MCAT Tutoring Program

[bigbaubdi]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I am thinking about starting up a free MCAT tutoring program at my university - I would probably tutor once every Saturday or Sunday. Do you guys and gals think this is a good idea? I am thinking that this could be very helpful for people who can't afford Kaplan or PR.

 

[sgilani]

i think this is a great idea. where are you located, i would love to do the same here in nyc altho developing a curriculum would be hard.

 

[bigbaubdi]

I'm actually in Baltimore. I don't think you would have to develop a curriculum necessarily - you could probably just help people who are studying on their own and need help with certain problems or with certain concepts.

 

[MeowMix]

Bear in mind that offering a walk-in service to people studying from many different curricula, with such a huge range of subject matter, is setting yourself up. If you have that kind of proficiency and content knowledge, you should be tutoring for money. You are not doing anyone any favors if they walk in with a problem you've never seen before and it takes you an hour to figure out how to solve the wretched thing.

Also, my experience of offering free programs is that the participants often place less value on the service (if it's free, it must not be very good), and don't show up when they say they will.

 

[R_C_Hutchinson]

ironically i just started one
peep my sick ass pre-website for it
(any bruins interested may contact me)
www.geocities.com/pkphutchinson

 

[bigbaubdi]

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I am actually graduating this December so I will have quite a bit of time to work on this. This will be done through AED and hopefully the preprofessional office.

Meowmix, my intent in doing this is to help out those who can't afford a prep course. I will be getting paid for full time research in the spring so I don't need the money. As for the questions people will ask, I guess I will have to review quite a bit of info myself but also there will be other tutors to help as well.

I am sure people will assume that free=inferior. However I would like to set up some sort of basic standards (i.e. only ppl w/good MCAT scores can tutor) and also to run the program through the preprofessional office. Do you think that would be enough for people to take it seriously?

 

[rager1]

Originally posted by MeowMix

Also, my experience of offering free programs is that the participants often place less value on the service (if it's free, it must not be very good), and don't show up when they say they will.

Well, there's nothing like breaking trends! Those of you starting these programs are awesome for doing so IMHO.
If you're starting them at schools where people actually care--and R_C_H... all my UCLA friends have been awesome people--I'm sure you'll have a good experience.

Rock on!

--Rager1

 

[MeowMix]

I think your motivation is very good.

It would certainly be a great service to offer a place where students who are studying on their own can meet others, plan for and review practice tests, and hear about strategies. That community aspect of a prep course is nice for people studying on their own. Also, people might share materials; you might be able to find a few people who would donate their used prep course materials (if it's legal).

Those who have taken the MCAT have the great advantage of experience with timing, accuracy of practice test scores, strategies for making it through the day, being able to share idiosyncracies about the local test center, etc.. You can also really help people save time by focusing their studying on the important topics and targeting the stuff that often appears on the test.

 

[R_C_Hutchinson]

adressing the whole "free = inferior" thing:
yeah, its going to be that way at the beginning, not really anything you can do about it. key here is the fact that people from YOUR school who are at your school's level, have been through the exact same classes, can maybe spot where the curriculum falls short and where it is strong will be doing the tutoring. As for the people being more flaky since the "course" is free, i think this can only be overcome through good, personal tutoring. I remember that people used to be voracious in getting and keeping appointments with good tutors for student tutoring at covel when i was a tutor there. the other tutors had only about half their time filled. Just give yourself time and shoot high, the rest will work out.

 

[Corey]

I only wish we had something like this proposal you're willing to push at my university. Everyone here gets so freaked out and stressed when it's time for 'the test'. I wish you luck in your tutoring program. I'm sure it'll be praised by those of us who don't have rich parents to milk.

Corey.

 

[R_C_Hutchinson]

just a quick note
any and all material our group (currently called bruinmap) makes will be available behind a password protected area (to save bandwidth) on our site (once it's up and stable). when the site is up, i'll post a thread announcing it and give the password to any SDN'ers who want to do the same thing at their school.
here's to all those who don't have boatloads of cash, may we all become doctors!