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If you’re a college student struggling to pass a class, worried about midterms and finals, or just want to check your work with someone else before you turn it in for a grade, there is another option: tutoring. The Gruen-Spear Success Center is open for free tutoring in all classes. Each appointment is 30 minutes long in Mott in Room 211.
There is no need to wonder about who is tutoring you. Professor Meredith Dodson was asked the quali-cations needed to become a tutor andshe said, “Tutors have to have a 3.0 GPA, have at least sophomore status, and have gotten Bs or higher in the subject in which they want to tutor.”She also said they should be friendly, polite, good at working with others, and eager to help others.
Dodson provided statistics that showed more than 500 tutoring appointments this academic year and 113 people who lled out surveys - all but one agreed or strongly agreed that tutoring helped them. Some samplecomments included “Great help”; “I am better prepared for the nal due date”; “I feel more comfortable about my paper”; and “It was a great session to help me figure out how to word my paper and give me more ideas on what to improve and add. And I really appreciate the help that I received today.”
Sydni Gothard, a sophomore art major, went to a writing tutor and she said, “I went to tutoring because I wanted a good grade on an essay I was writing and it helped me a lot, because writing wasn’t really something I did alot.”
If you are qualified and want to look into being a tutor, Marah Heikkila, a junior and writing tutor, explains what it is like being a tutor and a working student. To prepare for tutoring a student, Heikkila looks at what the student wants to work on, and when the students arrive, she acclimates to their writing needs. Heikkila balances tutoring, work, and other classes with work by setting out particular times.
“I also wrote down an agenda or sticky note on what I have to do for that day, both with my other job, tutoring, and classes,” she said.
Heikkila was asked what type of feedback she received from students and she said, “The feedback I have received has been extremely positive.The anonymous comments have said that I help people understand their papers better, that I made them feel comfortable and confident. They often say I am encouraging and understanding, which I hope to be true.”
Student tutors a few years ago created this mission statement: “Peer Tutoring at The Center is a collaborative space that provides academic support and encouragement to students as they engage with their personal learning processes and develop confidence in their academic skills.