Personal Statement
Sample Tutor Sheets
Explanation
When I took Psychology 317, Quantitative Statistics, the first sentence I read in the syllabus was printed in dark red lettering; THIS IS THE HARDEST CLASS IN THE PSYCHOLOGY PROGRAM. I was terrified because I have never ever been good at math, and that fear created an incredible amount of stress and anxiety. I decided I would take as much time as needed and study the material every single day...and I realized something. I actually understood this! And not in a way that would barely get me to pass the class, but in a manner that I was getting incredibly high scores the entire class! That is when my tutoring began. I tutored 5 people through that class while I was taking it, and I fell in love with tutoring. While I may have been hired by ODU to be a tutor for the Science Department, I knew that the hours I was scheduled may not be suited to the schedules of others. So, I provided services pro-bono. Volunteering has always been a passion of mine; I love helping people when I am in a position to do so. So, I turned tutoring into a volunteer opportunity, and I have been doing it since the Fall 2021 semester, when I took the course.
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Reflection
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No monetary value can reward the feeling of watching someone succeed with my guidance. There are simply no words to describe the gratitude, pride, and sheer pleasure I get when students who I tutor call me in excitement because they got an A on their exam. Getting to experience their self-confidence increase from when I first met them is a rewarding and humbling experience. I will never stop volunteering, and I am hoping to continue helping students with this class while working on my Master's Degree.
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Discussion of Skills
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-Work in a team structure: Learning what students strong points and weak points are help us work together as a team to ensure I am explaining the material in a manner that suits their learning method. Once we work out the best learning method, we work together to ensure that each chapter is understood properly before moving on.
-Communicate verbally: We met regularly each week via Zoom to collaborate and discuss upcoming deadlines and content requirements. We listened carefully to each other to completely understand concerns and points-of-view to ensure we respond effectively.
-Analyze quantitative data: The completion of tasks for Psych 317 required students to analyze quantitative data in order to complete the homework assignments and chapter concepts. There are a total of 12 chapters of different types of quantitative data analysis to complete.
-Plan, organize, and prioritize work: To keep myself organized with students, I used a simple weekly planner that showed when I had students scheduled. I tried to maintain the same students on the same days and times so that I could also have time to work on my own classwork. A few of those calendars are pictured, and I followed the syllabus of the professor with whom they were assigned to outline lessons.
-Demonstrate computer software proficiency: I traditionally tutor online for volunteer hours, and I use Zoom to meet up with students to discuss goals for the session. I also use goodnotes on my tablet to help work on problems with students and create a study document to send them afterward. Screensharing my app allows me to show them in real time how to complete a problem step by step.
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Future Application
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I have yet to ever experience a point where volunteering to help people has been a negative experience. Everywhere you turn there is someone who needs help with something, and when dealing with a subject as anxiety-inducing as math, kind and empathetic souls are incredibly appreciated. This has taught me that kindness still has the power to lift the spirits of those in need, and I love the feeling I get of sharing my knowledge with others who are in need of assistance.
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