When Jimmy Vargas was dismissed from the computer science major after failing a calculus course twice, he didn’t know what to do. Following email instructions from the university, he enrolled in an education counseling and personnel services course offered by Learning Assistance Service, a division of the counseling center — and his luck began to turn.
“Honestly, LAS kind of saved my life,” Vargas said. “Using their services gave me a fundamental education to rely on when times get difficult, as well as the confidence to do whatever I wanted to do.”
Ultimately, after completing the course and receiving a recommendation from his professor, Vargas was readmitted to the college, this time armed with new study techniques and reinvigorated motivation. He will graduate this semester with a degree in geographical information sciences.
LAS, which Vargas credits with reviving his college career, focuses on student academic performance, armed with a variety of resources to improve study techniques, motivation and attitude.
Courses that focus on student learning techniques, such as the one Vargas took, are a small piece of what the office offers. In addition to classes for credit, LAS has workshops for students, free one-on-one appointments with counselors, a peer mentor program, a returning students program, a dissertation support group and guided study sessions.
Though LAS has existed since 1957 and is one of the oldest such programs in the nation, it has grown in popularity in recent years, said Marcy Marinelli, the division’s director. The division has reached out to 4,439 students so far this semester through all of its services, up 18 percent from this time last year and 38 percent from its 2010-13 average.
LAS’ most popular resources are its guided study sessions, hosted by students who have succeeded in particular courses in previous semesters. Marinelli said the sessions are designed to help current students master material in some of the traditional “weed out” courses.
The guided study sessions have “mushroomed,” doubling in popularity since their creation in 1998. Marinelli estimated about half of the students LAS helps come from the guided study session courses.
Last year, LAS added more of a “coaching” model for its one-on-one sessions, focusing less on personality dynamics and more on strategy development with students.
“A lot of times, students come to college after doing well in high school without studying much or without putting in a lot of effort. It’s a shock when they get here and are getting grades they’ve never even seen before,” Marinelli said. “We try to help them realize that academic success isn’t just about intelligence, it’s about strategies and attitudes.”
Junior economics major Jessica Palacios credits the one-on-one counseling with changing her entire mindset on study techniques. She met with a counselor at the end of each week during the summer.
“Before, I was just doing what my friends were doing — not really studying, and not really remembering information. It was getting me into trouble, and LAS really taught me how to study for my learning type,” Palacios said.
“The science course I took over the summer I was really dreading, I couldn’t wait to get it over with,” she said. “I ended up loving the course.”
Both Palacios and Vargas said their experiences with LAS will continue to help them.
“People tend to misprioritize what they need to do,” Vargas said. “LAS has really helped me to mature to my responsibilities.”
