Let’s Talk Disabilities-With Isabella Smarro
By Isabella Smarro, Managing Editor
Midterms are what some students call “Hell Week Part 1.” For some who have multiple classes that require essays, homework and more, midterms are certainly a heavy burden. I lucked out this year as I only have one midterm to take, but with that said, it’s not an easy class since memorizing is a difficult thing for me.
Audrey Hepburn’s quote “Nothing is impossible, the word itself says I’m possible!” really stands out to me during these next few weeks. I’ve proven my doctors wrong a million times by going to college and having good grades. Studying is boring, hard and sometimes feels like a waste, but if I try to do my best then my outcome will lean closer to the possible than the impossible side.
HVCC has many options that students can take control of to support them with succeeding in their classes. LAC or Learning Assistance Center helps with instructions on math, learning strategies and more.
“The LAC is staffed by education specialists, professional tutors and peer tutors who provide small group and one-on-one instruction,” stated on their main website which is found at https://www.hvcc.edu/studentservices/academic-support/learning-centers/lac.html
If you need help but can’t get to Hudson Valley during that time, there are amazing websites that help with multiple studies. I stumbled upon this website titled “College-Raptor” which had an article by Allison Wignall, talking about 12 online study tools that any college student could use during midterms and finals.
While looking through the options, two of them spoke to me. One of them was Grammarly, which helps with correcting spelling mistakes. Now I used to take this and do nothing with it, feeling it was a waste of data space on my computer, but now as a college student with multiple essays due a semester, the support from this website was needed. I’m a terrible speller, so using this as an option made a difference in the end outcome of my papers.
The other one that spoke to me was Tinycards, a digital notecard app. I do many better-using notecards to study but it’s hard to keep track of all of them. With this app, you can create and share your note cards while knowing what goes where.
If you’d like to check out the other 10 suggestions given in that article, use this link: https://www.collegeraptor.com/find-colleges/articles/tips-tools-advice/10-free-online-study-tools/
Studying isn’t the only thing that is stressful during midterm week. It’s the addition of classes, sports, plays, clubs and more. With all this, many become emotionally drained.
“Recipe for success: Study while others are sleeping; work while others are loafing; prepare while others are playing and dream while others are wishing.” – William A. Ward
The quote brings the truth to have a great future, but it doesn’t help if someone is struggling with the after-effects of trying to succeed.
HVCC offers counseling and wellness services. This website found with this link: https://www.hvcc.edu/studentservices/counseling-wellness/index.html
The link contains multiple support options including information on the Six Dimensions of Wellness. What are they you may ask, well… emotional, occupational, physical, social, intellectual and spiritual? Each one contains a list of how to support yourself on that topic.
The moment I read; “Many of us feel isolated, confined and generally out of sorts. We are providing this information to assist you in improving and managing wellness during these difficult times,” on the top of the website page, I knew some of the information was going to be useful.
If you need physical in-person assistance, the school has both counselors and programs to attend. To get in touch with a person, you can reach them at (518) 629-7320. Some of the programs/events being offered to all students include Monday’s Minutes of Meditation, Wednesday’s Words of Wellness and Friday’s Feels.
I know that midterms are hard and feel like hell, but at least you’re not alone. With that, many people need help or want to help you succeed. You can do anything, sometimes it just takes a little more effort.