On Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28, 2025, from 11:45 to 14:45, the SSP (Student Success Program) held the "Overcome Mid-Semester Slump" for students reaching the turning point of the semester! A total of 8 students took part over the two days. ☺ This event was designed for students who had just finished their midterm reports and were feeling anxious about their grades or studies. The goal was to alleviate academic anxiety and boost motivation. We scheduled different faculties for different dates to ensure we could offer advice highly specialized to each field of study. For this iteration, we shifted from our earlier "Study + Consultation" format to a "Consultation-Focused" format, placing emphasis on listening deeply and carefully to the concerns held by participants. We hope to connect these insights to the creation of new SSP initiatives in the future.
(Poster for "Overcome Mid-Semester Slump")
(Photos from "Overcome Mid-Semester Slump")
November 27th
This session targeted students from the College of Business Administration, the College of Comprehensive Psychology, and the College of Policy Science.
Four students took part, and many of the consultations were specific to their faculties, such as methods for test studying, how to create statistical graphs, and advice on presentation materials.
A second-year student from the College of Comprehensive Psychology asked about study methods for upcoming tests and test formats. Although SSP Peer Supporter was from the same faculty but taking different subjects, they were able to provide advice based on the specific professor in charge, helping the student concretely visualize "how to prepare." At SSP, we value creating a space where students can casually discuss worries like "I don't know who to ask about this..." regardless of their grade or faculty.
November 28th
This session targeted students from the College of Information Science and Engineering and the College of Image Arts and Sciences.
Four students took part, bringing highly specialized consultations such as how to study programming, anxiety about specialized subjects, and the characteristics of English classes.
A third-year student from the College of Information Science and Engineering consulted us, saying, "I'm in a slump and can't focus on test studying." As we talked, it became clear that the root cause of the anxiety was spending time studying while having a vague image of the future. We decided that it was necessary to think about career paths and graduate school choice from a researcher's perspective, so we suggested consulting with a faculty member. The student responded positively, saying, "After I talk to the teacher, I'll come to your event again!" We felt a deep sense of accomplishment in being able to support the alleviation of their anxiety, even if just a little! Moving forward, we want to continue politely addressing not just academic aspects but also career and future concerns, connecting students to specialized on-campus agencies when necessary.
Reflections and Future Outlook
In this event, we addressed the issue from our earlier planning—where a short publicity period led to fewer participants than expected—by using various media such as posters, flyers, and SNS continuously from before the event until the day of. Notably, half of the participants learned about the event through flyer distribution on the day itself and became interested. We realized that day-of publicity is effective for attracting students, and that continuing publicity during the event can further increase participation.
Additionally, the goal of this event was to make it a consultation-centered session where we could listen deeply to participants' concerns. Since all participants reported that they were able to resolve their issues, we truly felt the effectiveness of this format!
On the other hand, we found a challenge: some students saw the posters and were aware of the event—and were indeed feeling anxious about exams and reports—but felt a high hurdle to entry. They felt it required courage to go to a consultation session without knowing the details of the organization or what exactly takes place. We want to improve this by advertising the group's overview and details about who is offering consultation and on what topics, so students can take part with peace of mind. Furthermore, through creative titles, phrasing, and atmosphere building, we will work to make SSP recognized as an easily accessible tool! While this event targeted the College of Policy Science, Business Administration, Comprehensive Psychology, Information Science and Engineering, and Image Arts and Sciences at the OIC campus, most participants were from Comprehensive Psychology and Information Science and Engineering. We learned that students in these faculties have many academic concerns and require support, so we are planning to consider intensive events specialized for specific faculties in the future! OIC SSP posts useful information for university life and event details on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and manaba+R. We post everything from academic tips to general university life info, such as event announcements, qualification introductions, how to register for courses, and lunch spots around OIC, so please check them out!
(Report: SSP Peer Supporter, Kotone, Asuka)