<p>I'm currently being tutored by this one girl at Notre Dame; I live 10 minutes away so we just meet in the library once every now and then (usually before a test). I am wondering if getting an adult tutor is better because though my ND tutor is good, it takes her awhile to remember what I'm talking about then the session then runs over. I want to be more efficient with my time so... </p>
<p>Have you tried sending her the topics you’re interested in covering before y’all meet?</p>
<p>@purpleacorn Ya. And when I try showing her the notes I took that correspond with the lesson, she insists on solving the problems without it. I have had the same thing happen with 2 students. They get the job done, just not right away.</p>
<p>I have tutored several students in math, and from my own viewpoint, I would also rather go over problems without your notes than having to read your handwriting/formatting and trying to figure out which bullet point to find. It’s not something I’d “insist” on doing, but it is easier to simply recall the theorem than try finding it in your notes.</p>
<p>As for a college student tutor vs. adult tutor, it really depends what you’re looking for. Adult tutors are usually more experienced but charge more, while college student tutors might be more accessible and know the material better since it is still fresh (of course, this is not a universal statement but it is a general trend I’ve seen).</p>
<p>But yes, I think it is a good idea to send her the topics before you meet (and possibly any problems you are having with understanding the topic).</p>
<p>@MITer94 It is nice to have someone that can meet whenever you text them. I’ll try sending her specific things rather than general concepts. Thanks!</p>
<p>I’ve tutored before in calculus, and it always took me a minute to figure out what was going on (polar coordinates, what?). Rememeber that while you’ve sat in class and just heard this stuff, for your tutors, it’s been a while (likely a semester or two). A good tutor, if you send her, say, a list of the topics at least a day before, should, IMO, at least have a cursory knowledge of what’s going on. But every professor, every semester, and every student is different, and it is going to take a while, because we’re not sitting in class with you. How would you feel, for example, if I asked you to write a triangle congruence geometric proof? Most people may remember the general concepts, but unless you’ve sat in a geometry class recently, remembering the theorems/steps/conventions may take a moment or two of remembering/looking at notes.</p>
<p>When I tutored for the same class, the first person was always the most difficult, because I was picking up not only how to do the problems, but also the professor’s particular way of phrasing questions and notation that may be different than my own. By the second or third student, I knew it. If it bothers you that much, I would consider working with a study group instead (of people who have been in the class and have a shared understanding of the material). In my opinion, these issues may be alleviated some with an experienced adult tutor, but not considerably (everybody’s going to need a moment to adjust and shift gears).</p>
<p>^ True – I just started tutoring a student in BC Calculus. I took the subject three years ago, and while I remember about 90% of the material, there were a few things I forgot (e.g. definition of absolute/conditional convergence, a couple of integrals). Fortunately those topics should be easy to pick up again.</p>
<p>Also, don’t be afraid to ask your classmates for help! It is usually fine to ask them for help on homeworks, as long as you write up the solutions on your own and they don’t do the entire problem for you. </p>
<p>@purpleacorn @MITer94 I definitely get what your saying. Sometimes it only takes her a minute or so. But sometimes if takes 10ish minutes with google searches and what not. Occasionally she never figures out how to do something.</p>
<p>I do have study groups for AP Chem and Precalc, but then when we all (group of 4 for math, group of 6 for chem) don’t know something, I have to ask the tutor. I go to my teachers too; the only problem with that is that my AP Chem teacher is even slower than the tutor (which is weird… but ya). </p>
<p>I’m sorry if you read this as me complaining about everything and giving you excuses. But just, ya. With what you guys said, I think having a college tutor would be the best choice. </p>