July FAQ: Tutoring vs. Self-Study – What’s the Difference?

How is Working with a Tutor Different from Studying on Your Own?

When a standardized test is coming up or the school year is getting busy, a natural question comes up: would it be helpful to get a tutor or just double down on self-studying? Let’s walk through the process of answering this question by comparing the two and getting to know a little more about what tutoring is like.

Self-Studying

When I was in high school trying to get ready for the AP Biology test, my dad had a study idea: one day he handed me a heavy textbook that was the color of a stormy sky. It was called Life: the Science of Biology, and it contained over a kilogram of facts about everything from the vascular systems of starfish to the hormones that control plant growth. A picture of a small group of lions graced the front cover, vaguely threatening anyone who did not choose to open up the book and learn more about Life. It became my goal to read parts of this book every day for several months in order to self-study and get ready for the May AP test.

The Efficacy of Self-Study

After going through this experience, I can confidently say a few things: one is that a good textbook is underrated. Life was actually well-written and engaging if you could manage to heft it onto a table and read it, and if you gave it a chance, it was thoughtfully organized to deliver the information you needed. On the other hand, autodidactism – the practice of teaching things to yourself – can be a lonely, frustrating, and uncertain path. It can be hard to know if you are retaining enough information, studying too little, or focusing on the wrong things when you are working on your own. Finally, the idea of “doing it yourself” is often a myth, upon closer examination. The only reason my biology self-study felt manageable is that both my parents had science backgrounds and I had grown up in the midst of discussions of ecology, plant evolution, and other topics that happened to be featured on the AP test. 

ChatGPT and Other AI Tools

Today’s Internet and the advances of interactive tools like ChatGPT make it the best possible time to self-study, in some ways. If you have some background in a topic and have a drive to know more, nothing can stand in the way of you finding the answer, likely in seconds, even to astoundingly complicated questions. Using these “AI” tools is definitely popular and results on their efficacy is mixed. However, it’s important to remember that the deeper learning you want from an education is also about setting up the right way to center yourself and what you understand, and not just the availability of a quick answer from the Internet. It is important to keep these resources in the role of a useful assistant, rather than feeling like they are doing all the work.

Tutoring

Tutoring is a term for any kind of personalized learning help you can get outside of school. It can come in the form of small group instruction, a friend or family member explaining a few things, or professional one-on-one meetings. At Mindfish, we sometimes provide small classes, but most of our services are one-on-one sessions with an experienced professional tutor.

The landscape of tutors can be an uneven one, with some companies focusing on rigid processes or cycling through too many tutors quickly. It’s good to make sure your choice of tutor or company passes your personal “vibe check” as you plan to have lessons. Mindfish test prep programs start with a practice test to assess how we will personalize our program to your learning needs, and then based on an initial conversation with our administrative and ownership team, we match students to tutors who will fit a student’s learning style, subject needs, and personality as much as possible. Mindfish also maintains a commitment to having a diverse group of long-term tutors to serve student needs.

A good tutor knows academic material well, but being a “know-it-all” is not the primary qualification, contrary to what some people think. Rather, the tutor will find ways to draw out a student’s best efforts, organize a process of learning, and help build a stairway of small successes to the eventual goal. A Mindfish program is designed to take you from your first glance at a test like the SAT on day one to a fully prepared game face on the exam day, with consultation and collaboration with your tutor every step of the way. Working with a good tutor is not a way to avoid the hard work of learning and studying– it’s a path to unlocking your best abilities efficiently and thoughtfully!

Conclusion

Ultimately, the tutoring experience is always going to provide a few dimensions that are hard to replicate even with the best technology. As a tutor gets to know your learning style, she can follow your process as you work and know exactly what step to emphasize. The focused attention of a one-on-one session also helps to tune out all the outside distractions and allow deeper learning to fluorish. And if you are wondering if I’m trying to promote tutoring over self-study, I’m not! Every tutoring program also includes a student’s commitment to work alone in between sessions. After all, the real work, and success, belong to the student!