With final exams approaching rapidly, various Grand Valley State University departments are providing students with events and resources to help them prepare for their tests. The exam prep events will begin Nov. 30 and continue until Dec. 17.

A department that will offer students much assistance during the weeks leading up to final exams is the Meijer Center for Writing.

One of these services is called “Exam Cram,” a program supported by the writing center along with University Counseling, Residence Life, the Knowledge Market and various other departments.

Exam Cram offers support services such as access to therapy dogs, yoga sessions, massages and more.

Additionally, the Speech Lab and research consultant program will host Craft Drafting, which will include adult coloring books, origami and other crafts designed to give students a break during their studying.

Furthermore, the writing center will increase the number of consultants at its multiple locations in order to meet increased student demand.The center will also provide feedback on take home exams, with the approval of the student’s professor.

“Some teachers assign take home exams that are very similar to other writing assignments,” said Patrick Johnson, the director for the Meijer Center for Writing. “Sometimes a teacher will allow students to seek outside feedback on their work, and in those cases, the writing center is happy to help. Our consultants do not discuss content areas – in terms of right and wrong answers – but we can help with other aspects of writing such as clarity, citation, focus, grammar, etc.”

Along with the writing center, the Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers some assistance with final exam preparation.

While the SASC is not holding any workshops for exam preparation, there will be advisers available for one-on-one academic coaching. Students can make an appointment for these sessions online.

“We will be able to assess how students are doing currently within their academics, and then give suggestions, strategies, and organizational tools to help them improve their academic success,” said Mariana Naddaf, an academic coach graduate assistant for the SASC.

The SASC department has also provided students with multiple online learning skills resources including study strategies, tips, videos and app suggestions designed to assist in studying.

“Prepare, prepare, prepare. Start studying now,” Naddaf said. “You should be reviewing material after class, not waiting until a day or two before the final. Creating a study schedule for the week before exams would be beneficial to plan out when you will study for what exam; it will also help with procrastination.”

“In regard to other services that may help during exam time, I would recommend the other Knowledge Market services (peer research consultants and speech consultants), the tutoring center, the library staff and services and the counseling center,” said Melanie Rabine, a writing center coordinator for the Meijer Center for Writing.

For more information on Exam Cram or the exam preparation services, visit www.gvsu.edu/library/exam-cram-13.htm.