Use private teacher instead of just college

[symbolipoint]

Maybe this is not too smart a question, but here is ----

How good an idea is it to use a private or independant teacher for college level Mathematics courses, as a way to both learn with guidance and avoid officially attending university or college courses, at least for the goal of LEARNING the material, and possibly attend those same courses in the future AT a university or college? Note, one could learn at a lower pace and not need to immediately worry about course credit or grades; just concentrate on learning. Fees might or might not be lower, parking probably much easier, older used books can serve as main materials instead of expensive and often unnecessary new versions, scheduling can be easier and more flexible. The only obvious disadvantage is the private teacher cannot issue official credit.

I am curious how good an idea this is.

 

[Choppy]

I suppose, if cost was no object, and you had all the time in the world, hiring a tutor to cover the material in an unofficial capacity would probably give you a leg up on getting a better mark in a course taken later on. Then again, maybe not. If you've already covered certain material, you're not likely to find it interesting or challenging a second time around.

It's probably worth mentioning that undergraduate courses - first year courses in particular - are commonly set up with dedicated tutors (on top of the professor and lab TAs). So if you really want to do well, you have the option of taking a reduced course load and working with tutors for no additional cost.