Tutoring is for Smart People

Have you ever heard that tutoring is for smart people? My grade school experience painted an entirely different picture. I always feared being sent for “extra help.” It often made me feel inadequate and inferior to my peers. I would spend hours working on my homework, double-checking each answer for accuracy, all to avoid tutoring. I quickly associated tutoring with a lack of skill and intelligence. All the way through my senior year of high school, I saw tutoring as a consequence rather than a resource. It was difficult for me to grasp the idea of attending tutoring as a preventative measure. 

I voluntarily attended tutoring for the first time during my freshman year of college. I had a heavy course load for the semester and was feeling unprepared. A member of the tutoring team made an announcement in one of my classes, promoting free tutoring for all Weber State students. At first, I blew it off. I convinced myself I wouldn’t benefit from tutoring. A few weeks into the semester, I decided to swallow my pride, and I signed up for tutoring. Looking back now, the decision to get a tutor was the best thing I did for myself. It was the smart thing to do.

My tutor was extremely flexible and used our time efficiently to accomplish our goal of performing well in the class. I attended tutoring for my Zoology class, so my experience may look a bit different than yours, but what’s nice about tutoring is that you and your tutor figure out what works best for you. I would go to my tutoring sessions weekly throughout the entire semester. I was given the opportunity to ask questions, discuss difficult topics, and get tested. My tutor would start off by asking me some questions, getting me to recall the information from memory. We often ended the session with me teaching them a particular system or structure. Each time I left the tutoring center I felt like I truly understood what I was supposed to be learning. 

I appreciate the accountability that tutoring gave me as well. Because of tutoring, I routinely immersed myself in the course material. The weekly sessions were like a built-in study hour where I could practice retrieving the information. Rather than simply memorizing the information, I was learning to understand and apply the material. Tutoring prepared me for my classes and made me feel more confident.

Now that I have hopefully convinced you to sign up for tutoring, let’s go over all the options you have! Weber State does its best to make tutoring services available for everyone. You can tutor on both Ogden and Davis campuses, and even remotely. Here are some of the learning centers and their information. For a full list and added descriptions, visit WSU Tutoring.

Learning Centers:

The easiest way to sign up for tutoring is to go into your eWeber Portal and search for the application called TutorTrac. TutorTrac will take into account all the courses you are currently enrolled in and will offer tutoring times available for your specific classes. In the upper left corner click “search availability.” Then use the drop-down menus to filter by location, course, and format. Your results will be displayed in a weekly calendar with a set of available times. All that is left to do is select a time that works for you. Tutoring sessions offered in the learning centers typically recur weekly, while appointments at the writing center do not. Math and writing tutoring are offered both by appointment and on a drop-in basis.  Below is a video provided by Tutoring Services with visuals on how to make an appointment in TutorTrac.

Tutoring has a stigma that its resources are there only for people who need extra assistance. The truth is, tutoring is for everyone! It is a smart way to stay on top of your courses and be proactive in your learning. My only regret is not using the tutoring center resources earlier and more often. I’ve been where you are! It was difficult for me to sign up. However, as soon as I got over that hurdle, the value of tutoring became apparent. I now consider tutoring a huge advantage, and I hope you get to experience that firsthand as well. If you are still unsure what form of tutoring is best for you, visit WSU Tutoring.