Academic Support

The academic environment of the Department of Natural Sciences, although rigorous and challenging, is overwhelmingly positive and supportive. Post-bac students enjoy personalized guidance from both faculty and staff to select courses and assess their performance and progress. Advisors in the program support students as they adapt to the fast-paced learning environment in the Keck Science Department.

Many post-bac students take advantage of the extensive academic support offered to our students to help facilitate their academic success. In-person group tutoring on evenings and weekends is a popular feature of the program, and post-bac and undergraduate students often work together in small study groups. Many post-bac students also take advantage of one-on-one peer tutoring in specific science subjects. Other support services include math review sessions, which are offered every summer to incoming students, and the Math Spot tutoring center, which students utilize throughout the academic year.

Most post-bac students take advantage of the following free resources for academic support:

• Professor office hours, available typically 2-4 times per week and as requested. The science faculty at the Department of Natural Sciences are eager to support students both inside and outside of the classroom.

• Science subject-specific group tutoring, available 5 nights a week

• Weekly problem-solving sessions outside the classroom, in which students have access to academic support specific to their assignments to help them stay on track with their courses

• Free one-on-one peer tutoring, as needed, provided by the Scripps Tutoring Program. Many students take advantage of this program when working through particularly challenging course materials to develop their study skills and glean strategies from their peers while mastering the content.