Private tutors typically cost around $10 for a one-hour session.
As the semester draws to a close, students may be searching for a last-minute tutor to prepare for finals.
Though private tutors through the Academic Advancement Center can cost up to $10 per hour, students have several options for free academic help, said Tiffany Hedges, assistant director of tutoring services.
“If I were to get tutoring it would be $10 out of my pocket, and I don’t really have that to spend,” said Emily Mahran, a senior studying biological sciences and a lead science tutor.
Tutoring is free for first-generation, Links program, commuter, College Adjustment Program and Student Accessibility Services students, in addition to athletes and veterans. Mahran does not fall under one of these categories, so she has to pay.
Students can also receive free tutoring through supplemental instruction and services such as the Math and Science Center on the first floor of Alden Library.
“We hit the majority of the most requested services, and we’re always trying to do what’s best for students,” Hedges said.
The Math and Science Center, one of the core tutoring services offered in the Academic Advancement Center, is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and during drop-in hours Sunday through Thursday, 7 to 9 p.m., Eric Brown, assistant coordinator of tutoring services, said in an email.
Though the Academic Advancement Center and Tutoring Services offer some free options for students, but those options do not apply to every subject.
“There’s no free service for things like journalism or psychology,” Mahran said. “It would probably be smart and something they could look into in the future.”
Mahran suggested that if students are searching for free tutoring that they first seek help from professors before paying for private tutoring.
“The professor could probably direct them to whatever issue they’re having in class and point them to a resource that college or department has,” she said.
For example, the Modern Languages department offers conversation hours for students to practice their speaking skills and offers some free tutoring sessions.
Some members of tutoring services said it is best to get tutoring early in the semester before spaces fill up.
“As soon as you start to feel overwhelmed or feel like it’s not clicking, even if you feel like you understand the subject but need some clarification, come get tutoring or go see the professor,” Mahran said. “It’s always better to reach out early than to reach out too late, because if you reach out early there’s more we can do for you.”
@kcoward02
kc769413@ohio.edu
