Avionics News August 2012 - 52

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B Y T H O M A S I N M A N

Don’t Fly Solo
ugust is here, and soon, students will be entering college or a trade school to begin learning avionics, aviation maintenance or any one of countless programs. An important fact students must know is they do not have to fly solo. Rare is the student who can excel in any topic area. Even the best students can use a little help at times. Although some professors may seem distant or even surly, their job is to help students learn. A struggling student should start with the professor of the difficult subject. Even the most crotchety old teacher will be more than glad to help a student succeed. All have published office hours solely to meet and help students. My own life serves as a good example. In an expository prose class, the professor struck fear into our hearts. After an illness, I had to catch up. When I visited his office, I’m sure my voice shook, because I was quaking in my boots. Once there, I found him friendly, even jovial, and I was completely taken by surprise. With his help, I passed the class. When you need help, the professor is always the best person with whom to start. Your teacher may recommend tutoring, advising, counseling or group study. Most colleges offer tutoring services for nearly every subject, and most are free of charge. If the tutoring center does not have someone on staff to help, then the center will find someone for your benefit.
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Tutoring can be accomplished in small groups, individually or online. Usually, the tutors are fellow students who very recently completed the same class causing a challenge. More than 1,000 institutions have joined smarthinking.com, a company started in 1999. Smarthinking aims to increase

integrated seamlessly into the schedule, and the student could have graduated on time. Most advisors have attended professional development sessions to learn the ins and outs of college bureaucracy. For this reason, they are well equipped to handle special cases. They can tell you who to see for items like course substitutions, transfer

When you need help, the professor is always the best person with whom to start. Your teacher may recommend tutoring, advising, counseling or group study.
student achievement, boost retention and enhance learning. This online tutoring service is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Academic advising is another way to get help. Some schools have special advisors, while others assign advising duties to faculty. An academic advisor helps students determine class schedules. Most experts agree that self advising is not the best idea. To earn a degree, some schools have a rather complex set of requirements. Your advisor is there to help ensure you get the class you need, when you need it. Too often, a student who never visited an academic advisor ends up remaining in school an extra semester or two in order to satisfy the degree requirements. With good advice, the degree requirements could have been credits, life experience credit and a number of other unusual situations. While advisors can help with academic issues, counselors can assist with personal issues. Counseling is absolutely confidential. There will be no record of counseling service in an academic record. There are times when you just can’t seem to solve a problem on your own. The problem could be due to a roommate, boyfriend or girlfriend, or a seemingly overwhelming schedule of classes. Whatever the issue, the counselor will be able to help. Never wait until the problem threatens your ability to complete classes. Like other services, the cost is included with the tuition, so don’t hesitate to use it.
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Avionics News August 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News August 2012