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As finals draw closer, PCC’s tutoring services will become a necessity to students aiming for a better grade in their classes.There are over a dozen locations throughout the campus that offer a comprehensive list of aid to students through tutoring, media and study groups, all with the hope of encouraging students to become better learners.

The Learning Assistance Center, located at D300, receives the largest influx of students seeking tutoring. LAC provides general education tutoring covering the most popular subjects, such as English, math and languages, including Chinese, Spanish, German and more. “Some of the subjects that are also widely used are Accounting, Economics, and Statistics,” said Aida Dzhanunts, LAC Assistant.

The Writing Center located in C41 and C345 offer essay tutoring on a walk-in basis for students enrolled in English courses such as English 1A-C, 400 or 100 and are welcome to bring in their essays. Essay tutoring is ideal for students who are allowed to rewrite essays for a better grade.

“It’s pretty amazing how you can write a paper, and you could rewrite it . and you [still] can’t get that ‘A’ but then you bring it to the tutor and they bring to light something you never realized before about your own writing,” said Sofia Ramirez, 25, music major, having just seen a tutor at the Writing Center.

For natural sciences students taking advanced courses – chemistry, physics, anatomy, microbiology – tutors are available at U304 and U407. The tutoring sessions for the sciences tend to be more effective as study groups.

“One of the things about developing learning communities, which is what tutoring is all about, is that [students] start talking to each other, and it just blossoms,” said Marilyn Johnson, computer technical support specialist.

The Natural Science department employs tutors who fulfill additional criteria to become tutors. “[Tutors] must have already completed the classes [they will be tutoring for], [they] must have a personal recommendation from [their] instructor and there is the understanding that you will complete the hybrid or online tutor-training program,” said Johnson.

All tutors go through weekly workshops and are trained to work with students with learning disabilities and on communicating theories and concepts effectively.

In order to receive tutoring, students must fill out two documents that can be picked up at the LAC. The first is a tutoring referral form that should be signed by the student and his/her teacher with respects to the subject being tutored. Next, the students would have to add a section using an add slip – the same used to add a class.

There are no fees or required hours for this particular section entitled Civic 3031, and it will not show up in transcripts. Upon completing both documents, the students will then be able to clock in at all tutoring facilities on campus.

Students are advised to make a photocopy of their student ID and bring it to the LAC where they will place a sticker on it proving the students have filled out the paper work.

There have been a lot of changes to the process, according to Dzhanunts. “It’s been changing since last winter and it’s continuously changing,” she said. “It’s going pretty smoothly this semester.”

Before receiving tutoring, students are expected to have at least put some effort into the material.

“I like to set aside time and figure [the material] out on my own. When I go to a tutor I don’t want them to teach me [what I already know]. What I don’t know is what I want them to help me with,” said Melissa Rivera, 21, education major.

“[Tutors] try not to stay with the student for more than twenty minutes at a time because we want to teach them how to fish, it’s not like we bring them dinner,” said Johnson.

“I think there is nothing wrong if you don’t know something and you need help . you should go get help because everybody needs help at some point in their life,” said Spanish tutor Gina Badie, 19.

For a complete list of contact information and locations of the tutoring facilities on campus, visit pasadena.edu and search under tutoring.

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