Now that you’ve been shuttled off to college, are all settled in and are in charge of managing your schedule like a real college student, it’s easy to forget about getting tutoring for classes. For many of us, tutoring is a thing of the past. It brings back memories of the endless days of SAT tutoring. You’re at UC Berkeley, so you feel compelled to take on as many challenges as possible. Physics homework due tomorrow? Not a problem. 12-page paper due in the morning? Yep, it’s time to pull an all-nighter. In the long run, this isn’t a good idea. It’s better to invest in tutoring now to prevent academic frustration. UC Berkeley’s free campus resources have the common goal of helping students succeed academically.
Many students are unaware of the great tutoring resources UC Berkeley provides. You’re paying to be here, so why not start utilizing resources that are here to help you? The most widely known tutoring program is at the Student Learning Center. The SLC is located behind the Golden Bear Cafe and offers many excellent tutoring services that cover a variety of subjects. Many of the tutors are UC Berkeley students themselves, which leads to a friendly but work-dominated atmosphere.
Another tutoring option is going to the residence halls. In each of the respective units, there is a central building — the APR — that has a room dedicated to students and tutors. The residential tutoring area is designed for comfort and convenience. If you are uncomfortable with the thought of walking into the SLC, just go to any unit’s APR and request to see a tutor. The APR has wonderfully flexible hours: they are open from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a,m. and from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., Monday through Thursday.
Tutoring can also come from your GSIs. After all, that’s what they are here for. Outside of discussion sections, GSIs have office hours, which they set during the first week of school. They are very flexible, however, allowing students to contact them and set up different appointment times that fit into students’ schedule. It is generally a good idea to ask your GSIs for help, because they are teaching and learning the material with you and will become familiar with you during the course of the semester.
A last option is to find Facebook groups. Anyone with a Facebook knows there are many groups dedicated to tutoring, from Pre-Med Advising to Computer Science Study Groups. The options are endless. Do yourself a favor by joining one of these Facebook groups, because you will receive information about tutoring sessions. It is a great yet casual way to contact tutors and remain updated on the latest tutoring sessions.
It’s good to keep in mind that many people need to be tutored, and it’s always okay to ask for help. There is always that one class in which you’ll be struggling, but there’s always someone else who is there to help you along the way. All you need to do is reach out to the one of many tutoring services UC Berkeley has to offer.
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Contact Anci Sun at asun@dailycal.org.