Five Reasons To Get An Online Tutor At University

It’s common practice to have a Physics and Maths tutor to help get better GCSE grades when students are younger. During my time at school, I had an A-level philosophy tutor to help me understand the most challenging literature on Plato and Aristotle. By now you may be familiar yourself with the main benefits of tuition during secondary school.

So why do we not have tutors for more specialised subjects whilst we take on a bigger academic challenge at university?

We want to share with you the five reasons that people want to receive tuition alongside their higher education and professional studies.

1. You’re Struggling to Learn from your Lecturer

Whilst the majority of higher education students have a great educational experience at university, some talented students find themselves struggling with the workload and inconsistency of teaching styles.

This can be down to a number of reasons. The formality of lectures and lecture halls means that students studying difficult subjects requiring high levels of detail and technical procedure fall adrift. 

Many criticise lecturers who do not have the necessary teaching skills to ensure their students understand the course content. Lecturers can be excellent researchers but they might not have strong English language skills, meaning they’re unable to share their knowledge on a level that you can understand it. This is something so many universities have in common.

For these reasons, private tutors offer an intimate one on one experience to help students get around the issues and to benefit their learning positively. Most of the time you are assigned your own tutor in your first year. Each university uses them differently, but they will usually be your first point of contact if you need any help.

Unfortunately, they usually have a huge number of roles at the university and are often unable to give you the time you might need to discuss some topics, especially if you get the Head of Department as I did!

2. You’ve Fallen Behind 

This is linked to the first point but has its own unique reasons. Sometimes you fall behind on lectures due to arbitrary reasons. Students miss too many 9:00 am lectures because of big night outs. Some fall behind due to illness, family issues, mental health or poor university administration. 

Whatever the reason, once you’re behind, it’s usually hard to catch up. Many students want to seek help from expert tutors to bridge the divide.

You will l usually have timetabled seminars and tutorials that are usually optional and very oversubscribed. With only around 1 mentor or postgraduate student to help every 10 students, it can often leave very little time in a 1-hour session to get the help you need. For this reason, a lot of students struggle and look elsewhere for help.

3. You’re Covering Something you’ve Never Studied Before 

Many students coming to university step outside their comfort zone and study an area completely foreign to them. This is only exacerbated when completing their dissertation.

At this time university students often explore new and challenging topics with a more specific lens. These are usually the subjects that aren’t covered in class, or when they are it is at breakneck pace where you leave the lecture hall more confused than before.

Many university students in this position want to speak with an experienced tutor who has in-depth knowledge of the same topic and understands how to explain it on a personal one-to-one level. This option is not always offered at university and when it is, it's either in groups or not long enough to instill enough confidence.

4. There’s a Gap in Your Learning 

You may be a great essay writer but lack crucial statistical and analytical skills necessary for other pieces of coursework. University students are usually placed in a position to undertake certain tasks that do not fit their core skill set.

It's important to be aware of these gaps rather than ignore them. If there is something that isn't given a lot of class time that you feel the need the improve, the longer you leave it unchecked the worse the impact will be on your assessments.

In this scenario, many university students look to online lessons to find a tutor. Private tuition can be the guiding light to fill this gap in university students' learning. 

5. You Want to Learn from the Experts

The essential reason that people are finding a tutor is to increase their grade potential and confidence.

Whether it be GCSE Chemistry, A-level Business Studies or graduating with a first in a STEM subject like Mechanical Engineering, talking to a qualified teacher or lecturer of a given niche always helps. Especially when you’re in an intimate classroom setting for a private lesson.

In supplement to your university staff, it may be a good idea to have a personal relationship with professional degree standard tutors that work in an industry specialism you are interested in. It allows you to soak up knowledge, discuss final thesis ideas and make connections that will catapult you into your professional career.

Now you know the reasons why students need help regarding their undergraduate degree. If you’re in need of expert advice or behind in your studies speak to a subject specialist to iron out these flaws.