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ADDITIONAL ACADEMIC RESOURCES
Academic advisors and tutoring centers play a major role in a student’s collegiate career. Academic advisors are tasked to assist students with organizing their timeline
to take certain classes as well as offer advice on how to achieve their academic goals. Tutoring centers offer a space for students to seek academic assistance when necessary. These two resources
are helpful both in transitioning a high school graduate into the college environment and supporting their progress towards graduation.
Each department in every college has an advising
center available to students. This is where academic advisors speak with students concerning which courses they should take according to the goals the advisors
and student set together. To find an academic advisor
or to make an appointment, a student can go to their department’s website and click on the advising tab. There, an advisor name and email address is available to schedule an appointment. Students are normally contacted before the beginning of their freshman year with the name and contact information of their academic advisor. During Summer Registration, advisors guide students through the class selection process of selecting classes, introducing the terminology and necessary steps to properly register for classes. This paves the way for students to correctly register for classes in later semesters.
Similar to advising, every college has its own designated tutoring center. Tutors are available for most general education courses as well as a number of core classes. Tutoring allows students the opportunity to receive academic help on a more individual basis, especially if a student is hesitant to ask questions in a classroom setting. It also helps by staying on track with the material on a weekly basis. In addition to providing tutoring centers with free tutors, most colleges also provide students with
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a list of private tutors for hire for students who prefer that option.
For additional academic assistance, professors list office hours where a student can visit and ask questions. Students are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Additionally, most professors have a list of teaching assistants (TAs) who provide separate office hours throughout the week. While students can choose to visit either the professor or a TA, there is usually greater flexibility in finding a TA that works with a student’s schedule.
Information on tutoring centers is normally available on individual class websites. Some individual classes have specific tutoring opportunities that are specific to the material within that course. Professors and TAs normally have additional office hours throughout the week for specific classes. For example, general chemistry classes have regular TA office hours as well as a supplemental chemistry tutoring center for every undergraduate chemistry class. One advantage to utilizing the resources of a tutoring center is the opportunity to work with a TA that in all likelihood has taken the class themselves and can provide students with useful study tips.
Additional campus tutoring is provided by other campus units, such as Disability Resources and Educations Services (DRES) and the Office of Minority Student Affairs (OMSA). If a student clicks Academic Support”on the DRES homepage, a Campus Tutoring tab will
appear where students can select from a list of topics to choose from. OMSA has a Tutoring & Instructional Service tab on its homepage that students can directly click. From there, students can access a link to walk-in hours for different subjects as well as a way to make an appointment with individual tutors.
The campus is committed to the success of all students. This is why advisors, professors, TAs, and tutors make themselves available to assist students with their academic needs. Taking advantage of these resources can have a significant positive impact on a student’s academic career.
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