Q: Who are you and what do you do? How long?
A: My name is DeJuana Ford. I am a senior (4th year) and I am a tutor at Rankin Smith Center. I’ve been a tutor for almost 3 years.
Q: What subjects do you tutor the most?
A: I tutor a pretty wide diversity of majors. I guess the two subjects I tutor the most are Genetics 3200 and Intro to Anthropology. I also do a good bit of Religion and Biology classes. I’ve tutored Spanish one semester, but primarily its Genetics classes.
Q: What are the range of majors you tutor within student football players?
A: It really, really varies. By tutoring a class like Genetics and a class like Religion, I have an opportunity to tutor a wide variety of majors. I’ve seen some Business majors. In many freshman, I see a lot of Undecided majors. I’ve seen Psychology and I’ve even seen Real Estate. A lot of freshman I tutor say they have a major in mind, but don’t know about it. I tend to get a lot of upperclassmen for the Genetics classes. Many of them are Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Med, Pre-Dentistry, etc.
Q: What are the techniques you use to tutor? What kind of help do you give as far as homework, papers, exams, etc.?
A: I try to structure tutoring sessions around the students. Some sessions have multiple students and some are one-on-one. As far as exams and papers, I am not allowed to help them with anything that is graded. As far as freshman, I help them get adjusted to the college lifestyle. I try to take the material and break it down so its easier to digest for the students. Sometimes I’ll do review. I’ve done things to help them prepare for tests, like give them notecards or give them suggestions on how to interpret a concept on a test. I try to break it down and compartmentalize. As far as Genetics, it’s heavily problem-based. Sometimes I’ll make up problems or find problems online. I like to really emphasize them doing the work instead of me guiding them through the problem. I like to have them write down their work, so they have something to take with them when they go home.
Q: If you could sum up the chief major among football players whom you tutor (or in general), what would it be?
A: Just because I see a lot of Freshman, I would have to say “Undecided” or “Not Sure.” I also see a lot of Liberal Arts majors. I see a lot more football players in my Religion and Anthropology classes, which are more freshman and sophomore oriented. A really popular major among science majors within football players are Biology and Biological Sciences.
Q: How do you think the football players fair when they are in tutoring sessions? Do you see them improve or decline in their studies?
A: One thing I can say about football players is that they are great in sessions. They are hard-working and are concerned about doing well. A lot of them realize they have great opportunities and take advantage of the resources they have. I also think they have a tightly wound schedule. I’ve really gained a respect for how hard they work. Rankin also has a mentoring program. A lot of the first-year players get mentors, so I think that really, really helps them, mainly academically and within their schedules, as well. I believe that the football program does a really good job at giving the players a lot of exposure to guidance and many opportunities, academically and athletically, which I believe shapes them into well-rounded men when they graduate.