When you Need to Get a Tutor

When do you need to get a tutor? The short answer is that getting a tutor is never the wrong thing to do, unless you're so strong in a given subject that you're a tutor yourself. Given that having a tutor could never hurt, how can you determine when you really need a tutor's help?

Get A Tutor When You Don't Like The Grade You're Getting
In my experience, my students who are in the B to A- range seem to be the most likely to seek out extra help. Empirically, these students are not in grave need of a tutor, most people would probably say, but they are not happy with their grades and seek extra help to bring their grades up. What we can learn from them is that grades are a warning sign. If you get back a paper or a test with a grade that makes you unhappy, you might want to think seriously about making an appointment with a tutor.

When You're Sincerely Trying Your Best And You Just Don't Get It
Maybe you wish having a B average was your worst problem in the course that's giving you trouble. If you're attending your class meetings regularly and doing your best to complete your assignments but the material is just going over your head, you should definitely make an appointment with a tutor. Some people come to college better prepared than others, and some people come to school very well prepared but still end up studying subjects that make them dizzy at the thought of them. If you are at sea in a subject, the best thing you can do for yourself is find a tutor. This person will work one-on-one with you to help you gain a grasp of the material that's had you struggling. You can feel free to ask a tutor all of your "dumb" questions, and/or just admit when things are not making sense to you. If you get a tutor's help on assignments and course concepts early enough in the semester, he or she may help you to master the course material to the extent that you might not need the help after a certain point.

When Else Should You Get A Tutor
If you have had a period of absences from your class because you have been ill, or there's been a family emergency, or perhaps you have an athletic or band commitment that takes you out of town for away games. When you've missed a lot of classes, catching up on your own can be a difficult challenge. Consider making your life a little easier by engaging a tutor's help.