Tell us a little about yourself… 

I am a senior undergraduate at UMBC pursuing two degrees: a B.S. in Physics and B.S. in Mathematics. I am physics and mathematics tutor for the Learning Resources Center (LRC) at UMBC, as well as an undergraduate researcher with the Physics Department in Dr. Hayden’s lab investigating the use of electro-optic polymers in terahertz detection systems. After graduating from UMBC, I plan go to graduate school to earn a Ph.D. in Physics and become a professor at a research university.

Tell us about how you are involved on campus. 

Besides tutoring and research, I am also a McNair Scholar as well as a teaching fellow through the McNair Scholars Program at UMBC, where I’ve had the chance to connect with other first-generation college students that are from a low income or minority household that wish to pursue a Ph.D. I have also been a learning assistant (LA) for the PHYS 121 and am currently a lab technician helping set up the labs for PHYS 111L, 112L, and 122L. I am also a member of the honors society Sigma Pi Sigma as well as the Society of Physics Students. Finally, I spend my remaining free time participating in club lacrosse and club ultimate frisbee here at UMBC.

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

I have always had a passion for helping my friends and other students learn and understand a subject they find difficult. I became an official tutor during the summer after my first year at UMBC. I enjoyed being an LA for PHYS 121 and wanted to continue helping students, but I could no longer give the time to it once I started doing research in Dr. Hayden’s lab. The LRC provided the opportunity for me to continue assisting students while not requiring too much of my time.

What is your favorite thing about being a tutor? 

My favorite thing is watching what I call the “ah-ha” moment in students. After a student struggling for some time on a particular problem or concept, I enjoy watching the expression on their face when the material finally clicks in their brain and they finally understand how to either solve the problem or utilize a concept. Knowing that I helped them grasp the idea they had trouble with makes all the time and effort worth it.

Why should students utilize the tutoring?

Tutoring is a place to meet students who have succeeded where you be struggling. Tutors are a great source of not only knowing the material for a course, but great studying strategies and time management skills that a professor may not take the time to cover. Students should utilize this free service to become the best student they can be and become an efficient learner.

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

Best advice I can give is to come prepared. What I mean by that is to come with your notes from lecture or discussion section and be ready to ask questions. A tutor can only help if a student is willing to put in the effort to be helped. Please come with questions other than homework you haven’t done. If you are struggling with a particular problem, a tutor can help narrow in on what part of the problem you need help on, but a tutor isn’t there to do your homework for you, but assist you so that when you are alone doing homework late at night or in the middle of an exam, you are able to solve the problem yourself.

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

For anyone in need of PHYS 111, 112, 121, or 122 and MATH 150, 151, I am available for tutoring appointments from 10 am to 1 pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays (if I am not already booked for an appointment). You can set up a time to meet me through the LRC website at lrc.umbc.edu or through the StudyTree app if you have it downloaded. You can also stop by the LRC front office at Sherman 345 during those times for a drop-in time if I am available. I am happy to help and hope to see you in one of my tutoring sessions!

Celebrate National Tutor Appreciation Week and get to know Erin Chambers, Writing Center Tutor

Hey, Erin, tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Erin Chambers. I'm from Frederick County, Maryland, and I'm a senior majoring in Psychology. I'm not sure yet whether I want to go into research or practice, but I'd like to work with adolescents. 

Tell us about how you are involved on campus.

My main campus involvement is tutoring in the Writing Center. I love my job! 

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

I've always loved writing, and I enjoyed playing editor for some of my friends in high school. As a freshman at UMBC, my English 100 professor recommended me as a Writing Center tutor. I thought that it sounded interesting, so I applied and entered the training course.

What is your favorite thing about being a tutor?

I love being able to work with other students as a peer and help them understand, not just what they can do to make their writing better, but what they've already done well. My favorite sessions are ones where the student leaves with more confidence in themselves and their abilities. So many people have learned to hate writing because they "don't know how" or they think that they're not skilled enough, when in reality they are more than capable. 

Why should students utilize the tutoring?

Writing Center tutoring can be beneficial for anyone, because everyone can use someone to talk with or to bounce ideas off of in their writing process. Whether you're still brainstorming or just working on finishing touches, another trained eye can always be a big help. I've had many students tell me that just being able to talk about their writing out loud helped them to understand their own thoughts and ideas better. 

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

The most helpful thing that students can do to prepare for a tutoring session is to come prepared to be engaged and participate. It also helps to have some idea of what you'd like to work on or to have a few questions ready to ask. However, the most important thing is just to be present and ready to learn!

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

In the Fall semester, I tutor Tues, 3-4; Wed, 12-2; Fri, 10:30-12:30. Come stop by the first floor of the Library at the Writing Center to register for an appointment

Tell us a little about yourself… 

My name is Andrew Simpson. I’m a Junior Biology major and Spanish certificate, and I love watching and playing soccer, basketball, football, and martial arts.  I love the energy and comradery of sports, and I got to experience the passion for the World Cup when I studied abroad in the beautiful Barranquilla, Colombia!  A final fun fact about me is that I also play clarinet (like Squidward).

 Tell us about how you are involved on campus. 

 I’ve been blessed to be a part of many great organizations on campus, and they have really helped me feel at home on campus.  These include UMBC Jujitsu, the Down and Dirty Dawg Band, the Shriver Center (for off-campus volunteering), and Cru Christian Ministries.

 I think what I’ve become kind of famous for on campus is for being an SI PASS leader of CHEM 101.  I have met a lot of people through the SI PASS sessions (especially freshmen), and I have really enjoyed doing what I can to help many students navigate taking chemistry. 

 How and why did you get involved in being an SI PASS leader? 

 First semester I took biology and chemistry intro courses, and found out very quickly that those classes are really hard!  They are not difficult because they are unfair or try to trick you, but they require a different type of thinking than what is expected in high school.  This was a hard adjustment for me and many students, but by utilizing various resources on campus I found methods that worked for me to succeed in these classes.  I wanted to pass these strategies on to my fellow students, and SI PASS seemed like a good means to accomplish that.

 What is your favorite thing about being a SI PASS leader? 

 There is a lot to love about the SI PASS program here at UMBC.  The community of fellow leaders and administration is remarkably supportive, and I was encouraged to be creative and incorporate my personality into my sessions.  Balancing the freedom to use jokes and movie references with the challenge of preparing the students for chemistry exams was a creative challenge that I grew to love.

 However, my favorite aspect of SI PASS is undoubtedly seeing students succeed.  That sounds really cliché, and I hate clichés, but during my first semester of doing SI PASS a student ran up to me and hugged me and told me that I was the reason that he passed his exam.  Obviously, I was not the one taking the exam and the credit goes to the student, but I played some role in helping a student pursue his dream of being an engineer.  I will never forget this moment, and it is an incredible joy to watch students that have gone to my sessions succeed in their college career.

 Why should students utilize the SI PASS sessions? 

 SI PASS utilizes research from across the United States and all over the world to craft the best group-oriented sessions that focus on exam prep and critical thinking.  It has been a fantastic resource for many successful students, and is completely free.  No appointments are necessary either, just show up to the times and locations posted on Blackboard.

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

 Be open-minded about working with others.  It is easy to work alone or with only people you know, but the students that collaborate more actively have made new friends and ways of seeing and explaining the material.  Seeing the concepts from different perspectives is key for critical thinking and analysis, which are two crucial skills for exams.

Tell us a little about yourself… 

 I'm a Junior Computer Engineering Major, Creative Writing Minor. I like listening to podcasts, doing community theater, and writing.

Tell us about how you are involved on campus. 

On campus, I do a lot of playwriting/acting/directing for theaterCOM club, and I'm a TA for CMPE 212. 

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

A friend of mine convinced me to become a tutor because I'm very good at explaining concepts, and he thought I should be paid for helping him and other students with their classes.

What is your favorite thing about being a tutor? 

I tutor for challenging math and tech-based courses, so my favorite thing is seeing when a subject finally clicks for the person I'm tutoring and they really understand it. 

Why should students utilize the tutoring? 

I always tell people to use the LRC because it's a totally free resource that gives students and chance for more focused help. I think anyone can pass all their classes, but it's easy to get left behind, especially when the class is large or the professor isn't good at communicating. If you wait to get help until you're failing, it'll be hard to pull up your grade, but if you get help early and often you'll be able to keep up easily.

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

Always come to a tutoring knowing what topics you want to go over, and coming with specific questions or with practice problems (not homework problems) to work on is always helpful. 

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

I have walk-in hours Mon 12-1, Tues 1-2, and Wed 11-12 and 3-4 in either Sherman 335 or Sherman 340.  You can download the StudyTree app on your phone to book an appointment.

Tell us a little about yourself.

My name is Haythem Abdelkhalek and I am from Tunisia. I am a transfer student from the University of Rouen of Sciences (France) and now I am a senior Information Systems major and a swimmer on the UMBC Swimming & Diving team. 

Tell us about how you are involved on campus.

As a swimmer on the UMBC Swimming & Diving Team since 2016 I get the opportunity to compete for my university and represent its students and values. I tutor mostly French and Arabic at the Learning Resources Center but I also tutor Computer Science, Information Systems, and Math when needed. I lifeguard at the RAC and I give swim lessons to people of all ages and all levels. 

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

When I transferred here, in my first course: French 339, my professor advised me to join the Learning Resources Center as a French tutor. I thought this was a great opportunity for me to get more involved on campus, meet new people, and keep practicing my language skills.

What is your favorite thing about being a tutor?

The best reward I could ever get as a tutor is receiving emails from students I tutored earlier in the semester telling me that they successfully passed the course they were failing or for getting that A they were about to miss.

Why should students utilize the tutoring?

Tutoring is such a great resource that help students improve their grades, pass courses, or simply improve their speaking skills when learning new languages. 

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

The best way to prepare for a tutoring session is to bring lots of questions and exercises or quizzes that the student is having trouble with. Making sure that the student understands what they got wrong in previous assignments is the most efficient way to build a solid base and start improving.

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

My schedule is very flexible and I can adapt to students needs easily. You can find me most of the time at Sherman Hall 332 and just send and email to the ASC and we will get you started with your first step to success ASAP!

It's National Tutor Appreciation Week!