Tell us a little about yourself 

My name is Junaid Bhatti and I am a tutor at the Writing Center and the Math Lab. I was born in Pakistan and moved to Baltimore when I was very young. I am junior Biology major and am currently on the pre-medical track at UMBC.

Tell us about how you are involved on campus.

Along with tutoring, I am also a TA for a few classes. I also work in a pair of on-campus research labs and am an active member of many clubs and organizations at UMBC.

How and why did you get involved in being a tutor?

This is my fourth semester as a tutor for the LRC.  A while back, I got an email informing me that I was recommended by my English professor to work in the Writing Center. I always enjoyed tutoring, so I decided to apply and was fortunate enough to get the position. The same sequence of events occurred the following semester, however, this time it was my Calculus teacher that had recommended me for the Math Lab. Along with Math and English, I started tutoring many other courses such as Chemistry and Biology.

What is your favorite thing about being a tutor?

Knowing that you are making a difference. Often times students will come in with absolutely no clue on how to do something. By the end, however, they seem to understand that same concept so well that they’d teaching their fellow peers about it. Seeing students make progress and getting the results they want is really rewarding as a tutor.

Why should students utilize the tutoring?

It helps you either learn something you don’t understand or reinforce your knowledge on some concept that you are fairly comfortable with. Even if you feel you have a good enough grasp on a certain concept, I would still encourage you to drop by because it usually enhances what you already know. There are really experienced tutors that have taken and excelled in courses they tutor and will give you tips from the perspective of a fellow student who has already been through that situation. On a side note, it’s also surprisingly a really great place to meet people. Many students will come in for tutoring and end up leaving with a new friend or two with whom they usually form a study group with. This can be really helpful in some of those upper level classes.

What advice would you give students about how to prepare for a tutoring session?

Try attempting some of the assignment/problems (Math Lab) or drafting part of your paper (Writing Center) ahead of time. If you made previous attempts, you usually have a better idea of the material when the tutor is going over it due to that preliminary exposure and are more likely to completely understand it by the end.

When and where can someone work with you through the Learning Resources Center?

For Fall 2016, you can find me at the Writing Center and Math Lab on Wednesdays.