Getting academic & personal help

An essential part of your higher education experience is knowing when and how to ask your teachers and peers for academic and personal issues. Most institutes have a range of services available for students, such as peer tutors and educational help centers, where students have access to experts. Moreover, students can also seek help from their teachers in hopes of their advice being more relevant to the matter at hand.

Often, students find themselves shying away from the prospect of having to reach out, suffering alone. Yet, if they take the tiny step forward, mustering the courage, they will find themselves at possible ease.

There are a few different ways to ask, so be sure to know which approach you’re taking, and what your expectations are.

Are you looking for your teacher to help you understand something you didn’t get, like a concept that was taught in class? Or, are you expecting them to help you solve a personal issue you are facing? It’s crucial to be wary of your needs and what you’re looking for before you step up.

The first step is to do everything in your power to fix your problem yourself. If you are having difficulty in academics, try to refer again to your textbooks, and you might find that you may have been missing a relevant clause. YouTube tutorials are also beneficial to search up in such situations. Teachers are more willing to offer their services if they know that you have initially put in the effort to solve the problem yourself.

If you feel that you are still struggling, then book an appointment. Find out what your faculty’s office hours are, or personally ask them if they can give you a time where you are both free. If it’s an academic problem, meeting in a more structured environment like their office or the library will be helpful; if it’s a personal problem, meeting in a more comfortable space where you have a certain level of privacy may be more appropriate. Settings really help to set the mood!

It’s essential to give a heads up to your teachers about why you are requesting their help. If they have a general idea of what the problem is, they can prepare for the meeting beforehand. They may also require to make themselves to be more aware of what the situation is in case of a personal challenge.

When you are seeking help, try to maintain an active approach that is reflected in your language. This means that you don’t go into the meeting defeated, already having given up on solving the problem and hoping for someone else to do it for you. You go into it having prepared as much as you can, knowing where you hit your wall in terms of understanding your issue.

These are some basic ways that can be used to ask for help from your teachers; there are many more, and you might find that there are things that were not mentioned here which work better for you. Just remember that if you’re struggling, you’ll always find someone willing to help you out, all you need to do is reach out.