As a Marketing student at the David Eccles School of Business, I have learned that finding help when you need it is so important.

When I first started doing upper division classes like OIS 3440, FIN 3040 and ACCT 3600, I didn’t think the in-class instruction was enough. At first, I didn’t know how to look for help. I would rely on my peers in classes and study groups. However, when I would work with study groups, I would find out that most of the people in the study groups were in the same place I was. They needed help from someone who really knew what to do and how to handle the complicated material. Often there would be one person in a group who really understood the material, but they wouldn’t want to explain every detail of every problem to the rest of us that might be struggling with the material. They were studying for the same midterms and test that I was studying for. So, after asking around and talking to the professors, I found out about the tutoring center.

After learning about the tutoring center, I found tutors that really knew what they were talking about and could really help me understand the material. In one situation, while taking Accounting 3600, the professor covered some material that went over my head and I was having a challenging time really grasping what he was saying in his class. I knew that the material would be on the midterm and I wanted to be ready for it. So I went to the tutoring center and looked at the schedule that was posted in the hallway. I found out that there was a tutoring session on Wednesday of that week. I went to the session and could sit down with the tutor and focus on the tougher material. It wasn’t like I was learning from another student or trying to copy someone else’s notes, it felt like I was learning from the teacher himself. The tutor could break down every problem, equation, principle and idea for me. She explained to me how different principles were related to one another and diverse ways to solve problems. This allowed me to choose what ways I liked best to learn the material and answer problems. The tutor knew what would be hard for me because she is a student and took the class herself. When it came time for the midterm, I was confident and ready. I have heard so many times that in the world of business confidence is key and the tutoring center was giving me the confidence to succeed in my classes.

I really feel like the tutoring center can become huge asset to every student. This is a free resource to everyone in the Eccles School and it seems very underutilized. When I was at the tutoring session, there was maybe five other people there during a five-hour period, and I know there were about sixty people in my class. The bottom line — use the resources that you are given to succeed, because the tutoring center is definitely one of those resources. The tutoring center is giving me the extra help I need to be successful academically here at the David Eccles School of Business and I would recommend that anyone that is struggling with material from any class or would like so extra help give it try and be prepared to be surprised.