Kortschak Center helps students with time management

We haven’t even hit the  middle of the semester and, yet, many of us have already gone through our first wave of midterms. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had mostly papers, but I am by no means exempt from my assignments all being due at the same time. As the semester officially kicks into high gear, so does the inevitable stress that persists all the way until finals. But there seems to be a misconception about stress. Most college students believe that if you aren’t stressed, you’re not doing enough. The important factor here, however, is that there is a difference between good stress and bad stress. As humans, we experience stress as a natural reaction. Positive stress can help with making quick decisions or even be a catalyst that makes us work more efficiently, but “bad stress” is when you’re in a constant state of tension. Being in this state for an extended period of time can lead to very dangerous results. Thus, we should be wary of using the “all college students are stressed” excuse to make this a habit.

As my final semester proceeds, I’m always on the hunt for resources that could help my fellow classmates in the future. This week I had the opportunity to explore one of the hidden gems on campus, the USC Kortschak Center for Learning and Creativity. The Kortschak Center is primarily a place for students to meet with academic coaches and improve their time and stress management. The center, located on the third floor of the Student Union, felt very welcoming and open despite its small size. I was able to speak with Sarah Bui, a senior majoring in health promotion, at the front desk as she happily gave me more information on how things work in the Kortschak Center. If you’re looking to work with an academic coach, you first would make an appointment for consultation so that they can get a better understanding of your class schedule and your goals.

“Our academic coaches are part of the USC Rossier School of Education Master’s Program so they’re very well-versed in helping students organize their commitments,” Bui said. From here, you would be able to meet with an academic coach every week to make sure you’re sticking to a schedule and start turning your actions into habits.

As Sarah was relaying this information to me, it felt very conversational as opposed to someone just reading off of a fact sheet. It really helped me understand the importance and mission of Kortschak. With better time management comes better stress management.

“It’s important to manage our time because it gives us the backbone on how to discipline ourselves in every aspect of our lives,” Bui said.

Not only can students receive a more intimate focus with the help of the academic coaches, they are also able to develop short-term goals and build better habits on a regular basis rather than meeting just a few times a semester through other services. Not only does this develop better practices, but it also ensures that someone will understand you personally. What Kortschak seeks to prepare for students is the ability to develop skills that prevent stress from manifesting in the long term.

“Our space is here to foster a focus for learning and to help students with creativity and making things work for them individually,” Bui said.

Though we may believe that stress is inevitable, it’s more important to know how to harness your stress to improve your life rather than let it hold you back from achieving your goals. During this period of the semester and onward, be sure to remove yourself from situations that intensify your stress, whether that be a physical environment or a social one. To function at an optimal level, you must take care of yourself; continuous all-nighters and attempting to suppress emotional stress will eventually lead to a break that will set you off track even more than you already were. Take necessary precautions, research resources on campus that can offer study or stress tips and, most importantly, good luck on midterms.

Alexa Edwards is a senior majoring in communication. Her column, “In the Meantime,” runs every other Wednesday.