College classes can prove to be quite demanding, especially for students with a handful of courses. It can be easy to get buried in homework, but the Tutorial Center on Fresno City’s campus offers free tutoring for a multitude of subjects, from Biology and Math to American Sign Language.
The tutorial center is located in the library, room Li-134. There are around 60 tutors available for drop-in Math classes alone, according to longtime tutor Gino Gamboni.
“I cover a wide variety of classes, and drop-ins teach whatever type of math students come in with. It’s kind of random, but there’s also Embedded tutoring which focuses on one student and one subject at a time,” Gamboni said.
Students are able to drop in from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, and the center closes at 2 p.m on Friday. It’s closed on Saturday, but opens up again on Sundays from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Drop-in tutoring refers to the public tables/white boards in the Tutorial Center that are always open and busy throughout the week- students can arrive in groups and study under the same umbrellas of Math, Physics, Engineering, or Computer Science.
This collaboration with classmates can make learning more personable- especially considering most of the tutors are active students themselves. And keep in mind that the Tutorial Center also offers online tutoring for certain classes during the week.
It makes sense for students to be hesitant of being coached through even more textbook problems after a 2-hour math class. But there’s a key difference that separates FCC tutoring from tutoring businesses like Mathnasium- the easy accessibility.
The Tutorial Center has scheduled times for even the smallest classes- always free of charge and open throughout the week. Janine Alvine, a Criminology tutor majoring in Administrative Justice can be found at the foot of a whiteboard table; waiting for those that need an extra push.
“There aren’t many students that come in for Criminology, just because it’s one of the more niche subjects… but when students finally understand something, the look they get, that face of relief just makes it all worth it,” Alvine reflected.
The tutors are gaining more from this than just human connection; their expertise is being amply paid for by the college. The application to be a tutor can be found digitally on the tutorial services website for those interested. Being a student worker will bring in some extra income, and the title can be used on a resume or scholarship application.
