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.
Reflection
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.
Discussion of Skills
-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.
Future Application
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.
**NOTE: For Student Privacy, all names and/or means of identification have been removed if permission was not received or granted for that information to appear.**
