study

With both a new year and a new semester beginning, it’s the perfect time to find new ways to stay on top of assignments and organize your daily tasks. To get you on track, here’s a guide to help you weigh the pros and cons of four different organization methods.

This semester, professors have to adjust how they administer examinations, given that they can no longer supervise students on location. Some decided to assign timed take-home exams, while others requested that students download proctoring software to mirror typical in-person exam conditions. No matter what you will be facing this finals season, as always, Spectrum has some tips to get you through it.

Even though midterm season has just finished, finals are right around the corner. If the upcoming exam season feels overwhelming, here’s Spectrum’s guide to separating yourself from finals and taking them one step at a time.

With lectures being virtual this semester, finals likely feel much more stressful. Whether you’re studying for your economics or biology exam, reading over your notes and rewatching lectures might feel repetitive and unhelpful. In addition to your usual studying, check out these YouTube channels and study sites for a fresh perspective on whatever topic you’re struggling with.

It’s a week before finals and you are swamped with work: Essays need to be written; tests need preparing for; and labs need to be done. Speaking from personal experience, the hardest part of the week isn’t the excessive coffee-drinking or the all-nighters––it’s the helpless feeling of simply not knowing how to solve a problem or structure an essay. In those moments, the best solution is to reach out and get help. Detailed below is a series of Columbia’s undergraduate resources that one should make the most of.

This semester, with students away from campus due to COVID-19 health and safety restrictions, many are no longer able to access Columbia’s libraries and other resources in person. In response, the University has made plans to accommodate international students through its Columbia Global Centers—traditionally international research outposts—which now provide an option for students who need a safe, communal working space outside of their homes.

Three days before boarding a flight from Edinburgh to Los Angeles, I joined 30 strangers on a bus carrying snow equipment. We sat on pleather orange seats inside of what can only be described as a blue metal tin that carried us toward the snowy mountains. My friends and I readied ourselves for a day of skiing and snowboarding in the Scottish Highlands.

Not sure where you should set up camp this midterm season? Have no fear; Spectrum has created the ultimate test to decide which on-campus study spot will help steer the way.

As the threat of the COVID-19 outbreak grows, the University has requested that all students in high-risk locations attempt to return either to their permanent residence or a safer location. The statement, which was sent in an email from Interim Provost Ira Katznelson to the University community, follows a line of updates that have altered Columbia operations in light of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Whether you’re an incoming first-year or a rising senior, it’s never too late nor too early to start scouting for job openings during your time at Columbia or Barnard. Not only can it be an enriching experience to prepare you for life after graduation, it can also serve as a good source of financial support.