Peer Services
The BCLT offers a variety of peer tutoring to support your academic needs. Peer tutors are Bowdoin students who have undergone extensive peer education professional development to learn to serve fellow students in academic pursuits and support through academic challenges.
Whether you’re looking to write your first paper for a class, enhance your quantitative skills, or receive advice about how to cultivate your study skills, the BCLT is here for you. Services are available at no cost for all Bowdoin College students.
Peer Tutoring takes place in person in the Baldwin Center for Learning and Teaching in Hawthorne-Longfellow Library or, if needed, virtually. You can find us on the first floor of H-L library behind the periodicals.
Find a Peer Tutor
There are three ways to find a peer tutor:
- Schedule an appointment on the Penji App.
- Visit the BCLT during Peer Tutoring Hours. (Sunday-Thursday, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.)
- Contact your course instructor.
We have four types of Peer Tutors:
Academic Peer Mentors
Gain practical advice, share experiences, and explore with another Bowdoin student ways to navigate academic life. Peer mentors can support:
- Academic adjustment to Bowdoin
- Understanding and using available resources
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Time management
- Organizational skills
- Procrastination (getting papers started on time)
- Study skills and learning strategies
- Reading and note taking strategies
Writing Assistants
One-on-one writing assistance is available to writers in any course and at any phase of the writing process. Students with just a few ideas or a completed draft can reserve a meeting with a trained peer writing assistant. Walk-in appointments will be available as time permits on a first-come, first-served basis. Writing conferences are run by students for students... so take advantage of this unique opportunity to get some helpful feedback from your peers!
Q-Tutors
Q-tutors provide one-on-one tutoring in Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Mathematics, Statistics, and Computer Science courses. Students typically discuss course topics and main ideas, methodologies, problem solving steps, and mechanisms with Q-tutors during their meetings.
Learning Assistants
Learning Assistants (LA’s) are hired by departments to provide peer-to-peer academic support for specific courses. Please contact your course instructor to get connected to a Learning Assistant for that course. (Not all courses have Learning Assistants.)
For some courses, LA’s lead study groups or exam review sessions outside of class sessions each week. In other courses, Learning Assistants collaborate in class to lead discussions or small group activities.
Cancellations and Missed Appointments
Appointments may be canceled using the Penji App. Two missed appointments for a Peer Tutoring session will result in an automatic lock-out of the BCLT scheduling app. To discuss reinstating the scheduling access, contact the Coordinator for the BCLT.
Become a Peer Tutor
When peer tutoring opportunities are available, they are posted in Workday.
Additional Support at Bowdoin
- Office hours with your professor(s)
- Academic Coaching
- Academic communication for multilingual speakers
- Student Accessibility Office
- Office of the Dean of Students
If you need additional help not addressed above, please contact us.