Ouachita Stories

The Ouachita Baptist University Academic Success Center operates to help equip Ouachita students with the necessary skills to be successful students. The ASC offers a wide variety of services to all Ouachita students, including improving study habits, time management skills, organization skills and tutoring in specific subjects.

There are opportunities for one-on-one as well as group tutoring, so students are given the option to improve their skills in the environment in which they feel most comfortable. There is no specific time commitment required, so whether it is long-term tutoring or a one-time visit to a planning workshop, students have the opportunity to receive the help they need.

“Watching freshmen come in with a look of anxiety on their face and by midterms feeling comfortable is very rewarding,” said Nicole Porchia, director of the center.

One of the center’s primary goals is to help freshmen transition to the additional academic rigors of university life. The Freshman Success Survey is administered to the freshman class each fall as a way to measure how comfortable incoming students are becoming in their new environments. This survey helps the ASC staff determine how to best serve students in area ranging from handling a college workload to having a roommate.

“Without the Academic Success Center, my study habits wouldn’t be what they are today,” said Buck Gilbert, a sophomore from Mountain Home, Ark. “The individuals at the ASC gave me the tools I needed to feel like I could be successful.” Gilbert, who used the ASC frequently during his freshman year, built strong bonds with his tutors that have carried on into his sophomore year.

The ASC focuses primarily on providing tutors for the CORE subjects. Study groups for science classes, history classes and composition classes are most commonly held, but help in major classes are available as well. A campus schedule of study session times is emailed to students each Monday.

New to the ASC this year is a series of online workshops. Rather than meeting with a group for workshops, the opportunity to receive online help is now available in areas including: exam preparation, online courses tips, stress management techniques, learning strategies and overcoming procrastination. The online workshops can be accessed at www.obu.edu/success/asc-workshop-schedule.

To learn more about the Academic Success Center, visit www.obu.edu/success or stop by their suite in Lile Hall 122.

By Dalaney Thomas