It’s the beginning of October and you are struggling to keep up with your readings. Maybe it’s midterm season and you realize after receiving your test back that you do not understand the course material as well as you thought you did. Now it’s paper season and you are having difficulty forming a thesis statement and can’t remember when to use a semicolon rather than a comma. You’re stressed and frustrated and want to be able to ignore the assignments that you have yet to complete. Perhaps you’ve procrastinated so long that you are now pressed for time to get the assignments handed in by the deadline. You promise yourself that you will not procrastinate on the next assignment in order to feel less anxiety, but old habits are hard to break and the next thing you know, it’s 3 a.m. and you are fighting sleep to complete yet another paper. You might have convinced yourself that you will never do better, after all, you’ve struggled through high school, why should university be any different?

But wait! It doesn’t have to be that way. Redeemer’s tutoring program can help you begin to improve your semester.

There are three types of tutors: Writing, Subject and Learning Skills. The Writing tutors help you understand your weaknesses in your writing style and offer suggestions for improvement. Subject tutors are upper year students who have taken various courses and have done well enough that they have been able to tutor students currently in those classes. They understand the class material, can offer study tips and can help you master difficult concepts. Learning Skills tutors help you discover how you learn best and how to avoid and change bad habits and how to form new, productive ones. For example, they can help you develop time management skills and explain how to take really good notes so you have a strong base for studying come mid-term and final exam time.

The Learning Services department also offers seminars from time to time on topics such as note taking, time management, essay writing and exam prep in order for students to have a refresher on these topics after being on summer vacation. Redeemer also has a Learning Strategist (Marie Versteeg) on staff who can offer individualized guidance to students.

Most importantly, if you feel like you are struggling, don’t wait until the end of the semester to ask for help. Ask earlier! There is no shame in asking for help and doing so could allow you to avoid a lot of late nights, stress, and anxiety, as well as set you up for success at Redeemer and beyond.