Tutoring Resources
Science and Quantitative Reasoning
Writing
Humanities and Social Sciences
Foreign Language
Yale College provides tutoring to undergraduates enrolled in a range of academic subjects and in a variety of formats, from drop-in sessions and one-time appointments focusing on a single assignment to long-term assistance in a particular course of study. While the tutoring programs differ in their scope and arrangements, they are alike in that they are all available to Yale College students without charge.
Science and Quantitative Reasoning. Tutoring in science and quantitative reasoning courses (including QR courses in the social sciences, such as economics) is provided through two programs: the Residential College Math and Science Tutoring program and the Science and QR Tutoring program.
The Residential College Math and Science Tutoring program offers tutoring sessions at scheduled times five evenings a week in offices in the residential colleges. Tutors in this program, approved to be such by the DGS or the DUS, are usually advanced graduate students chosen not only for their command of various scientific subjects but also for their ability to communicate with undergraduates clearly and effectively. Tutors hold up to fifteen office hours a week, during which students may drop in for help without a prior appointment. Students do not need a referral from an instructor or a dean to gain access to these services, although instructors often do advise students to seek out these tutors for help with a specific problem set or other assignment. Further information about this program may be found by consulting the program's Web site or by contacting Kailasnath Purushothaman, 20 SSS, 432-1037.
The Science and QR Tutoring program offers one-on-one tutoring to students who are experiencing extended academic difficulty in a specific science or quantitative course. For purposes of eligibility, "academic difficulty" is defined as currently earning or likely to earn a grade of C or below in the course. Students who need such assistance should be referred to the residential college dean, who will help the student with the simple application process to obtain a private tutor. These tutors are, for the most part, qualified undergraduates or, occasionally, graduate students, and are approved by the DGS or the DUS. Students are eligible for ten hours of individual tutoring per course each term. If additional tutoring is required, the student may submit a written request for up to four additional hours to the program's coordinator, Frank Robinson, 20 SSS. For further information about this program, please consult the Yale College Web site or contact Frank Robinson, 432-1037.
Writing. To help support undergraduate writers, the Yale College Writing Center provides a Bass Writing Tutor in each of the twelve residential colleges. Each tutor is available for approximately ten hours a week to work with students on any writing project: course papers from across the curriculum, senior essays, graduate school and fellowship applications, or anything intended for publication. The Bass Tutors (also known as the Residential College Writing Tutors) have substantial experience drafting and revising prose—as classroom writing teachers or as professional editors and writers—and they provide an important resource for both students and faculty. Tutors usually meet with students by appointment on a one-to-one basis to discuss rough drafts of work in progress. A second resource, called the Writing Partners, offers drop-in help with writing at the Writing Center, 35 Broadway. Writing Partners are Yale College or graduate school students selected both for their writing skills and for their ability to talk about writing.
Neither the Bass Tutors nor the Writing Partners provide full editing or rewriting services. Their goal is to help students learn something about writing; the focus is more on the writer than on the particular paper being revised. But even this narrower focus can lead to greatly improved essays, and students who see a tutor for multiple sessions can make substantial progress as writers over time. If you have students who would benefit from additional help with writing, please suggest that they make an appointment with a Bass Tutor. We recommend that students begin with the tutor in their own college, although they are welcome to see other tutors and to visit the Writing Partners. While some ESL writers may need more specialized assistance, we still recommend that faculty members encourage students to meet with the Residential College Tutor. This is the best resource for assessing a student writer's needs.
For more information, visit the Writing Center Web site. If you have questions or suggestions about tutoring, or about other ways the Writing Center can help you and your students, please contact Alfred E. Guy, Jr., the R. W. B. Lewis Director of the Yale College Writing Center, 432-7492.
Humanities and Social Sciences. The Humanities and Social Sciences Tutoring program offers one-on-one tutoring to students who are experiencing extended academic difficulty in a specific humanities or social science course. For purposes of eligibility, "academic difficulty" is defined as currently earning or likely to earn a grade of C or below in the course. Students who need such assistance should be referred to the residential college dean, who will help the student with the simple application process to obtain a private tutor. These tutors are, for the most part, qualified undergraduates or, more rarely, graduate students, and are approved by the DGS or the DUS. Students are eligible for ten hours of individual tutoring per course each term. If additional tutoring is required, the student may submit a written request for up to four additional hours to the program's director, Alfred E. Guy, Jr., 35 Broadway, second floor. For further information about this program, please consult the director at 432-7492.
Foreign Language. The Language Tutoring program provides resources for students seeking to find a language tutor or a conversation exchange partner. For undergraduates who are experiencing academic difficulty in a specific language course at Yale, the Language Tutoring program provides one-on-one tutoring for a limited number of sessions per term. For purposes of eligibility, "academic difficulty" is defined as currently earning or likely to earn a grade of C or below in the course. Students who need such assistance should be referred to the residential college dean, who will help the student with the simple application process to obtain a private tutor. For students who are not eligible for such tutoring, either because they are not enrolled in language courses or because they are not at risk of earning a C or below, the Center for Language Study offers access to its Tutoring and Conversation Exchange Partner database. Through conversation exchange, a native or proficient speaker of one language agrees to meet with a similarly qualified speaker of another language for the mutual improvement of their listening and speaking skills in these languages. For more details on these programs, please refer to the CLS Web site or consult Howard Barnaby, CLS Program Coordinator, 370 Temple Street, 432-8196.
