As a sophomore at Lawrence, I have had the chance to take two tutorials so far. At first, I did not know how it worked. Who should I go to? Are my ideas worth it? Will I be able to add another class to my schedule? These were the questions that hovered around my mind. But with the help of my friends and the amazing faculty, I made it!
The journey started when I was struggling to find a 3 unit class to meet the minimum credit requirement. I talked to my friends about my struggle, and one of them said, “Hey did you hear about the Excel tutorial Professor X is offering?”
“No I haven’t.”
“Well, here is the form. I just emailed it to you. Spread the word. This should be cool.”
And there it was. I was sitting in a room with more than 50 students (my biggest class at Lawrence) learning about functions and formulas on Microsoft Excel. The class separated into two groups, Macs and PC users, each one with their own quest of finding how to make the equations work. Should they use “Control” or “Command?” But it all ended well. The tutorial taught me some really cool stuff and I have used my Excel skills in many different things.
Stepping into sophomore year was exciting. I did plan to take some interesting courses. Fall term was great but when winter term was starting, I had no clue what classes I wanted to take. Even though I signed up for three, I was not happy. I knew I needed to add some color to my schedule, so I waited.
Another friend steps in during this crucial time. He suggests, “Why don’t you make an independent study out of stage management, since you will be doing that a lot this term.”
A little back story: as my role in one of the student organizations, I am helping to put up a performance. This seemed like a perfect opportunity. I went and approached one of my favorite theater professors and yes, I got myself a tutorial in stage management this term. I am really looking forward to it! Even though it is nowhere close to my major, I am definitely going to enjoy spending time reading about plays and direction.
So, my friends exposed me to the world of tutorials. A way for me to learn some valuable skills that interests me. If you love something or want to learn more about it, all you have to do is talk to somebody! You never know, you can create a tutorial, tailored just for you. This is the magic of Lawrence; no matter what your interests are, you can find a way to pursue them here.