With numerous departments in which students can find free tutoring, learning centers take notice on students who utilize it most.
Expanding to almost anywhere on campus, free tutoring is provided for students at MSU that contribute to students’ necessities.
The Math Learning Center, the Writing Center, the Learning Center and more are helpful to utilize when having trouble in a course. And although students don’t always take advantage of these places, Associate Writing Center Director Dianna Baldwin said the center had been fairly busy so far this semester.
“Students hear about The Writing Center through welcome week at AOP, all types of events to introduce it around campus,” Baldwin said.
Graduate student and tutor at The Writing Center Ezekiel Choffel said students who come for extra help more often will benefit from it.
“Students that find a fit and continue to use the resource, definitely improve,” Choffel said. “But sometimes we’ll get a student who only comes in one time, so they’ll improve their writing in a particular instance, but not necessarily for the long term.”
Students often make an effort to attend help centers the week of an exam.
“Before exams, there are students who attend later in the semester ... at this point in the semester there really aren’t any,” said graduate student and tutor for economics Walter Melnik. “It varies so much throughout the year.”
Getting the word out about tutoring and hoping students will take notice is one main reason some tutoring places don’t see a large amount of students.
While some students still don’t utilize the extra help, graduate student Gloria Magombo said she’s going to make the most of it.
“I think they’re helpful and I’m going to one next week,” Magombo said. “I was told by my adviser about tutoring and I think every student should take advantage of it.”
Despite this, tutors feel grateful for their contribution to a student’s work.
“Our focus is to help create better writers, not better writing,” Baldwin said. “Some students come back and show us their work and they’re pleased. Interacting with the students, I learn a lot, which is what I enjoy most.”
