Tutor of the Week: Lauren S. — Princeton University
Meet one of our amazing tutors, Lauren! Lauren is a student at the Princeton University. Learn about her story and experience here.
Lauren S. is an instructor at GoPeer. She is currently pursuing a major in Politics at Princeton University.
When did you know you wanted to study Politics?
I knew I wanted to study politics around my sophomore year in high school. I was very involved with my school’s model United Nations team, and thought I wanted to pursue a career related to international relations. However, the 2016 presidential election occurred during my senior year of high school and it really opened my eyes to domestic politics. I became really interested in learning about American political institutions and ultimately studied political theory with an emphasis on American politics during my undergraduate work. I plan to attend Harvard Law after, where I want to continue to build on my understanding of American government and I hope to work in government later.
What is your favorite thing about Princeton?
I am very privileged to attend Princeton University and am constantly reminded of that by all of the resources the university has directed to help students succeed. Academically, there are many resources to help students which I have taken advantage of the past four years.
As a student-athlete, the department works hard to help us balance the demands of varsity athletics with our coursework and I’ve always felt supported. Beyond that, the university is eager to help fund student projects so I’ve been able to participate in several great programs such as the Special Olympic Rowing team because of the resources that are provided. Overall, Princeton is incredibly supportive of students in the classroom and elsewhere on campus and I can’t express enough how wonderful that has been.
Why do you think teaching online is beneficial?
Especially during COVID online teaching makes tutoring more accessible. It requires a much smaller time investment on the part of busy parents and students and just allows for so much more flexibility. Furthermore, with schools being moved online I’ve found many of my students struggle to get individual attention as they would have if they were in person, and online tutoring provides them that space to ask questions, slow the lesson down, and really figure out what their individual needs are.
What are some of your teaching principles or strategies?
I ask a lot of questions. It’s sometimes hard to tell if a student is getting something guessing — sometimes students can’t even tell. My strategy is to have students explain things back to me, to tell me why they chose the answer they chose, to redefine something or to explain without using certain words. I try to get students to think about terms and ideas multiple different ways throughout a lesson to ensure that they have a really good conceptual understanding of the lesson,
Why do you think college students make great tutors?
I think college students are approachable which is important for kids of all ages. Younger kids are less intimidated because we’re not totally adults, and older students feel more relaxed, have a chance to ask questions about college, and know that we have taken the same tests relatively recently.
Any advice for students or parents who are interested in GoPeer?
It’s a great platform with a variety of tutors eager to help!
What do you do outside of teaching with GoPeer?
I’m the captain of the Women’s Lightweight Varsity Crew Team, a coach in the Special Olympics rowing program, and I am involved with disability advocacy on campus.
View Lauren’s GoPeer Tutoring Profile to learn more about her qualifications & teaching experience.
