Meet Jazlyn Purnell! Jazlyn is a Junior Biology Pre-pharmacy major from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Along with being Parent Ambassador, Jazlyn is involved with the Volunteer Action Center Literacy Program and the U of A Inspirational Chorale. Jazlyn’s favorite Razorback tradition is saying the chants and cheers at the football games.
College is a different world compared to high school. The people are different, the teaching methods are different, and most importantly the course material is different. The exams and assignments that will be given are difficult for most students, and require advanced thought processes and hours of studying. Your student will quickly find this out during his or her first couple of weeks. They will have to discover different methods of learning that will help them conquer these advanced classes.
Let me warn you, so that you can relay this information to your student that every college student struggles at some point during the learning career. There will be many times when your student needs help with analyzing and learning information being taught to them. Sometimes it is hard to understand college level course work, which is predicted because it is so advanced. Good news though, the University of Arkansas understands this; which is why free tutoring services are offered to all students of this campus. There are many tutoring resources offered at the University of Arkansas, and you should encourage your student to become very familiar with them once they arrive.
One of the tutoring services is called Class+ which is located in Gregson Hall. This center offers face-to-face, online, and CHAT tutoring to students on subjects such as Chemistry and Biology, Engineering, Economics, and Social sciences; just to name a few. Appointments are made online at class.uark.edu. This center also offers an outstanding writing center were students are able to let writing ambassadors, who are usually grad students, read and edit their papers.
Another service that is offered is Supplemental Instruction, also known as SI. SI is an extra, once a week class that provides an opportunity for your student to gather with a smaller group of their classmates and their SI leader. There are SI classes for almost all subjects, and some classes such as Chemistry and Biology require students to take an SI to better further their understanding of the course material. Through SI, your student will be able to ask questions and practice the material as much as needed.
The Multicultural Center, located in the Union, is also a great place to find tutors who are more than willing to help. They even offer a program called the Academic Enrichment Program (AEP) in which your student can apply and be led by mentors who help your student throughout their academic careers. Also, some majors such as Engineering offer mentor programs that are great for students because they help and encourage them to learn and study more efficiently.
Let us not forget about office hours in which your student can set up one-on-one time with their professors where they can ask questions and receive help. Most teachers like for their students to make appointments through email or just walk in during their scheduled office hours which are listed on the syllabus.
Like I said, there are multiple tutoring services that are offered here on campus. Not to mention they are FREE! Some students feel like they do not need tutoring for whatever reasons and some are afraid to go looking for help; but those students soon figure out that getting help only benefits them by preparing them for success. Encourage your student to take advantage of these centers because they are easily accessible and extremely helpful.