staff writer: sophie machesky
College classes are stressful. The fast-paced environment and confusing lectures can make success in these classes incredibly difficult. While most professors are open to helping students understand topics during office hours, some students don’t feel comfortable reaching out. The best learning environment, thus, can be found among peers.
Peer tutoring in the Student Success Center is offered every semester across an array of subjects. This article will focus on tutors specializing in the STEM subjects (math, statistics, engineering, chemistry, and physics).
STEM subjects can be some of the most difficult classes a college student takes. In order to succeed, diligent studying and preparation are necessary. Peer tutoring provides students with one-on-one sessions, helping understanding by meeting with fellow students.
I sat down with Kyle Smith (Computer Engineering major set to graduate at Penn State Behrend in 2027) and Elijah Manning (Biology major set to graduate at University Park in 2027) to learn about their experiences as peer tutors. Both gentlemen are dedicated athletes on campus who just started tutoring this year, specializing mainly in the STEM subjects.
Smith stressed the importance of staying comprehensible in STEM subjects, saying “They build on themselves; the little things piece together to create the harder problems, with the same techniques applied to a bigger scale.”
With the complexity around each STEM subject, Manning agreed that these classes require constant diligence. Each student may struggle with different topics, so planning out tutoring sessions isn’t always easy either. “My tutoring approach varies from student to student,” Manning said. “I will ask what they specifically need help with then I may need to look into it a bit more. I’ll provide them with an example from the class to see how well they understand it then build off of that.
“It’s difficult to retain the knowledge needed for every subject,” Manning continued. “The biggest challenge as a tutor is juggling everything from athletic duties to getting ahead in my own classes. Sometimes I’ll need to refresh myself and go through a review on my own to be prepared to help another student.”
Even though time management and other commitments can pose challenges, being a tutor provides many pleasures. “The biggest pleasure is making the campus more of an environment that’s promoting learning,” said Smith. “Without our tutors, students would be on their own outside of professors’ offices during their office hours because it gets disruptive asking multiple questions during lectures.”
Manning added “The best pleasure is making the campus a place to not only be a better place to learn but to be where individuals feel comfortable learning from their peers. I’ve seen of the students that I’ve tutored have their grades shoot up tremendously. Seeing the students be able to conceptualize what I helped them with and to do it on their own is pretty cool.”
The bottom line is to not feel discouraged to ask for help. You’re in college to improve your overall learning and academic success. Peer tutoring is available to help you do just that.
Click here for an instructive video on how to schedule an appointment with a tutor on Starfish, and click here to read more about the tutoring services offered on campus.
Below are the current tutors who specialize in STEM subjects, while some also specialize in other disciplines like humanities, Spanish, psychology, etc.
The tutors that I spoke with stressed that if you don’t feel comfortable scheduling a session with them through Starfish you could send them an email with information about the class you’re requesting help in and some times that would work to plan a meeting. Embedded on each tutor’s name is a link to their email if you would like to message them.
Lucas Beddick: Statistics (plus Spanish, Psychology, and writing)
Elijah Manning: Math, Chemistry
Christian Miller: Engineering, Chemistry, Math
Mattie Perkins: Engineering
Kyle Smith: Classes up to and including PHYS 211, all math (non stats) up to and including MATH 230, CAS 100, ENGL 15, COMPSCI 121, ECON 102, ARTH 100, CRIMJ 100, and COMM 100N
Sophia Zalar: Math, STAT 200, CHEM 110, BIOL 110
