Tutoring!!!
This is the fifth of 12 post in the Tips for Success Series. This series is to help Rebels through the semester with tips and tricks for those high grades in the classroom. It may even help you keep your sanity on the worst of days!
I can remember the summer before my first year at college I got so many resources they were coming out of my ears. I got an honest to goodness booklet of resources on campus that I was told I should take full advantage of; however, like any other first year college student, I had so many things to do that I barely had time to look at the booklet let alone take advantage of what was inside. On top of this I was really struggling with my course work so some of the first resources I found were tutoring resources. So, to save you some of the trouble here are the tutoring resources at your disposal.
Library tutoring center:
I struggled in the change from high school to college academically, one of the big things that helped me out was the Lied Library Tutoring Center. Not only do they have a plethora of tutors that you can use, it’s also a group environment so there are (usually) a plethora of students there who are struggling with the same problems that you are, or have overcome the problems that you are having. If you are struggling in a class, I would definitely recommend coming to the tutoring center for help.
Engineering tutoring center:
Even after my first classes, I still continued to need some extra help with my classes and, as I am an engineering major, I quickly found it difficult to catch people at the Library tutoring center who could help me. At the engineering tutoring center they have tutors for higher level math, science, computer science, and engineering classes, and you don’t have to be an engineering student to use this tutoring center. It’s open to any UNLV student who needs help with higher level math or science classes.
A brief note on office hours:
Pretty much every professor at UNLV will tell you the first thing you should do if you have a problem in class is to go to their office hours. However, as someone who has needed help there are many reasons you may not be able to go to their office hours. You may work, be in class, or have other obligations that prevent you from attending their limited office hours. Or your learning style may not mesh well with their teaching style. All of these things are okay and just apart of life so, while I recommend taking advantage of your professors; I understand that may not be an option for everyone.
Supplemental instruction:
One of the first tutoring resources I was presented with was SI or supplemental instruction. This was basically a group tutoring session where our SI leader would go over what we learned in class and help us with our homework or anything else we had questions about.
Writing Center:
For anyone who has trouble with writing papers, this is the place to go. They can help you with all parts of any paper you need to write. So no matter what part of paper-writing you have issues with, you can find help here. However, they do get busy so make sure you make an appointment if you want to get help.
TA’s:
Some of your professors may have teaching assistants (TA’s) who can also have office hours. If you have issues with your professors teaching style, usually a TA is a good chance for you to get help from someone who knows what your learning and from which professor you are learning it from.
Tutoring through other organizations on campus:
If you are apart of any other organizations or groups on campus they may also offer tutoring. If you still need help check with these other groups to see if there is any help you can get from them.
I understand that college can be tough to adapt to especially the course work and it may be hard to get help or admit you need help. However, everyone here wants to help you succeed and to get help all you have to do is ask.
Miranda Cain, Junior
Orientation Leader
High School: Advanced Technologies Academy
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Major: Civil Engineering