Mariah Escobar 
Draya Rios/THE RIDER
As finals season approaches, some students may be stressing and cramming to understand the material for their courses, according to a Learning Center lead tutor.
“We sometimes as tutors [do] not have many appointments or any people coming in … but, finals week, it gets rough,” said Cristian Gonzalez, lead tutor in The Learning Center and accounting senior. “The Learning Center gets full.”
The Learning offers a variety of resources to students who want extra help preparing for their classes and exams, according to Hector Leal, program manager for peer-led team learning.
“Close to exam days, there’s usually an increase in [the] number of students, so it is really important for them to take advantage and book their appointments,” Leal said.
Gonzalez added, when he was a tutor in financial accounting, he was tutoring six students at once and added tutors prepare for their sessions by going over the student’s needs.
“They’re not 100% sure on,” he said. “They go ahead and take a refresher on it. … Once you tutor it over and over … it just never leaves your mind.”
Students prepare for finals differently as some may prefer to study alone or in a group, said Anthony Moreno, an electrical engineering junior.
“For me, personally, I do like studying … by myself,” Moreno said. “It does help me focus and stay on track.”
Sergio Cordero, a computer engineering sophomore, said he gains a better understanding studying in groups because his peers may know answers he does not and vice versa as well as using artificial intelligence.
“I don’t use ChatGPT; I use Gemini ’cause it tends to be a bit more accurate answer, and it tends to explain more,” Cordero added. “… You try to, like, simplify stuff, and it’ll simplify it [to your] understanding.”
Isaiah Torres, a mechanical engineering sophomore, said there are other resources students may use to help them study for exams, such as creating practice problems and solving them.
It is important to take breaks, such as going out for walks, so that students do not overwhelm themselves, Torres added.
Cordero said it is a problem trying focusing with a phone and recommends students to leave it for an hour or two to be able to do schoolwork.
“Don’t get that distracted or too overconfident in things ’cause it does come back to you eventually,” he said.
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