Vicky Karpilovich
Writer
Photo provided by http://studentoffortune.com
Balancing an academic life and social life, and perhaps even a job, is a tedious and often difficult process. Some say the economy is slowly reviving;however, with the severe budget cuts and increased tuition costs, the UCSB community has been negatively affected.
Students are scrambling to find part-time jobs or they are increasing the amount of the loans they borrow. Sean McCleese, the CEO of Student Of Fortune, Inc., found himself and his friends in a similar situation several years ago when they were students at Occidental College.
At age 22, McCleese started Student Of Fortune for two reasons.
“To provide specialized help for students and to allow students to earn money,” he said.
Student Of Fortune, Inc. is the newest, most comprehensive resource available for UCSB students. It is an online tutoring marketplace unlike anything our community has witnessed.
Students register for free on the site and are able to ask any question in virtually any discipline at any time! Tutors are available 24/7 and–according to Brea Blevins, a second year Biopsychology major–it is a “great alternative when CLAS is closed.” Responses to questions arrive quickly, typically within just 30 minutes.
Purchasing tutorials is also a unique process because students set the price for their question based on its difficulty. Unlike other websites, which charge hourly rates, studentoffortune.com allows you to specifically ask the question you need help with and to decide how much you are willing to spend on an explanation.
Cyle Korvin, a senior double majoring in Communication and Sociology with a minor in Sports Management, was very pleased with the tutorials he purchased.
“They were extremely detailed yet got straight to the point,” he said.
Brea believes that the site is beneficial to the UCSB community because “students can achieve better grades” since homework help is finally available 24/7.
So what makes this a two-way street?
Sean McCleese was inspired to create this site not only for the purpose of receiving tutoring, but also for the purpose of allowing college students to make money for tutoring. Since the site caters to virtually all subjects, a tutor will doubtlessly find questions to answer.
Busy academic schedules make it difficult for students to have part-time jobs. This seems to be a great way to earn extra money with flexible hours.
Student Of Fortune regularly collaborates with local businesses as well. New registrants are automatically entered in a drawing to win gift certificates to local businesses. The current grand prize is for two airline tickets anywhere Southwest Airlines flies.
The site is avidly recommended by its users- be a tutor, get tutored, do both, it’s a win-win situation any way you look at it.
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