As students return to campus from the Thanksgiving holiday, one thing looms ahead — finals. UCA offers resources to help conquer those final projects, papers and late-night study sessions in the last weeks of the semester.
Finals schedule
The last day of class is Thursday, Dec. 7, and study day is Friday, Dec. 8. Final exams will take place Dec. 9-15.
The final exam calendar can be found at https://uca.edu/registrar/final-exam-schedule/. Just click “Fall 2023 Final Exam Schedule” and it will lead to a PDF.
Finals are typically not at the same time as your normal class schedule, so make a note of the times of exams – and make sure to set alarms ahead of time if you have an 8 a.m. exam.
It can also be helpful to reread the syllabuses of your courses to determine what kind of exam you have.
Writing help
The change from high school papers to college essays can be a big gap. The Center for Writing and Communication offers tutoring, proofreading and collaborative help in guiding students through papers and research projects.
Appointments can be face-to-face, over Zoom, or via email.
The best way to keep up with the CWC’s hours is to check its Instagram @ucacwc. However, its current hours are 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 6-9 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday.
To ensure you can grab an appointment, don’t wait until the last minute before finals week.
“It’s that time of the semester,” one post says. “The CWC is getting pretty booked up, so make sure you’re checking Navigate to get a time that works for you and your assignment deadlines.”
To make an appointment, visit https://my.uca.edu/tasks/navigate-student/.
Library hours
The library can be a great place to get some studying done ahead of finals and extended hours are offered to accommodate students.
On study day, Friday, Dec. 8 the library will close at 9 p.m. instead of the usual 5 p.m.
On Saturday, Dec. 9 the library will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
On Sunday, Dec. 10 the library will open at noon and resume normal hours — 24/7.
However, the library can get busier than normal ahead of finals, so use the reservation system if you’re looking to hunker down in one of the study rooms.
To reserve a room, visit https://uca.edu/library/ and navigate to the “Study Rooms” option. Individual rooms are available, as well as larger rooms for those group projects.
Research guides
Students struggling with research papers can find many resources on Torreyson Library’s webpage. In fact, there is a library survival guide that makes navigating through these resources much easier.
To try it out, visit https://uca.libguides.com/2023survivalguide. Besides research guides, resource lists and other valuable helpers, there is also an option to chat with a librarian on the site.
Stumped students can quickly receive help with the chat function, or if they need further help, can make a face-to-face or Zoom appointment with a librarian.
And don’t let paywalls set back your research; your library fees get you access to plenty of databases and our extremely efficient inter-library loan system.
Don’t panic
Before panicking, reread your syllabuses, reach out to your professors, or do a quick Google search to see if there are entities on campus that can help you out.
As finals get closer, stay connected by checking your student email for resources and reminders as the semester wraps up.
Many registered student organizations host de-stressing events as well, which you can find flyers and information for on social media and on CubConnect, which can be accessed through the MyUCA portal.
