IIT Kanpur is a premier academic institution and so, providing academic help forms an integral part of the work undertaken by the Counselling Service. The Counselling Service monitors the academic performance of students who are not able to meet their prescribed academic requirements. If you are facing any difficulty, you can always approach us for individual mentoring. For first year courses, you can also attend the remedial classes which are regularly conducted at the institute and hall level to help clarify doubts and concepts.

We aim to try and solve problems faced by academically weaker students to help them cope with the academic system of the institute. Remedial classes are conducted and one to one mentoring is offered for these students. Remedial classes are conducted at regular intervals and on demand near quizzes/exams at institute level as well as hall level for 1st year and 2nd year courses. The aim of these classes, rather than to provide a parallel tutoring system, is to cover topics at a ground level so as to clear concepts and provide motivation for the topics being studied. These classes are held regularly during whole semester and help the student to perform better in their exams. Structure of classes are designed such that basic of the course contents can be easily understood. These classes are further sub-categorized into three :

1. Institute level Remedial classes
2. Hall Level Remedial Classes
3.One to One mentoring.

Details of each can be found on sub-list.

Students often, either because of personal reasons or involvement in extra curricular activities or lack of motiviation, do not want to gear up too early, but let us tell you that leaving preparation for too late is an excellent recipe for stress. Regularly attending the classes and being in touch with the course material is a good idea. It not only helps you prepare better for the exams but also keeps you interested in the course.

• Different students have different ways of studying. Some are able to perform and understand better by covering current subjects in small amounts on a regular basis in accordance with class, while some others find it convenient to study in bulk say at the end of the week or so. You should try figure out which way suits you better.
  In case you can not come to a conclusion, we suggest you to follow the first approach of studying in small amounts on a regular basis.
• Identify Best Time for Studying: Everyone has high and low periods of attention and concentration. Figure out are you a morning person or a night person. Use your power times to study and the down times for routines.
• Write down what you have to do, when and then prioritize. Maintaining a schedule can make you feel more in control.
• Identify the place of study that suites you most, avoiding distractions, be it the library or the comfort of your room.
• You should constantly motivate yourself
• Reward yourself when you have achieved some goal.
• Try not to overburden yourself by unnecessarily comparing yourself with others.

Take regular, short breaks when you are working - for example, some students find it better to study for an hour or so and then relax for 10 mins. This helps to concentrate for longer. Rather than studying throughout the night in library without enough concentration, it’s better to focus your attention and study effectively for a shorter period of time.If you are finding it very difficult to concentrate, start off by setting yourself a small, manageable goal. When you have achieved this, give yourself some reward. Keep repeating this process. As you achieve your goals, gradually increase what you set out to do. In this way you can train yourself to concentrate more effectively.

Improving the study habits also help in concentrating better. Here are a few tips:

• Make notes as you read. And list the important points that can be reviewed later.
• Speak out loud.
• Mix topics frequently. Mix easy and difficult topics, and interesting and dull topics.
• Seek help from the seniors who had already done that course, you can learn from their experience and their mistakes.
• Discuss your doubts with your friends, this will help you in better understanding the topic.
• If you still have doubts feel free to approach your instructor/tutor. Just mail them and ask for some suitable time to meet them.

Never lose your self confidence. The more confident you are the better you will be able to study and solve problems. students often get stressed while studying and tend to develop negative and self-defeating feelings like

• Everyone in this class is smarter and faster than I am.
• I always mess up on quizzes.
• If I don't do well on this exam, then I'll get an F in the course.
• This is the worst course.

Become aware of what you say to yourself. Try writing your negative thoughts and then disputing each one with a positive statement like Even if I am afraid, I will do everything I can to overcome any obstacle in order to achieve my goals Encourage yourself, as you would have done to a friend. Repeating your positive statements to yourself will help reprogram your mind for success instead of for failure. In case you still find it difficult to get rid of these thoughts or feelings please feel free to contact our counsellors who might be able to help you better.

One-to-one mentoring is a means to address academic problems of students at an individual level, especially for those who aren't able to match other students' pace in a class and/or are hesitant to talk about problems that they are facing publicly.