Understand Your Role Being a tutor is important, so prepare and act thoughtfully. Your actions shape your mursu’s, marsu’s or exchange student’s first impression of university life, which will influence their entire first year or exchange.
Be Approachable Make yourself easy to talk to. New students may be unsure or nervous, so your friendliness can make a big difference. Be open and not afraid to start conversations.
Be a Guide to Aalto Life Help your students get started with their studies and navigate university life. Show them how things work both academically and socially.
Encourage Broader Connections Introduce your students to people outside your own trio or quartet. Help them expand their network early on. The goal of Orientation is that every new student would have some friend group with whom to start their studies with.
Be Aware of Your Influence Tutors are strong opinion leaders. Avoid badmouthing other students, organizations, majors, or courses even jokingly. Also, don’t overpromote your own associations. Let your students form their own opinions, while you offer guidance based on their interests.
Treat Everyone as Equals You’re not an authority figure, you’re a peer. Be open, respectful, and supportive to everyone.
Respect Everyone’s Differences Every student is unique. Embrace diversity and help create an atmosphere where everyone feels welcome and accepted. Make sure your actions and activities are inclusive and considerate of different backgrounds, identities, and needs and if someone doesn’t understand Finnish, switch the conversation to English. If something feels unfamiliar to you, take the time to educate yourself and be open to learning.
Foster a Safe and Inclusive Environment Never pressure anyone to drink or take part in activities they’re uncomfortable with. Respect boundaries and don’t pursue your mursus, marsus or exchangees. If you witness harassment, intervene and report it.
Stay Flexible Things won’t always go according to plan and that’s okay. Be adaptable and stay positive. Having a few conversation starters or easy activity ideas up your sleeve can also help when plans change.
Handle Mistakes with Grace Everyone slips up. If you make a mistake, apologize and do better next time. Growth matters more than perfection.
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