At the McGraw Center our goal is to help you take full advantage of the academic opportunities available at Princeton while also maintaining balance and achieving your other goals. We offer completely cost-free services and programs that will equip you with learning and study skills and strategies to master the inevitable challenges, attain your personal goals, and achieve success so that you truly THRIVE at Princeton and beyond.

The McGraw Center regularly receives visits each year from over half of the first-year class, working with tutors and learning consultants and attending workshops. Nearly 20% of first-year students get academic coaching (academic life and learning consultations) at McGraw and the average effectiveness rating last year was over 94%. Additionally, almost 100% of students recommend to other Princeton students the workshops they attended. So that you can see what your fellow Princeton students said about their experiences with McGraw services, we’ve included quotations below.

Learn more about  tutoring, workshops, learning consultations, andstudy group matching and course jumpstarts on our website and review the information below!

To learn more about when and why you might want to use our services, check out our guide for students, made in an engaging comic format. Princeton is a distinctive academic culture with new and unfamiliar ways of teaching and tests that we will help you adapt to. Visit our Virtual McGraw Preview to see video introductions to these programs and more. All of these individualized and small group services are supportive, effective, and fun.

WHERE DO I START?

Learn about what McGraw is offering this Fall by reviewing this page, clicking on links and exploring our website. Some resources will also be virtual or online, including some academic coaching and online materials (see the links below). You can also get started by meeting with an Academic Coach.

WHY USE MCGRAW? STRATEGIES FOR EVERY STUDENT

McGraw provides spaces for students to work individually and in personalized small groups to develop the knowledge, skills, strategies and mindsets that are essential to academic success—and maintaining wellbeing. As a first-year student focusing on adapting your academic approach in the face of new demands is essential—all students should expect to make changes. In Princeton’s distinctive academic environment, with rigorous expectations around reading, learning in class, p-sets, assignments and papers, and managing time and tasks, you’ll experience unfamiliar demands requiring new strategies and methods. As a result, you might find yourself asking, "How do I...?"

• How do I manage my time and academic tasks effectively?
• How do I handle these heavy reading loads? 
• How do I keep up with the fast pace of my lectures and classes?
• How do I prevent and overcome procrastination?
• How do I tackle problem sets and other assignments efficiently?
• How am I expected to participate in precepts?
• How do I make the most of Princeton resources, including tutoring, etc.?
• How do I adapt my academic approach when it doesn’t seem to be working?
• What can I expect from my exams and how do I prepare for them?
• How do I plan for Dean’s Date and Finals Period?
• How do I learn from p-sets what I need for exams?

All Princeton students encounter new courses, assignments, and new learning demands, so these questions are to be expected. At McGraw we pride ourselves on breaking down the many unfamiliar, often invisible expectations with you and guiding you toward new Princeton-specific strategies and techniques to help you answer these and other questions—and implement the solutions. At McGraw you will receive practical, personalized, Princeton-specific advice on methods of learning, time and task management, overcoming procrastination, and tackling assignments, among other things. When you find yourself thinking, “How do I…?” know that McGraw is here for you.

WHAT DOES MCGRAW OFFER? 

You can use all of these effective, cost-free, unlimited services by students for students:

• One-to-One Learning Strategy Consultations (academic coaching)

80+ appointments each week, 9am-10pm by appointment

• Academic Strategy Workshops

Offered weekly: Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons

Time management, reading, learning, study and exam prep strategies & more.

• Study Hall Group Tutoring

Drop-in Sundays—Wednesdays, 7:30-10:30 & Weekends: 

Introductory courses in CHM, ECO, EGR, MAT, PHY and statistics (various departments).  

• Individual Tutoring

By-appointment for: 

Introductory courses in CHM, ECO, EGR, MAT, PHY and statistics (various departments). 

• Course-Specific Study Group Matching

Join a student-led study group for any or all your classes.

• Course Jumpstarts

Jumpstarts help you start your course strong with helpful advice and strategies.

• Resources, Handouts & Advice

Materials to support development of new approaches to academics

HOW DO I USE MCGRAW SERVICES?

All McGraw services are offered in-person. Some services, like Study Hall Group Tutoring, you can just drop in during the many hours its offered, and our materials are always available online. Other services, like learning consultations, workshops and Individual Tutoring, you sign up using our online scheduling system. (If you have any difficulties, email [email protected] and we’ll help you out.)

In addition to McGraw’s website, look for our weekly email newsletter, LearnPrinceton,  and regular flyers. You’ll get timely advice and learn about upcoming workshops, learning consultations, tutoring and other programs. To automatically receive up-to-date information, subscribe to McGraw’s events calendar.

WHAT ELSE SHOULD I KNOW?

The McGraw Center services are provided by Princeton students and individualized to you! They are confidential, informal, low-key, personalized and focus on developing your know-how to adapt to Princeton academics—no grading or evaluation. Not only are services cost-free, they are, effectively, unlimited, so try them all out! Your fellow Princeton students said this about their experiences with McGraw services:

• "Our learning consultation was super helpful, informative, and fun. I'm sure what I learned will help me not only this semester, but also for a long time from now."
• "This workshop makes you much more self-aware--the reason you procrastinate is not always what you think."
• “McGraw’s online resources helped me to organize the many parts of my project and to articulate my thoughts both visually and verbally.”
• "In my consultation, not only did I learn some extremely effective strategies which I am already using, 
  I also found it very helpful to be able to talk and brainstorm freely."
• “Principedia is amazing! I used it to choose courses, figure out how to learn from lectures and prepare for the final.”
• “I don’t think I could have learned as much or got the grade I did without McGraw tutoring—THANKS!”

Come to McGraw to connect with your peers, get personalized guidance to learn the skills and strategies to succeed in your classes and have time to take advantage of the many opportunities Princeton has to offer while maintaining balance in your life.