Student success seminars came and went last week, but more are soon to follow.
Sharon Juenemann, the learning assistant coordinator, says there are usually about 25 people in the classroom for each seminar that has been held. Many students attend after their teachers have advocated a seminar, or offered them extra credit for their time.

MHCC student Eric Worden attended Oct. 26 for the seminar on “Improving Memory and Concentration.” He said, “It was good,” and the seminar covered “practices to use to improve retention of what you’re learning as far as taking notes.” He received one point of extra credit for his 100-point class.

William Najar and five others showed up for the “Developing Emotional Intelligence” seminar held Oct. 19, which was a success in his opinion. For attending that seminar, he received extra credit in three separate classes.

The “Strong Interest Inventory” seminar, “is a career-related assessment, and it asks you about your likes and dislikes and helps you figure out what you might be good at,” said Juenemann. “[It tells you] what you might not want to go into.”

Students won’t find it on the newer schedule though. The facilitator for it has taken a job elsewhere. It has been canceled until they can offer it again, which according to Juenemann, will most likely be sometime in December.

On Nov. 1, two students waited for the Student Success Seminar to begin, but there was no one to conduct it. The seminar for the day was called, “Learning From Lectures: Note-taking and beyond.” Juenemann blamed confusion and schedule changes for the absence of an instructor.

“I came because I have a paper to turn in today,” said Najar, “I thought it [the seminar] would be very helpful.” He had hoped to acquire extra credit for his attendance. He was disappointed, but still intends to go to several more seminars, for extra credit and knowledge.

Despite minor setbacks, other seminars such as Beating the Procrastination Habit and Test-Taking Strategies should continue as planned. Schedule are available in the Learning Assistance and tutoring area above the library. The Career Planning and Counseling Center, as well as the Learning Assistance Center, are sponsoring the Student Success Seminars. For additional information, call Sharon Juenemann at 503-491-7590.