With final exams coming up, all of my peers seem to be in a frenzy as they anxiously cram for exams, polish final papers, and develop A-worthy final presentations. As a writing tutor at Endicott’s Tutoring and Writing Center, I can see this stress increase right before my eyes, as the number of students in the center has been increasing every single day for the past few weeks. With this, I can’t help but wonder why the center is not always as full as it is at the end of the semester. Is there still a stigma around receiving help? Why is this? I hope that in this article, I am able to shed light on the benefits of regular tutoring and show that tutoring is not an option only open to those who are struggling. In fact, I strongly believe that tutoring can benefit all students, regardless of age, race, gender, and most importantly, GPA.
Of course, I may biased when I say that the Tutoring and Writing Center is an incredible (free!) resource that is available to all students. I am sure you have heard this before, whether it be from professors or parents, but once I became a peer tutor myself, I developed a different appreciation for this work. When I first got trained to be a peer writing tutoring back in the summer, one of the most important things that I learned was that a session should not involve simply editing a paper for a student and handing it back. Instead, a session should be a guided workshop used to teach the skills needed to write great papers, regardless of the discipline. Therefore, many of us tutors in the center try to help our peers become well-rounded writers, rather than try to help our peers get an A on one specific paper. The goal is that at the end of a session, a student leaves with more confidence in their abilities as a writer. Starting to develop these skills right at the start of the semester is a really an empowering experience, leaving one to be more confident, less stressed, and more prepared for the final in the end.
Tutoring is also great because it can be completely individualized. Every student gets to learn at their own pace and gets someone to bounce ideas off of. When a student signs up to meet with me, I am able to devote a entire 30 minutes or 60 minutes of my time solely to answering their questions and/or providing them with personalized suggestions to improve their own work. From my own experience, I know that sometimes asking a professor for help can actually be less effective because they have limited time to help or struggle to completely understand the questions their students ask them. This is because professors who are extremely educated in a field oftentimes struggle to translate material into simpler, more accessible terms. Therefore, as a student myself, I believe that I am better able to emphasize with any confusion my peers may have. In addition, as a fellow student, it is easier for students to have open and honest conversations with me because they know that I will not judge them or negatively impact their grade in the class. Who knows, you might become friends with your tutor!
The secrets out. Your professors know if you attend a tutoring session. As a tutor, part of my responsibility is to write-up a short report after each session. These details are sent directly to a student’s professor. I have found that at a small school like Endicott, professors really take these efforts to receive extra help into account when grading. Professors love to see a drive and determination to succeed in their classes. Therefore, a student’s grade in a class has the potential to dramatically increase if they receive tutoring, as they are improving their skills in addition to displaying an honest effort to improve. It really is a win-win situation for all students.
Tutoring is not as scary as it may initially seem to be. Even if you don’t come prepared with specific questions, just having someone read your paper to ensure it actually makes sense and isn’t completely awful is a great benefit. I hope that next semester, you step out of your comfort zone and schedule an appointment with us. We would absolutely LOVE to see you at the Tutoring and Writing Center!