcards or passively copying down the slide’s text,” Noor explained.  As you continue on your learning journey, just know that one size does not fit all; it can be challenging, but taking the time to find the strategies that work for you is very worthwhile!

Make sure to take some time to care for yourself while you attend to your studies. Along with the resources for learning and studying, UM offers resources and services aimed at promoting and fostering student well-being. You can find more information at the Student Wellness website.

For students looking to improve their writing skills, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) provides  one-to-one and group tutoring,  and Drop-in Study Sessions. Writing Tutors make suggestions on students’ work and help develop writing skills at any stage in the writing process or any level of writing. Writing tutors help build foundational skills for writing and strengthen existing skills.

Strong writing is more than proper sentence structure, grammar, or spelling. Completing an academic paper requires skills such as note-taking, research, reading, and time management. For those new to university, the writing process may be unfamiliar. “Organization is a big one [writing skill], as many students are accustomed to writing without an outline upon starting university. For shorter and less complex essays at the high school level, this can be a workable approach, but it is almost invariably a bad idea at the university level,” notes Garrett Levacque, writing tutor with the ALC.

Levacque highlights the value of meeting early with writing tutors: “Some of the appointments [that] students have implied or said were particularly helpful are appointments at these early stages where the student and I co-construct an outline and work together on developing a thesis statement.” Sometimes students may not know how to start planning their writing. By working with a writing tutor, , getting started can be easier and less intimidating.

There are writing tutors for both undergraduate and graduate students who can help students synthesize and develop their thesis statements, cite and reference, meet deadlines, and improve their editing strategies. For graduate students, writing tutors can help with source integration, reference management and organization of ideas in, complex writing tasks like theses and dissertations.

As students advance in university, writing assignments tend to become more frequent and complex. The ALC’s writing tutors can help students adjust to increased expectations in their writing courses. Levacque remarks that “More experienced university students who have not had to do a lot of writing in earlier years of their degree also frequently seek out writing tutors for assistance, with nursing students being a particularly notable cohort of this sort.” Learning to write is an ongoing process, and both new and experienced writers can benefit from meeting with a tutor.

For all students, an outside reader can provide important feedback on their writing. “As a student, I would almost always have a family member read over my papers for clarity, flow, and proofing errors that I might gloss over while revising independently,” recalls Levacque. “I know that many students don’t have that advantage, and campus-based tutoring that is free at the point of service helps to make for a more equitable academic environment where all students can have an informed second set of eyes on their paper.”

Students can make up to two appointment per week with a writing tutor through the ALC tutoring platform

Some areas in which a writing tutor may help students

• Organizing ideas for a paper;
• Understanding the assignment;
• Setting up a writing schedule;
• Planning and outlining;
• Paraphrasing and synthesizing;
• Editing and revision strategies;
• Referencing and citing.

What can students do to improve their writing skills before and after seeing a tutor

• Organization is key! Make clear, detailed outlines
• When researching, note down more than you think you may need. You never know when extra information will come in handy.
• Plan and schedule so that you have time to write. Always allow more time than you think you need.

Interested in becoming a tutor? The ALC hosts regular tutor training workshops to help prepare students to become writing tutors and help their peers. This training also counts towards Experience Record recognition.

The ALC and can be reached by phone at 204-480-1481 or by e-mail at academic_learning[at]umanitoba[dot]ca and at the Bannatyne Reception Desk, S211 Medical Services Building at the Bannatyne Campus.

From 2008 to 2024, Kathy coordinated the Academic Learning Centre’s (ALC) Writing Tutor Program. In this role, she mentored peer writing tutors who assisted students, helping them enhance their writing skills and build confidence through one-to-one support with assignments.

The efforts of the peer writing tutors have culminated in Kathy’s current research project, which focuses on the Course-Based Writing Tutor Program. Through this program, tutors are integrated into specific undergraduate classes, scaffolding the writing process for students.

In her current project, Kathy seeks to understand undergraduate students’ perspectives on academic writing and their perception of the ALC writing tutors as part of their development.

Kathy’s research goal is to gather student feedback for the Writing Tutor Program, thereby improving services for students campus-wide.

As Kathy reflects on her experiences at the ALC through her research project, she is eager to hear from students. Students interested in this research project can contact Kathy at WTPresearch@umanitoba.ca.

Students looking to work with a peer tutor can find more information on the ALC website. Faculty, instructors, and students can also contact the ALC at academic_learning@umanitoba.ca. 

Although tutors often intuitively use effective strategies during their appointments, Tutor Training can significantly improve the way a tutor thinks and interacts with students.

Tutor Training facilitator and Academic Learning Centre instructor, Tim Podolsky, says, “Getting training is the best way for tutors to improve their knowledge and understanding of best practices when it comes to tutoring.”

Participants benefit by improving critical thinking and communication skills. In addition, says Podolsky, “Participants develop an awareness of the role of a tutor, the phases of a tutoring session, using scaffolding strategies and promoting independence, increasing meta-cognition, working with students from different cultural backgrounds, and promoting academic integrity.”

Tutors who attend training and complete the assigned activities also earn recognition on their Experience Record.

The Academic Learning Centre’s Tutor Training is designed to improve the overall quality of tutoring on campus and has been provided since 2004 to a wide variety of tutoring programs at the University of Manitoba, including tutors from Disability Services, ACCESS programs, Aboriginal Focus Programs, the ALC Writing Tutor Program, ALC Content Tutors, Bison Sport Plus, Campus Life, UMES, UM Peers, and the U1 Mentorship Program have taken part in previous training sessions.

The Academic Learning Centre offers students a variety of academic support services.
Find other tutor training sessions, Academic Success Workshops and Academic Learning Centre resources online.

Whether you are a new or returning student, ensuring that you have everything you need to be successful can sometimes feel overwhelming. Don’t worry, October is Student Success Month. 

Student Success Month is about providing services and opportunities to get Bisons like you through the term, and year, successfully. Throughout the month, there will be a broad range of in-person and online events and workshops to help you improve your academic, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Visit the Student Success Month Webpage to find the complete list of events during October including topics like:

• Studying for high volume courses
• Coping with stress
• Creating your own career opportunities
• Academic writing
• and more!

Remember, whether you’re a new student hoping to build the skills you need to succeed, or a returning student trying to reflect and improve previous habits, you are not alone. A Bison is stronger within the herd!