Peer Academic Coaching
Not sure how to juggle all the deadlines ahead? Are you thinking you might make better use of your study time? Want some tips for tackling tests?
Peer Academic Coaches (PAC), a collaboration between Supplemental Learning and the Writing Centre, offers students the opportunity to have a one-to-one session with another student who has both experienced success and also has an awareness of what it’s like to struggle academically.
Experienced SL Leaders or Tutors can provide students with individualized strategies and resources on a range of academic challenges for a variety of disciplines.
Peer Academic Coaches can offer support with time management, goal-setting, study strategies, giving presentations, note-taking, test-taking and dealing with exam anxiety.
How to book
Appointments may be booked through the website on the Peer Academic Coaches schedule, or visit the Writing Centre to get help with booking an appointment.
Where
Sessions will typically take place in the Writing Centre (OM 1411) or online.
Sessions
Students are invited to book a 45-minute session with a Peer Academic Coach, four times per semester. For additional support, the Coaches are knowledgeable about other student services, and may connect students to resources such as STSS courses, Counselling, Accessibility Services, Writing or Math Help Centres.
Meet the Coaches
Adam
Business (Accounting)
Specialties: Scheduling, Organization, Study TechniquesWhat drew me to become an SL leader and PAC coach?
The opportunity to share my knowledge with others
I never go to class without:
Emergency snacks
Best advice I’ve ever received:
Treat others the same way you want to be treated.
What I wish I’d known on the first day of university
How much extra support TRU offers to their students
My academic “a-ha moment”
I didn’t realize how much SL helped until after I attended my first session.
Olivia
Science (CMMB Major)
Specialties: Organization, Time ManagementWhat drew me to become a Peer Acadenic Coach?
I became an SL Leader because I enjoy interactive learning, and I know I have the capacity to help my peers succeed.
I never sit down to study without:
Sticky notes, a coffee, and music.
Best advice I’ve ever received:
Don’t let a bad five minutes become a bad day.
What I wish I’d known on the first day of university:
I wish I’d realized that the other first years were just as nervous as I was; no one else knew exactly what they were doing either.
Juliana
Science
Specialties: Study Strategies, Test PreparationWhat drew me to become a Peer Acadenic Coach?
I am so grateful for all of the amazing SL leaders that supported my learning in my first year of university. want to give back to other students by engaging with them and helping them learn, and by providing the same welcoming environment I experienced.
I never sit down to study without:
A water bottle and colourful pens!
Best advice I’ve ever received:
Be kind to everyone! You never know what battle a person might be fighting.
What I wish I’d known on the first day of university:
How fast each semester actually goes by!
Michelle
Philosophy, Business
Specialties: Time Management, OrganizationI never go to class without:
Water!
Best advice I’ve ever received:
Anything is possible. You just have to want it enough.
I didn’t think I needed extra support until:
I tried SL and enjoyed the experience so much. Studying can get tedious. Having a place where developing skills to be successful is enjoyable is invaluable.
What drew me to become an SL leader, and now a PAC coach?
SL Sessions helped me so much, not just with the class I was taking, but with general studying, that I wanted to be part of sharing that experience with others.
My best or most memorable moment as a peer leader…
A classmate that I hadn’t felt comfortable with showed up for an SL Session. We ended up working together on the material over the course of the semester, and by the end of the term, I realized we had become friends and that learning with others made studying fun and memorable.
Loghan
Psychology, Sociology
Specialties: Study Skills, Time Management, PriortizationWhat drew me to become an SL leader and a PAC coach?
I appreciate a flexible and supportive study environment. At first, the idea of meeting and studying with peers in a fun yet focused way made me really interested in being part of SL.
I never sit down to study without…
Some kind of timer! I lose focus after about half an hour. If I don’t have a timer to remind me to take short breaks I keep studying, but with a lot less focus.
Best advice I’ve ever received:
Make time in your day to do something unrelated to school or work.
What I wish I’d known on the first day of university:
How useful and important office hours are! In my first year I didn’t take advantage of these opportunities to meet with faculty one on one. Now, if I’m struggling with a concept or unsure that I’m doing an assignment correctly, I prepare a few questions and go meet with my prof. I also wish I knew about ESTR’s Market on my first day! The food is amazing and the people are great!
My academic “a-ha moment”
Drawing my own diagrams or visual representations for key information changed studying for me. It’s much easier for me to recall images rather than text. Once I figured this out, I became a lot less anxious about studying because I had a strategy I knew worked for me.
Mike
Law (3L)
Specialties: Balancing being a Mature Student and a ParentMy best or most memorable learning moment:
My best learning moment was when the Indigenous Rights framework suddenly crystalized in what appeared to be a football trick-play diagram. That single SL session and its resulting diagram prepared me for the Constitutional Law final exam, which is the single biggest source of stress for most 1L students.
What drew me to become a Peer Acadenic Coach?
As a 49 year old 1L student, I found myself in a de-facto player/coach role. That’s not to say I'm smarter than my colleagues. I’m not. But, I do have life experience that helps me put the stresses of law school into perspective. We all often felt overwhelmed and imposture syndrome was rampant. Having survived that experience and often being able to help my peers deal with stresses, career mapping, developing study strategies, and even parenting, made for a rewarding year. The fact that there is a structured program to help me improve my coaching was serendipitous.
I never go to class without:
These days? My readers. :(
Best advice I’ve received:
The best way to get something done is to convince the person who you need to do it that it’s their idea.
My academic “a-ha moment”
Taking a graduate diploma in business administration with a bunch of very bright international students who had gone on to become engineers and achieving a better GPA than I thought was possible.
Maggie
Arts + Sciences (Biology/technical theatre)
Specialties: Big picture views; study skills; test preparationI never sit down to study without…
my Pilot G-Tec C4 pen. They don’t sell them in the stores around Kamloops so I have to order them special online.
Best advice I’ve ever received:
To try what I’m interested in, because I’ll never be too old to start over.
What I wish I’d known on the first day of university
How important finding profs who were passionate about what (and how) they taught would be, and how important it is to actually take notes in lecture.
What drew me to being a PAC Coach?
I was drawn to be a PAC because I love working through challenges in SL and I'm super excited to apply those skills in a different context with a more varied group of people!
Anna
Business (Accounting)
My academic “a-ha moment”
A bad grade doesn’t hurt as much as I thought it would. Once I realized that I was able to procrastinate less because the worst (a bad grade) had already happened. When you combine trying hard and a good grade, that’s the most satisfying feeling.
What I wish I’d known on the first day of university
That everyone else was as nervous as me. Or, they were at least a little nervous!
Scott Narang
Law (3L)
What drew me to become a Peer Academic Coach?
I think it’s very important to share experiences and advice with those going through something you have dealt with. Law school can be overwhelming at times and I would love to help other students going through the process in any way I can.
Best advice you've received?
Balance is important and you need to make time for yourself. You cannot let school take over your life!
