Grace LaTourelle-
As the school year kicked off on Tuesday with an influx of homework, commitments to schedules, work, and “to-do” lists, so did the resources available to students. The Academic Support Center, the Counseling Center, and the Writing Center are tools that assist in the maintenance of school-life balance at Gustavus.
“In a Liberal Arts environment, students get exposed to ideas from all different disciplines and forge really interesting connections between those disciplines in a way that helps you become a more developed thinker…” Writing Center Director and Assistant Professor in English, Eric Vrooman said.
At the core of the Liberal Arts education is the idea of interdisciplinary work. This can also be reflected through the vast amount of activities that students are engaging in, such as organizations and jobs. However, academics are central to the college experience and commitment.
“I think students can think about their classes and their homework like a full-time job,” Associate Director of the Academic Support Center Jane Lalim said.
Lalim noted that 5-15 hours working a job, both on and off campus, was reasonable, however, 45 hours of academic work per week was essential to “doing well”. Lalim figured that most students have 15 hours of class per week and to be successful in their classes, students should allot 30 hours per week of work and study. These 30 hours, Lalim suggested, can be broken up into three 10-hour segments: time during the school day, evenings on school nights, and the weekend. Lalim also noted the increments of time that might get missed in between classes or other commitments.
“The more things that can get done before practice or music rehearsal or theater or sports in the afternoon make the evenings and weekends more manageable,” Lalim said.
To make use of in-between periods and the most out of these 10 hours, Lalim suggested that students be intentional about scheduling. Waking up two hours earlier before a 10 a.m. class would result in 5 extra hours of studying per week.
“Approach a week with some intentionality. Proactively schedule and don’t just let things happen to you,” Lalim said.
Lalim proposed that students might benefit from using a physical academic planner, rather than a digital one.
The Academic Support Center is located in Anderson 107. Students are able to schedule appointments online on the Gustavus website, through a phone call, or in person. The center offers three main services: academic planning, academic support, and accessibility resources. They also are offering a new planning sheet that is concurrent with the new academic calendar.
“Our mission is…empowering students to thrive academically,” Lalim said.
Writing, whether in humanities or STEM classes, is also prevalent in college academics. The Writing Center is a resource that students might utilize to aid in their academic pursuits. The Writing Center aims to be accessible, by offering three in-person locations, in the CIE, room 211 in the Library, and room 104 of Anderson. They also offer three types of services including in-person help, video call, or written feedback. Students can schedule appointments with the Writing Center online or in person.
“I do think that reading and writing and discussion prepare people for not just careers, but fulfilling lives,” Vrooman said.
The Writing Center is represented by 21 majors across the staff. Vrooman highlighted that hired students are not only strong writers but also people who can be characterized by their interpersonal skills and kindness.
“Writing is very hard. Life in 2024 is hard. At the Writing Center, we want to be an ally and to assist in any way possible…One of the biggest factors in terms of supporting writers and students and building confidence is praise, ” Vrooman acknowledged.
To dispel the fear of criticism or to not overwhelm students with writing or editing, the Writing Center aims to limit the number of critiques it gives to a paper. In addition, they encourage students to visit multiple times and highlight a student’s strengths as a writer.
Some students, however, might feel an invariable amount of stress or anxiety throughout the school year. The Counseling Center, located in The Johnson Student Union, room 204, is another resource to assist students with academic stress. The Counseling Center is a full-functioning mental health clinic that is free and confidential.
“Academics…grades, weigh so much on a person’s perspective of their future possibilities,” Assistant Director of the Counseling Center and Mental Health Therapist, Aaron Geringer recognized. “There’s a lot of people I work with who have perfectionistic tendencies, which I think comes with being in a high achieving community. That’s not necessarily bad. But with that, there’s a lot of… fear of failure or fear of not getting it right the first time.”
Students are able to make appointments with the Counseling Center in person or through phone calls. The Counseling Center also sponsors “Let’s Talk” which is a drop-in conversation with staff. They are available every weekday from 11:30-12:30 in The Counseling Hub which is a shared space with the Women’s Action Coalition, next to the CIE. “Let’s Talk” is a way to have a quick chat with a mental health professional or find resources without an appointment.
“We help students with a range of problems. We like to say there’s no problem too small,” Geringer said.
The Counseling Center also provides support groups for LGBTQ+ and/or neurodivergent students, as well as a series of workshops. Topics of some workshops include: managing anxiety, adjustments, grief, and sleep hygiene. “Workshops,” Geringer noted, “are ways to help students enhance their well-being.”
“To keep up with all of our…responsibilities, that requires a lot of work and organization and a lot of sacrifices. And a lot of the sacrifices revolve around wellbeing and mental health, unfortunately,” Geringer said. “So that’s where we’re here to help students figure out how to reach that balance as best as they can.”
Lalim suggested that when students are struggling, they look at “what’s out of balance” and analyze whether they might be receiving or participating in too much or too little of something. Among these options are organizations, work, study time, and sleep.
“It might sound silly to remember to schedule a good eight hours of sleep, but when things get out of balance for students, often the sleep schedule is really off and out of balance…” Lalim said.
Geringer, who runs the sleep hygiene workshop through the Counseling Center, also acknowledged the importance of sleep and how current systems and phone usage might interplay with that.
“I think there’s so much in our modern society that pushes us to deny what we need and sometimes we don’t even realize that,” Geringer said.
Despite the pressure coming from academics, Gusties are involved in a variety of commitments. These too, might induce stress through time commitments and projects.
“I think that’s how life is…we…have to learn how to maybe let ourselves not put as much energy into some things…or sometimes that means finding little ways to take things off of your plate, or say no, setting some boundaries for yourself,” Geringer recommended.
With the fall semester and onward, Gusties are encouraged to utilize their resources to promote positive mental health and well-being and a strong academic-life balance for success.