i noticed there is no tution thread around this side of the forum. Its odd since tutions are quite popular in Karachi at present.
I’am sure many student’s from Karachi know about this. I believe a large population of examination preparation for A’level these days, are done by Tutions because chances are that the collage you(the A level students) are studying in have defective teachers to say the least.
I myself am taking tutions to get a decent grade (an A- would work) in physics and Maths so that I can go to Canada this June.
Anyway here are some names along with my opinion about them:
BODMAS: What a horrible place. I got my foot stuck there when I was convinced by a friend to join the place as a solution to getting an A in maths.
in the end I regretted doing O’level from there. I originally got a D for maths, but I reappeared for the exam and got a B.
Sir Faisal Saeed: Mediocre Chemistry Teacher. Took his tutions for O level and scored 79 which is C.
Sir Farhan: The guy knows his A level chemistry far better then alot of tution teachers in Karachi with the exception of Samath, but thats his only plus factor. He is cheap and offensive with newbies. Try laughing at his jokes to please him once in a while. However, If he pisses you off quite alot, feel free to check out his car parked outside.
Sir Tanzeem: An extremely poor Biology teacher for O levels alltogether (and A levels assuming he does them). I believe Dr. Masood would make a better substitute.
Well thats my list and so far my second post in this forum.
Aah… the tuition saga continues in Pakistan eh – what a ripoff.
My only advice to A-Levels students is to form a good group of 3 students or so for serious group studies and that can be far more effective than any tuitions. This is based on first hand experience. The way we used to study was designate one student as a mentor – someone who has an aptitude for that subject and this used to motivate him/her to go farther to help the other peers in his/her group. We all had a list of topics for studying for each session and the mentor would provide more guidance when needed.
In the end, the subjects where students had such a setup ended up being more successful than ones where the same people were going for paid tutoring. Personally was a peer mentor for Pure Mathematics and Business Studies, and it was an enjoyable and rewarding experience. While I helped my peers get good grades, my own grades in the subjects were extremely good just because I now had more knowledge as a result of helping others with it too.
Also, if you’re planning to come to Canada after your A-Levels, then you only need a B in your courses to get admission into most Universities and some will even give exemptions for certain first year “101 type” courses based on your grades of B or better. I got an exemption for Advanced Calculus, Intro to Management and Intro Physics based on my A-Level grades.
IMHO, getting an A is not guaranteed by getting tutored by certain teacher or at a coaching center. It is a gift from Allah and hard work of the student.
If you a student is not an A grade student , no amount of tuition can turn his/her D or B into A grade. Only hard work and personal mental abilities will guarantee an A grade.
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My only advice to A-Levels students is to form a good group of 3 students or so for serious group studies and that can be far more effective than any tuitions. This is based on first hand experience. The way we used to study was designate one student as a mentor – someone who has an aptitude for that subject and this used to motivate him/her to go farther to help the other peers in his/her group.
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Well its certainly hasn't been a piece of cake for me or anyone else to enjoy with. lately. I wish that the students in our school would come together and group study like what it used to be when I was in O-levels, but things have really changed. The nerdy students tend to be nice for small questions or queries regarding a subject. Some nerdy students who get straight A's for example, my cousin got it done by having one Tution done within a timespan of SIX years, starting much earlier then everyone else. This is specially the case with Physics, which is considered A-level's hardest science subject. Things are not what they used to be. Atleast not in DA public school anymore. Although once in a while, I always do get a few student's to sit and discuss it with, but noone is willing to become a "mentor" anymore.
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Also, if you’re planning to come to Canada after your A-Levels, then you only need a B in your courses to get admission into most Universities and some will even give exemptions for certain first year “101 type” courses based on your grades of B or better. I got an exemption for Advanced Calculus, Intro to Management and Intro Physics based on my A-Level grades.
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Well if it helps, I hold Canadian citizenship and I from what I have researched so far, such students don't require to give SAT exams.
But getting that A is my primary target. I have a tutor coming at my house and teaching me physics and Maths. He is a proffesional elite from Avisena.
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IMHO, getting an A is not guaranteed by getting tutored by certain teacher or at a coaching center. It is a gift from Allah and hard work of the student.
If you a student is not an A grade student , no amount of tuition can turn his/her D or B into A grade. Only hard work and personal mental abilities will guarantee an A grade.
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Define hard work..
From my experience, its all up to how many questions you do and how much syllabus specific material you cover. Ofcourse my experience with physics in the mocks proved really aweful as my mind went blank due to sleeping late at night and getting a sudden surge of energy when the paper came. Thats is just bad luck. My mental abilities are'nt weak. Bad luck just happens.
I didnt go for any tuitions, and still managed straight As, but I can relate to what Bishoounen is saying. Alot of us relied on the school, and quite often the school had problems. Back then replacing a good Alevels teacher could take weeks, or even months. Alot of the affluent students, with a desire to do good ofcourse, took tuitions and ended up finishing their alevels before everyone else too! Now I guess the tuition culture has become mainstream and to compete, you might have to dip your head in it.
Well if it helps, I hold Canadian citizenship and I from what I have researched so far, such students don't require to give SAT exams..
CDN Universities don't require SATs - esp. if you've done your A-Levels... and like I said, depending on which University you're targetting, you might even obtain transfer credits for a couple of your A-Level subjects.
TOEFL or another test of English competency however is often required.
I didnt go for any tuitions, and still managed straight As, but I can relate to what Bishoounen is saying. Alot of us relied on the school, and quite often the school had problems. Back then replacing a good Alevels teacher could take weeks, or even months. Alot of the affluent students, with a desire to do good ofcourse, took tuitions and ended up finishing their alevels before everyone else too! Now I guess the tuition culture has become mainstream and to compete, you might have to dip your head in it.
I think you've hit the nail right on the head... in the end, tuitions etc. are only going to help as much as you want it to. I remember trying out a couple of tuition centers in my time but gave up after the usual 2 trial classes etc. because I really didn't feel they'd make much of a difference... and again, I'm talking about very well-regarded teachers in the Lahore area offering these services at exhorbitant monthly fees.
In the end, the subjects I did well in... 3 As out of 5... were the ones which I particularly studied hard for and had more of an aptitude for.
I never took any tuitions during my A-Levels. I liked all I studied so much that I ended up appearing for 5 A-level courses at the same time. Another reason was indecisiveness of my future course of action. Just studied hard and followed the syllabus. Following the syllabus and practicing all the past 5 years papers enabled me to do well.
I always did extra work besides the class work. It all turned out well, Alhamdulilah.
Just as Lucid mentioned, the good A-level grades (B and above) also helped me in getting an exemption for courses in US.
For the one C, I had, I managed to to take a clep exam. It had 100 mcqs and I was able to get an exemption.
Correct me if i am wrong, isn't the thread title spelt as TUITION ?
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I know that, but I wrote it just like how a "Tution" master would write it in Karachi just for authenticity. Besides this is a pakistani forum, who gives a crap?
I know that, but I wrote it just like how a "Tution" master would write it in Karachi just for authenticity. Besides this is a pakistani forum, who gives a crap?
We do give a crap... the forum is Pakistani but it caters to a diverse audience with varying levels of desi acumen, and tht topics are referenced by Internet search engines.
The title's now been modified to reflect the subject of the thread.
the tutoring here is primarily geared towards fixing real problems that a student might have in a subject. There's no such thing as joining a tuition center for purposes of passing specific exams or seeking a magic pill for scoring higher grades in courses just before the time of an exam.
I've tutored high school students for various mathematics and statistics related courses and in many cases, it just takes 5 to 10 sittings for the student to develop enough of an understanding to tackle the subject himself/herself.
Also, offering tutoring services for the same subject that you're teaching at an institution is almost often considered a conflict of interest and a teacher can get fired for engaging in such activities. In Pakistan, I know of no such clauses or provisions.