Educational Resource Center at Boston University<\/a>\u00a0(ERC). A one-stop shop for students seeking to boost their grades, the ERC offers free tutoring, writing assistance, skill workshops, and other academic lifelines.<\/p>\nAs a junior in the College of Communication, I\u2019m embarrassed to admit that, while I was aware of the ERC\u2019s existence, until recently I had not taken advantage of the tools it provides. Looking back now, I\u2019m sure I could have made things much easier for myself if I had sought aid when I first felt the workload getting out of hand. Especially when I realized how much harder college really is than high school, and that my studying techniques had to change accordingly.<\/p>\n
\u201cStudents often get to BU and they hit the ground running,\u201d says Wrigley. \u201cThey\u2019re not used to seeing C\u2019s, and they feel comfortable with their studying methods. It\u2019s not until after that first test or paper comes back that they look for help.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"ERC](\"\/parentmagazine\/files\/2011\/09\/ERC_quotelarge2.jpg\" "\\"ERC")
<\/p>\n
The ERC is always ready with that help, offering a range of services, from individual tutoring sessions and writing labs, to foreign-language group talks and workshops in time management. There\u2019s even a prep course to give students a head start on handling those dreaded organic chemistry assignments. And in addition to professional assistance, the ERC also features a peer-mentoring program, in which top-notch, faculty-recommended upperclassmen provide the individualized support many students need to succeed in a specific class or subject. Located on the fourth floor of the George Sherman Union, the ERC is every Terrier\u2019s go-to resource when a class seems too much to handle.<\/p>\n
Of course, the center\u2019s staff can only point a student in the right direction. Wrigley says it\u2019s critical that both parents and students know that in the end, each student is responsible for his or her own success: \u201cStudents need to get connected to faculty and administrators on campus. The quicker they can do that, the more likely they\u2019ll be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Originally intended as a peer-mentoring center,<\/strong> the ERC has certainly evolved over its twenty-year history, adding services designed to aid students across their various academic endeavors. \u201cThe center soon took a prominent role among the student body,\u201d said Wrigley. \u201cWe try very hard to get our message across to students, especially new students.\u201d<\/p>\nAlong with stressing the importance of personal responsibility, Wrigley maintains that the role of parents in a college student\u2019s academic life should be minimal. Parents should educate themselves about the resources available on campus, but the decision to utilize those tools has to be the student\u2019s. \u201cNever call and make an appointment for your student,\u201d Wrigley says. \u201cThat\u2019s not the kind of help they need.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parents can help, however, by encouraging their students to talk to the people at the ERC about their academic careers. \u201cThat way, they can\u2019t use the \u2018No one ever told me\u2019 excuse,\u201d Wrigley points out. Urge students to work with the center staff to design a strong and effective studying method. After all, it\u2019s easy to feel overwhelmed when facing a full slate of rigorous courses, and the ERC can bolster students as they navigate their schedules of papers, presentations, take-home quizzes, and looming midterms and finals.<\/p>\n
Whether it\u2019s through assisting<\/strong> students in improving their writing styles and techniques, or by offering them the\u00a0opportunity to sit in on a foreign-language conversation led by a native speaker, the ERC is sure to supply your child with targeted, practical help. The important step is walking through the center\u2019s doors\u2014that\u2019s the way toward better academic performance.\u00a0 \u25a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At BU, there\u2019s a resource center for students who are confounded by chemistry, hysterical over history, or otherwise in need of an academic assist. By Mariana Ramirez Navarrete (COM\u201913) It\u2019s the night before your first final exam and maybe you haven\u2019t started studying yet. You have a paper due, a lab report, and you still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4966,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4181,8818],"tags":[8752,8967,8756,8757,8753,1776,8755],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/parentmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/parentmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/parentmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/parentmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4966"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/parentmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29"}],"version-history":[{"count":50,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/parentmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1684,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/parentmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29\/revisions\/1684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/parentmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/parentmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/parentmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Glenn](\"\/parentmagazine\/files\/2011\/08\/11-3998-WRIGLEY-003_small.jpg\" "\\"Glenn")