Whether you’re undertaking an intensive engineering course or three years on a social science jolly, one unavoidable reality of University is that you will have to deal with tutors – in seminars, workshops, labs or any other creative term the University have plucked from a thesaurus for small, interactive group classes (‘task exploration session’ is a personal favourite).
Tempting as it may be to position yourself behind a portly mature student, comfortably in the tutor’s blind spot, and catch some extra shut-eye, this would be foolish. Always stay focussed on the end game, namely getting as good a degree as possible, and bear in mind the importance of your tutors as in most cases they will be the ones marking your coursework.
You might back your ability to achieve the top grades based solely on the merits of your work, but remember the first rule of University: life isn’t fair. Might be best to keep the tutors sweet for the final reckoning then, eh?
1. Be Courteous
Tutors are, believe it or not, human beings too, and will react well to you displaying a modicum of courtesy, particularly as many of your peers won’t bother.
For example, if you know you cannot make a class in advance, ask your tutor about it rather than just not showing up. They are no ogres and are likely to be understanding so long as you have a half-decent reason.
Alternatively, if you ever miss a class by accident, spend a few minutes sending an email to apologise and explain. The medium of email is perfect for turning ‘boozy-night out meant I slept in’ to ‘I had a stomach upset’. It’s a win-win situation.
2. Do the Reading and Contribute
There’s nothing more demoralising for a tutor than knowing that despite the class only having 6 hours a week and he or she only setting 14 pages of reading, no-one could be bothered to do it.
Again, many won’t, so you can get certainly get on the tutor’s good side by ensuring that you do basic reading and any small, non-assessed tasks set.
Of course, doing the reading will make it a whole lot easier to contribute, and in doing so your tutor will a). be pleased someone knows something and b). remember your enthusiasm when it comes to marking essays.
3. Use the Tutor’s Expertise
Further to contributing, tutors will love it if you take an interest in your coursework. The opportunity to take five minutes with your tutor on a one-to-one basis should be a no brainer anyway, seeing as they’ll flat at tell you if your essay is shaping up to be a stinker, saving you the ignominy of a 52.
However, it’s also another great way to get yourself noticed and have your tutor put a name to a face. That said, don’t go too far in the other direction by bombarding your tutor senseless emails itemising every second word of a given assignment. They are busy, and you will hack them off.
4. Use your Social Common Sense
The student life of most University goers is spent being as inappropriate as possible, but the opposite rules should apply in the classroom.
Use your social common sense to best deal with a tutor and don’t cross the line – the tutor may only be in his or her mid-20s, so “hey, how was your week” should be fine, but “I got so hammered last night” or “do you want to catch a film some time” probably won’t.
Similarly, if a tutor really is spiteful, bitter and horrible, don’t let a personality clash affect your chances of a good grade. You aren’t there to be friends, even though a amicable relationship will help, so put aside their shortcomings and still utilise their expertise where possible.