NIU students gathered in the Illinois, Douglas, Heritage and Lincoln Rooms Wednesday night to earn their ticket to academic success.

The Office of Student Academic Success took control of the second floor of the Holmes Student Center to host a Midsemester Check, an event where students could attend workshops on subjects like improving study skills, and time and stress management.

About 20 students attended three different sessions and had the opportunity to pick from 12 different topics.

A popular session was “Enhancing Your Study Skills,” led by Carol Deemer, support personnel for the A+ program within ACCESS.

Deemer spoke for about 30 minutes about good note-taking, test-taking and improving studying habits.

She recommended that students be comfortable when studying, but not to study in their bed.

“Beds are for sleeping and other interesting things, but not for studying,” Deemer said.

She also recommended not studying late at night.

“After 11 p.m., it takes you twice as long to do the same amount of work,” she said.

Sophomore pre-nursing major Julian Sarabia said he came to the Midsemester Check hoping to get some tips on improving his study skills.

After the break, students attended a second session, and many students chose “Tips on Managing Stress.”

The session was hosted by Andrea Drott and Larry Raji, graduate assistants for Health Enhancement .

They said the top five stressors for college students are finances, academics, intimate relationships, family problems and sleep difficulties.

Raji and Drott suggested healthy stress relievers like music, exercise, meditation and relaxing.

“Learn to say no,” Raji said. “You can’t say yes to everything and be everywhere at once.”

After the second session break, students gathered in the Heritage Room to hear ACCESS director Shevawn Eaton speak about time management.

Loren Buckley, senior pre-physical therapy major, said she had been looking forward to that session.

“I’m not sure where my time goes,” she said.

Eaton’s presentation on time management focused on two main topics: motivation and organization.

Eaton said students who are motivated about what they are doing are much more likely to do it on time. Sometimes that motivation can come from desire to not repeat an unpleasant experience.

“There’s only one thing worse than taking a horrible class,” Eaton said. “Taking it again.”

Eaton recommended students study on a reward system. After studying for 45 minutes, she said to use your cell phone for 15 minutes, and then shut it off again.

After getting a syllabus, students should put all their tests, readings and quizzes in a planner immediately, Eaton said.

Eaton provided students with some motivation and an important reminder.

“You’re here to get an education,” she said.