New Students Gain Tutoring, Support From Peers

College can be intimidating — new classes, new people, new responsibilities, and that’s before you even get to the coursework itself. For some, the transition can be difficult.

UC Merced’s Peer Assisted Learning Support (PALS) makes it a little easier for students who might feel intimidated approaching professors about their struggles in a given course. The learning sessions match trained student tutors with other students, and they cover many subjects. 

“PALS is a learning community,” program coordinator Karen Linam said. “There is a strong drive among our staff for delivering a professional service and supporting students on their path to success.”

Second-year student Kenny Veliz found the sessions useful, and said they helped him grasp material in a comfortable setting.

“I really liked the vibe I got from the learning assistants the first time I went to a session,” Veliz said. “They were able to help me with the questions I had, and I enjoyed that one hour I got to invest with them every time.”

Veliz says he learned about PALS during freshman orientation, and he continues to take advantage of it. He’s gotten help on a number of subjects, including biology, calculus and writing.

Iheoma Chieke also continues to use the program after learning about it her freshman year. She said the tutoring sessions helped her significantly improve her grade in one of her classes that year.

“I still use the PALS center often,” she said. “And I invite my friends to attend tutoring sessions when they’re struggling with a certain class.”

PALS is a free service. Tutors are certified with the College Reading and Learning Association and are required to attend regular trainings. Sessions are available in smaller groups, as well, for more personalized learning, and are available at different times and days to work around students’ schedules.

Two new types of sessions will be offered this year: Hosted Sessions, available to individual academic programs; and RSVP Sessions, which can be reserved by campus groups, clubs or organizations. These sessions can be requested online, and a calendar of scheduled sessions is available.

PALS also offers study sessions for specific upper-division courses, which are held by Academic Support Fellows in the Degree Attainment for Returning and Transfer Scholars (DARTS) program.

Students who’ve benefited from PALS say it’s one of many resources that made UC Merced an appealing choice. Veliz — who also plays basketball for UC Merced and plans to pursue sports medicine after graduation — says PALS is sort of a reflection of the campus itself.

“I really liked the environment since the first time I stepped foot on campus,” he said. “I felt comfortable here, and the people were friendly. The resources and the opportunity to be involved in many programs were also appealing to me.”