Lauren W. is a PCH tutor and senior at Pepperdine University, double majoring in business and economics. Originally from Henderson, Nevada, Lauren moved to California when she started college and has become an avid surfer. “I’m not afraid to do anything,” she says, and you can see it in her determination to learn and her passion for finding the best ways to encourage students to study confidently and gain academic independence. Her goal before graduating in the spring of 2019 is to skydive: “There’s nothing to lose!”
What are you studying, and why?
I pursued economics in college because I had a teacher in high school who’d been a professor at Berkeley years ago and he had such a profound impact on me. I took macro and micro economics in high school, and he told me I should take econ in college. I hadn’t thought about that before, but I took another macro class freshman year, and that professor also suggested pursuing it as my major. I chose to double major in economics and business, and I’m super pumped about the decision.
What do you plan to do after graduating?
I’m aiming towards getting a position in a financial division somewhere, possibly as an analyst to compliment what I’ve been doing in business and economics: data research, learning about consumers and markets, that sort of thing. I want to start somewhere where I can get the best knowledge and have the same feeling I have in college, where people are still teaching me and I’m not just a number.
How did you choose a college?
I toured Pepperdine on a college visit with my mom who, when we went, warned me: “Don’t look at the ocean, you’ve got to look at the school!” I wasn’t sure I’d like Pepperdine, especially since I’d visited a lot of other great universities. But on my tour I just fell in love with the Christian community - coming from a Catholic background, it meant a lot to me, and I later found out the warm welcome on campus wasn’t a facade. Pepperdine has a great community and great university standing; it upholds its values and it’s small, so you get to really know your professors which helps build a better foundation for understanding the courses.
What inspires you as a tutor?
I love tutoring partly because of the great professors I’ve had as great mentors and teachers - nothing makes me feel better than when I have a professor who is super passionate and takes the time to explain something. Tutoring compliments what I’ve been exposed to - I love tutoring and I’m blessed with the students I have.
I have multiple professors from the business world who come straight from their 9-5 business jobs and teach night classes. You see that and realize they must really love working, and that teaching is a side passion. So you feel a lot of drive and motivation from those people.
Why did you start tutoring?
I did pretty well in the beginning economics classes freshman year, while some kids had never experienced it before - and many were just there for the gen ed. My mind processes in steps and I do them in my head for every problem I do, even in economics - after all, there’s a lot of math. So when I studied with friends, they always ask me to write the problem on the board, then I’d explain it, and they’d say, “huh, that makes sense.” I felt accomplished when they said I helped them understand: I’m good at explaining myself, and if I’m passionate about something, I feel like I want to relay it.
What do you love most about tutoring?
I love when I have a student who comes home with a 98 grade and says they’re going to get a 99 next time. One of my very first PCH students had a learning curve when she entered high school and it was really hard for her to get acclimated to her studies. She typically wants to go from subject to subject quickly and gets distracted, losing her train of thought. Finally, I found a way that worked best for us to study: we stand and just talk about the topic at hand, then we sit down and take notes about what we just discussed, then she teaches the material back to me. I have seen such a good turnaround, and she is now now applying for colleges and is doing super well in school. She told me she might even apply to her “reach” schools, showing them the improvements in her grades from freshman and sophomore year to her junior and senior years. I love that I’ve helped her become independent. Lots of students forget that how they do in school is not just because we tutors help them, and seeing them do well on a test on their own is so rewarding.
What’s some advice you’d like to share with students?
Don’t procrastinate, get it done - even when it comes to typing things out instead of using voice apps. Don’t cheat yourself - you’ll regret it when you’re older. I always tell students that whenever I’m in a class and assigned homework, if I have 15 mins before the next class, I start the homework immediately because the material is fresh and you can start snapping it out and honing it. Also, it’s better to study over a week in increments than cram it into two days. Flash cards and storytelling are the best ways to study. I think it’s great when you’re able to teach your parents or friends about something you’ve learned because you really understand it when you’re able to do that.
How do you think you honed such good study skills?
I played singles tennis for 10 years, from age eight to 18. That’s how I think I got my schedule for life because by the time I got to high school I had to be so strict. I woke up every morning at 5 am to work out, was at school by 8 am, then I had 30 minutes after school to do homework - I’d run to Starbucks, get a sandwich, and study really fast. Then I’d get on the court and play four hours every day. I’d go home where I’d have an hour to relax and do my work. I also had to drive myself to all those things starting sophomore year - I had to create my own schedule and be responsible for myself. I look back and I’m like, how did I not pass out? I don’t know how I did it, because now I have 10 am classes in college and I’m still drained! But it was great, and such a privilege to be allowed to grow and become an adult. I learned time management, all of it.
Do you have any time for fun?
I picked up surfing my freshman year with a friend and we made a pact to go surfing at least once a month. I now go every Friday and sometimes on the weekends. Well, I do skip January and December - it’s too dang cold, but in February I start dipping my toes in again. It’s not every day I’ll live in a crazy beach town and the water’s right there - it’d be a sin not to! It’s my de-stress zone. I’m also pretty religious; I go to youth groups at Calvary church; that also centers me and gives me a peace of mind. I always walk out feeling great and I love taking friends with me. I also play on the club tennis team at Pepperdine - it’s really fun.
