Luke ScherzBiological Sciences Junior, Biology Peer Advisor, Peer Tutor at Study Lab Have you ever struggled with a challenging concept in one of your classes? Maybe you have but you convinced yourself that the professor would be fair enough to not include that material on the exam or that sheer luck would save you from having to understand it. Do you ever wonder how some students are able to reach high levels of achievement in their courses while also balancing their time between extra-curricular activities including clubs, TAing, volunteering, and research? Maybe you have...but you disregarded it because you feel as if you are not capable of performing to such an extent. I am going to let you guys in on a little secret pertaining to academic success in college. As a peer tutor here on campus, tutoring is one of the most valuable resources available to students who are either dealing with dense coursework or just need someone to talk to for advice on time management, organizational skills, or even life! Students tend to hesitate to utilize this resource because they believe tutoring to be for students who are unintelligent and lacking in confidence. With this being my third semester as a peer tutor, I can honestly say that these misconceptions are inaccurate; all of the students I have tutored in the past have had the capacity to attain academic excellence hidden beneath a layer of self-doubt. As a tutor, it is my responsibility to assist students in not only understanding dense material, but to also help them build their self-confidence in attacking challenging problems while simultaneously offering them insight into how to become an independent learner. Conference center
Before I continue further, I would like to introduce myself briefly. My name is Luke Scherz and I am a junior majoring in Biological Sciences along the pre-medicine track (that's me in the picture above!). I have been tutoring BIOSC 0150 and BIOSC 0160 for two semesters, while this will be my first semester also tutoring NROSCI 1000 and CHEM 0320. I became a tutor because I love teaching and I love science. As a high achiever in these courses, I am more than happy to share my knowledge and secrets about how to also attain a high level of success through studying tips, academic coaching, and navigation of challenging concepts. Alright, enough talk about myself. Let’s get back into discussing tutoring. This resource, which is available to all Pitt students, is located at the Gardener Steel Conference Center on the ground level (G1). A multitude of subjects, including General Chemistry (CHEM 0110 & 0120), Foundations of Biology (BIOSC 0150 & 0160), Organic Chemistry (CHEM 0310 & 0320), Physics (PHYS 0110, 0111, 0174, & 0175), Economics, and Statistics, are available to students who need assistance in these courses. Now called the Study Lab, this tutoring center encourages all students, not only students who need immediate assistance, to stop by and talk to any of the peer tutors. The peer tutors are available to talk about anything that is on your mind, whether it be academically related or not. The beauty of peer tutoring is that we are also students who understand what it is like to be in college and the hardships that many students face on a daily basis. I encourage any student reading this to go out and schedule an appointment with one of our peer tutors so you can gain a sense of what is available to you through the Study Lab here on campus. Before I leave, I would like to offer you guys a piece of advice: do not wait to utilize this resource! Many students schedule tutoring appointments immediately after a bad exam score. Knowing of this resource, I encourage students to attend tutoring prior to an exam so that we can best prepare you for it and avoid the bad grade all together. I wish you all a great semester and hope to see you in the Study Lab!
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January 2022
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