With midterms passed, students often find themselves panicking in how it affected their grade. Luckily, Fort Lewis College has several resources to help students reach their academic goals.
With academic success coaches, tutoring services, and resource centers achieving a desired grade may not be as hard as previously thought.
In seeking help after midterms, one can take advantage of the free and abundant peer tutoring services here on campus.
Katherine Sheamansmith, a tutor at the Algebra Alcove and a student at FLC said, “It’s a different dynamic between a peer and another student than a student and teacher.”
Unfortunately, shame and embarrassment frequently turn students away from asking for help from peers, Michelle Bonanno, Director of Peer Education, said.
Bonanno said this stigma needs to change.
“Rather than thinking of accessing tutoring as something that means they are failing, students should think of tutoring as a means for accomplishing their academic goals: getting the grade they want on their next exam, moving their course grade from a B to an A, or developing expertise about a concept that is important for their major,” she said.
Bonanno said reaching out to one’s peers is not solely prevalent in schooling, but is also seen in the workplace as well.
Senior business executives often hire consultants or business coaches as mentors, and academic researchers regularly submit their research for review by their peers, she said.
With all these tutoring services available, students may be unsure of which route to take.
The Office of Peer Education is a great tool in figuring out precisely what one needs to achieve their end goal, Bonanno said.
Sheamansmith said along with assisting in one’s school work, tutors are also eager to connect personally.
Tutors, with knowledge and passion, yearn to help because they truly want to, as they decide to be involved, Sheamansmith said.
Kalia Thomas, a facilitator at The Writing Center and a sophomore at FLC, said the Writing Center also provides a comfortable place where any student can drop in for help with a variety of writing related questions, whether it be school related or not.
Thomas said she strongly believes that students who come in when they need help will see improvement.
“I know there are so many people that have seen a difference in their grades and in their writing just by coming into The Writing Center,” she said.
With knowledgeable professors, eager peers, and abundant student success services, redeeming grades after midterms can become an increasingly reachable goal.