Academic Coaching
We are hiring!
We are excited to open Summer & Fall employment opportunities for multiple positions, including our SSC Peer Academic Coach position!
Get Started
Schedule a Coaching Appointment
Appointments
In-Person Coaching
Meet with a coach in-person. Go to Razortrack to see the schedule. If you have scheduled an in-person coaching appointment, please review our COVID-19 In-Person Appointment Policies prior to your appointment.
Online Coaching
Meet with a coach online in a virtual classroom. Go to Razortrack to see the schedule. Once you schedule an online appointment, you will receive an e-mail confirmation of your appointment with instructions on how to access the virtual classroom.
Scheduling Tips
See the tips below for viewing the coaching schedule and making an appointment:
- Log into Razortrack
- Select Get help from a tutor or coach in the Student Dashboard
- Type "Academic Coaching" in the search box and select Academic Coaching when it pops up
- Click View the schedule
- View the schedule and make an appointment
About Academic Coaching
SSC Peer Coaches help students develop their skills and strategies for learning efficiently and effectively. While a tutor works with you on course content, an academic coach works with you on strategies for learning the content.
Coaching Quick Facts
The Peer Academic Coaching program is an academic support program designed to provide individualized student support. Peer Academic Coaching is a partnership between a student and a peer coach, developed through a series of short, one-on-one conversations to help the student evaluate and elevate their academic performance. Coaching is not advising, counseling, or tutoring.
Log into Razortrack, our appointment scheduling system, to view available appointment times and select one that works for you.
Our team of Peer Academic Coaches is comprised of currently enrolled, successful undergraduate UofA students. Our coaches represent a variety of academic majors, college experiences, and personal backgrounds. What they share is their passion for working with students to help them be successful at the University of Arkansas. You can learn more about our team in our coach profiles below.
You and your coach will talk about lots of things! Your coach will work with you to identify stressors and establish goals that lead to academic success. You can expect your coach to ask you powerful questions that are curious, non-judgmental, and are designed to promote reflection, create possibilities, and encourage new insights. Your coach is invested in your goals, cares about your results, and will be your biggest cheerleader!
Meetings with your coach will typically last around 30 minutes. You can discuss your coaching schedule during your first meeting.
All costs associated with Peer Academic Coaching are covered by student tuition. There is no additional cost for participation.
Our coaches can help you:
- define a specific game plan that can be used for an upcoming exam
- evaluate and implement learning styles & strategies
- learn how to master reading college texts
- create outlines, notes, and study materials
- review tips for effective studying & successful learning
- address text anxiety or other stressors
- assess time management to maximize study time for challenging areas while balancing college life and other time demands
Meet our Peer Coaches
Braden Byrum
Lead Peer Academic Coach
Where are you from?
Conway, Arkansas
What are you studying?
Finance with minors in Accounting & Blockchain Enterprise Systems
What year are you?
Junior
What do you want to do when you graduate?
Either a corporate setting or a startup would be preferable. I want to help revolutionize the Finance industry by incorporating blockchain and sustainable principles to make the financial system more efficient.
What do you like about coaching?
I like getting to make an impact on my peers, it's extremely fulfilling to see that you're making a difference in someone's life.
What's your favorite quote?
“For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit. Start whenever you want. You can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you’ve never felt before. I hope you meet people who have a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of, and if you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start over again.”
- F. Scott Fitzgerald
What's a fun fact about you?
I've traveled to 9 different countries.
What's your favorite campus resource?
Bri Roden
Where are you from?
North Little Rock, Arkansas
What are you studying?
Supply Chain Management with a minor in Nonprofit Studies
What year are you?
Junior
What do you want to do when you graduate?
I want to work with nonprofits, specifically those focused on food insecurity and food waste, and eventually direct and lead a nonprofit that focuses on such issues.
What do you like about coaching?
I love that coaching goes beyond just one tough class. The resources and skills you learn from academic coaching appointments can help you with all your classes and how you handle life outside of lecture periods. It's really great to know that when I meet with a student, I'm not just helping them with one grade, I'm helping them better their academic experience while at the UofA.
What's your favorite quote?
"I would like to be remembered as someone who used whatever talent she had to do her work to the very best of her ability"
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg
What's a fun fact about you?
I have more than 20 plants!
What's your favorite campus resource?
The Center for Community Engagement is my favorite because they provide so many ways to get involved with campus and meet like-minded students!
Brooke Vaughan
Where are you from?
Allen, Texas
What are you studying?
Chemical Engineering
What year are you?
Sophomore
What do you want to do when you graduate?
Go into industry or continue on to grad school.
What do you like about coaching?
I really enjoying meeting one on one with other students my age. I think it’s is super beneficial that coaching is with peers rather than with a teacher or supervisor.
What's your favorite quote?
I don’t know who said it but I like the one that says “always be kinder than you feel”.
What's a fun fact about you?
I have a dog named Goose.
What's your favorite campus resource?
Caroline Yakin
Where are you from?
Fayetteville, Arkansas
What are you studying?
History & Social Work
What year are you?
Junior
What do you want to do when you graduate?
When I graduate, I want to either attend law school or get my master’s in social work.
What do you like about coaching?
I like coaching because we focus on empowering and reassuring students of their academic skill.
What's your favorite campus resource?
Ishan Vengurlekar
Where are you from?
Coppell, Texas
What are you studying?
Psychology & Social Work
What year are you?
Junior
What do you want to do when you graduate?
Get my PhD in School Psychology
What do you like about coaching?
Being able to help relieve stress pertaining to academic success.
What's your favorite quote?
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present"
- Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda
What's a fun fact about you?
I've been playing trumpet for the past 10 years!
What's your favorite campus resource?
Kay Simon
Lead Peer Academic Coach
Where are you from?
Romeoville, Illinois
What are you studying?
Public Health and Statistics
What year are you?
Senior
What do you want to do when you graduate?
I want to continue to explore the intersection of healthcare and data science to aid in providing better services to individuals seeking out healthcare services.
What do you like about coaching?
I like helping students create a school-sleep-social life balance.
What's your favorite quote?
Win some, lose many, but never lose hope.
What's a fun fact about you?
I am very enthusiastic about advocating for comprehensive sex education in public schools.
What's your favorite campus resource?
Keaton McDorman
Where are you from?
Owasso, Oklahoma
What are you studying?
Biology with a minor in History
What year are you?
Senior
What do you want to do when you graduate?
I plan on working for a year in a hospital and getting good clinical hours, then hopefully medical school after!
What do you like about coaching?
Meeting new people is my favorite hobby.
What's your favorite quote?
“I bet real mountain dew tastes nothing like the soda.”
- Cody Ko
What's a fun fact about you?
I’m a pristine whistler.
What's your favorite campus resource?
Jessica Handley
Where are you from?
McKinney, Texas
What are you studying?
Nursing with a minor in Global Studies
What year are you?
Senior
What do you want to do when you graduate?
Pediatric nursing
What do you like about coaching?
I really enjoy getting to meet and know new people!
What's your favorite quote?
In the wise words of Hannah Montana, "Nobody's perfect."
What's a fun fact about you?
I can say all 50 states in alphabetic order.
What's your favorite campus resource?
Lawrence Hale
Lead Peer Academic Coach
Where are you from?
Maumelle, Arkansas
What are you studying?
Biochemistry
What year are you?
Senior (4th year)
What do you want to do when you graduate?
I will be attending medical school the Fall of 2021!
What do you like about coaching?
I love meeting a variety of people and helping them out with all aspects of academics!
What's your favorite quote?
“There is, after all, a kind of happiness in unhappiness, if it's the right unhappiness.“
What's a fun fact about you?
I absolutely love animals and adore my dog and cat!
What's your favorite campus resource?
Lilli Martin
Where are you from?
Rogers, Arkansas
What are you studying?
Apparel Merchandising & Product Development with a minor in Journalism
What year are you?
Sophomore
What do you want to do when you graduate?
Wardrobe stylist for either published editorial features for magazines or for film
What do you like about coaching?
College can be hard, and being able to help others and make it a little easier for them, is rewarding.
What's your favorite quote?
"Day by day nothing changes, but when you look back, everything is different."
- C.S Lewis
What's a fun fact about you?
I don't like chocolate!
What's your favorite campus resource?