PrepNow Tutor - Barbara H.
Barbara has experience working with students in both one-on-one and group settings. Barbara holds a BS in neurobiology and English literature (along with a 2D studio art certificate) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. During this time, she worked as a peer tutor for several undergraduate-level courses. As of fall 2022, she’s in the process of earning her medical degree from the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, where she’s also a graduate researcher. Some of her work—combining her interests in medicine, literature, and art—has been published in the Journal of Neurosurgery. “I love seeing where various humanities and scientific disciplines cross paths!” she professes.
Barbara’s tutoring style is based on Socratic questioning, which leads the student through the reasoning process. “This method is my favorite as it allows the learner to see how investigating concepts can be broken down into a series of logical questions,” she states. She also likes to use diagramming and mapping to help students visualize thought processes in a myriad of ways. Having had excellent professors in college, she borrows some teaching tactics from them as well. Ultimately, she wants her students to recognize their own capabilities and learn to approach challenges with flexibility and calm curiosity.
In college, Barbara made the Dean’s list every year. She received numerous research grants and independent project grants from the University of Wisconsin fellowship committees, including the Louise Troxell Award, which recognizes high-achieving women in STEM. She has also received two writing scholarship awards and was a member of the honor society, Phi Beta Kappa.
As a student, she enjoyed playing volleyball, basketball, softball, ultimate frisbee, and ping pong. In addition to her major coursework, she also pursued studio art, environmental studies, and Latin studies.
Outside of school, Barbara enjoys getting active in the outdoors as much as possible via hiking and swimming. “I became a nature-lover in high school and took a birding class in college. As a result, I have learned hundreds of Midwest birds by sight and sound!” she shares. She also loves seeing local theatre productions, playing the guitar, writing, and drawing.
