By Alexander Novoa, April 18, 2023
Bronco Access Mentors from the Disability Resource Center hosted a finals prep and Boba workshop during U-hour April 6 for Cal Poly Pomona students.
The DRC announced the start of the new Bronco Access Mentor program early in the spring semester. To kick things off, the program hosted this workshop to equip and help the 20 CPP students at the event with time management and study skills.
Bronco Access Mentors Arpitha Sundar and Grace Engleman welcomed students into the workshop with free boba drinks to the first 15 attendees and handouts with many tips on studying and managing time.
The workshop began with an interactive presentation led by Sundar and Engleman sharing their personal study routines and tips on staying focused and motivated during long study sessions.
“Making to-do lists is the biggest thing that helps me,” said Engleman. “Sometimes you want to prioritize what’s due soonest. Sometimes you want to prioritize what’s the biggest task. Sometimes you want to prioritize what’s going to get you into the zone so that you can work up to that hard task.”
With only one month left in the spring semester, Sundar and Engleman suggested students establish a routine to help them feel more in control of their workload.
Psychology student Andrea Peralta shared how she balances her academic responsibilities and manages stress to avoid burnout during studying.
“I try to plan it in the calendar and schedule my assignments by when it is due,” said Peralta. “I also like to take walks or go on a boba run to clear my mind.”
While students may have their preferred methods, the workshop presentation highlighted time blocking as an effective approach.
Time blocking involves dividing the day into blocks of time and assigning big or small tasks to each block. This time management technique allows students to prioritize tasks and eliminate distractions.
Several students attending the workshop attested to technology and social media being a distraction when studying and working on homework.
Gender, ethnicity and multicultural studies student Belem Acuña mentioned how her phone could lead to procrastination, so she puts her phone as far away as possible to help her stay focused.
“The new update on my phone also has an option where I click it, and it doesn’t give me notifications,” said Acuña.
With notifications coming in from different apps, students described themselves as feeling distracted and interrupted while attempting to focus on studying and completing assignments.
At the end of the workshop, Sundar and Engleman shared more information about goal setting by having students complete a small activity and having them write down the goals they wanted to accomplish.
Sundar and Engleman also walked around the room, answering student’s questions about the services the DRC and the Bronco Access Mentors program offer.
The DRC aims to provide equal opportunities for students with permanent and temporary disabilities to participate in every aspect of campus life.
“Some people have the view that disability is a very specific thing,” said Sundar. “What we tend to do is we try to remove those barriers for students and help them out and give them accommodations so that they have the same type of experience as other college students without any disabilities.”
Students looking to get accommodations from the DRC must apply online using their Bronco username and password and then meet with an access specialist to determine their eligibility.
The DRC also offers other services like real-time captioning, sign language interpreting and test accommodations.
Students interested in getting accommodations or wanting to meet with a Bronco Access Mentor can visit the DRC website for more information.
Feature image courtesy of Alexander Novoa
