November for me is a month of paradox. When I was in college I was always super excited to almost be done with the semester but absolutely terrified about having to wrap up mid-terms and begin the long hard work of preparing for finals. November for me was always a make or break period. It may come as no surprise then that by the time November rolled around I realized that I needed a lot of help and help from a lot of people.
If you have occasion to work with me or even, depending on the circumstances, truly get to know me you will quickly discover that I HATE asking for help. Since I was a child I have been an “I can do it myself thank you” kind of person. Not because I don’t want the help or need it but because I hated burdening other people. I often thought “if I just work harder than I’ll be able to do it and then I don’t have to go talk to so-and-so.” and I think I can count on one hand the number of times not asking for help really benefited me in the end. If this sounds anything like you then keep reading for a few helpful hints on how to ask for help.
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Thank the person for their time. Nobody can be mad at you for asking for help when you are really appreciative! If you’re meeting with a tutor and its at this stage in the term, you can guess how many other people are stopping by and you might be surprised with the number of times that tutors move on to their next session without getting a proper thank you!
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Have one key question or topic. I say question or topic because even if you are doing well in a particular class November is a great time to pop in and have a casual chat with your professor. What would you talk about? Well your professors are people too! Note things that they’ve mentioned in class or examples they have used. If your professor is constantly talking about Star Wars in class this might be a good time for you to go and ask what they think about J.J. Abrams making the next Star Wars movie. You don’t have to know a lot about the subject and you don’t have to keep your conversations related to the classroom. If you admire your professors career paths ask them how they ended up at a particular job. The point being to come prepared but also that sometimes asking for help doesn’t always look like asking for help.
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Ask follow-up questions. Sometimes you ask a question, you get an answer and the answer is more complicated than what you originally didn’t understand. Don’t be afraid to say “explain that again?” or “Sorry, I’m not sure I got that.” they won’t mind explaining it again. Especially if they took the time to try in the first place.
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If at first you don’t succeed, ask someone else. Sometimes, no matter how you ask someone to explain something they will not explain it in a way you understand. That’s ok! Thank them for their time and ask someone else. Don’t worry about hurting their feelings, this is about you being successful.
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Don’t wait until the last second! This is probably the most important advice. A tutor can help you study but they won’t be doing their best work if they are helping you cram. A professor can offer you extra ways to improve your grade but probably not the day before the last class of the semester. So ask early and ask often!
These are just a few tips that you might find helpful. If you are looking for more guidance and you are a part of the Beyond 12 program check out MyCoach App on Facebook! Don’t have access? Leave a comment or contact us! We maybe be able to help.
Enjoy this last month or so of school and don’t forget that Beyond 12 is here to help!
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