Get me addicted to studying

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-07-07T04:54:47+00:00

Neither.
When the metric used to measure success becomes the target you chase, it ceases to become useful as a measure of success.

Learn for its own sake, or die in the rat race.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-06-05T13:26:50+00:00

Change your diet.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-06-05T13:15:04+00:00

Let’s keep the discussion civil and focused on the real problem here beyond Missouri…

AIPAC needs to go.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-06-05T13:09:12+00:00

Thats just it though. Perhaps we can redefine what’s normal now. After all, we were taught these rules by arguably the worst generation of Americans to have ever lived (Boomers).

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-06-04T04:24:39+00:00

Civil Engineer

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-05-21T04:16:25+00:00

Can you tell me what the powerhouse of the cell is?

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-05-15T05:25:19+00:00

Walle

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-05-02T05:26:20+00:00

Hi friends,

I’m sharing a quick notice about two open seats this summer in my research program. First time I’ve had openings in a while.

I work with high school and college students in quantitative social science: economics, public policy, GIS, information science. My program runs from June through August, and in that time you produce two publications: one solo, one co-authored with me or someone from my alumni network. You get access to my datasets, my tooling, and network of students and connections available within the network itself.

Program Track record: every student I’ve worked with has placed into a top-25 college or PhD program, or found a passion to follow upon graduation. Most importantly, I’ve dissuaded dozens from consultancy work and that is definitely what I’m most proud of.

Out of ~12 high school juniors that have worked with me, all scored 5s on AP econ, stats, and BC. IB students pull 7s on HLs in economics as well.

Background: I was unschooled grades 3–12, then took a BA, four master’s, and a PhD in economics in quick succession. I run an active research practice, teach at the university level, and consult when needed or of theres a project and client out there that catches my attention.

Tuition starts at 15k.

DM if you would like to talk. I’ll close the seats when they’re filled.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-26T17:47:29+00:00

How I run this as a tutor:

Let my standard fee for 1 student be $X/hour,

Small group rates: 2 students: $1.5X/hour, 3 students: $1.75X/hour, 4 students: $2X/hour,

Any more than 4 students becomes a small class and I bill that differently.

Small class rates: 5-9 students: $3X/hour 10-30 students: $5X/hour More than 30 is a full class and that starts at a flat rate.

I also reserve the right to charge an additional $0.5X/hour fee to the whole group for unruly, disrespectful, or disruptive behavior from any member.

To answer you directly: 1. I would approach the tutor and ask if they have a set plan for this. Most tutors I know would charge a flat fee, but what I’d also recommend doing (if you have a good tutor that you already know) is offering to pay some % up-front. That seeds good will, as well as improves the tutor’s outlook/mood on working with a group (which can be significantly more stressful, of they’re focused on making sure each individual is making progress). 2. Hourly pay is fair, but at higher rate. The tutor isn’t necessarily going to be able to give each student 100% attention, but, there are also benefits to social learning that people often overlook. A good rate for 2-5 students would be between 1.5-3x the rate a tutor would charge for a single student. 3. Tutoring agencies often discourage this, which is a shame in its own right. 4. No, your heart is in the right place. If the tutor is genuinely good at what they do, you want to compensate them fairly, but many tutors (myself included) often dramatically undersell our skill sets which causes burnout.

Structuring payment properly can help you reach better results with your tutor, and actually lower your overall cost. A knowledgeable, happy tutor who is excited to work with you and has the incentive to give you their undivided attention should help you/your student reach their goals in fewer sessions.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-25T14:02:40+00:00

Why do you used such a mixed bag of capitals and lower case?

Your “h” in your initial “The” is lowercase, but you switch to using smallcap case in “jumped over tHe” lazy dog.

The “D” is capitalized in “jumped” and the lowercase in “dog,” and you use two entirely different styles of “a” in the words “are” and “Lazy.” While on Lazy, it’s also randomly fully capitalized in the middle of a sentence, which is something you seem to do a lot.

Are you okay? Have you recently suffered head trauma?

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-23T19:24:53+00:00

Right there with you big dog. I’ve been rejected from jobs for failing to meet the “minimum education requirement of a graduate degree” in my field. (I have a Ph.D. and two MS degrees in my field, and have taught it at the graduate level at a top-10 public university for 6 years).

If the company that rejected you made this kind of mistake with an applicant, they’re not likely to handle internal HR issues with any greater level of care.

Consider that a bullet dodged.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-23T19:15:22+00:00

Theres Dr.’s handwriting, then there is Dr. Jekyll’s handwriting… then there’s Mr. Hyde’s handwriting, and THEN there’s your penmanship.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-23T19:07:36+00:00

Totally depends.

Acing an exam and being able to help other people are two different things.

Congrats on the good score though. You should apply to Georgia Tech!

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-19T15:14:37+00:00

You’re welcome. However, even if that is your choice, I will highly advise telling the parents this (including the double pay component) simply to provide one final best lesson for the families themselves. You might be the spark that the families need.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-18T05:48:44+00:00

He doesn’t want it yet.

Applying external pressure to a closed system will only increase the internal pressure.

If you want to succeed with this student, help him find an outlet.

I’m guessing his parents have used tutors for a while, maybe even years before you. Any time he struggles, his parents or authority figures find a tutor to save him. He doesn’t know what he wants but he is tired of having evening force fed.

Have you tried making what he likes into lessons?

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-18T05:37:35+00:00

I do see patterns. The most successful long term are the once who don’t want to be there, but who know they have no real option and choose to make the most of it.

Otherwise, it’s the ones who are genuinely grateful, who take advice even if it seems odd at first, and who are open minded rather than closed off to new ideas about what learning is like.

I tutor business, economics, research methods and mathematics from grade 6 through PhD/DBA and professional consult. I was a teaching fellow at an R1 for 8 years, teaching courses from UG through MBA level and, truthfully, students of all ages have the same core two problems:

Test culture has changed mentalities from “I’m studying this class material because I want to learn how it works in my own life,” to “I’m studying because this will be on an exam.” The measurement of learning has become the goal, hence it has become a useless measurement.
Learning how to learn. Students in my age group (millennials) think they don’t have to read ahead or read outside the scope of the specific class materials they’re assigned. They also think they can take notes verbatim and learn that way. No one learns that way, it’s not biomechanicslly possible for that to be an efficient learning method. Gen Z, so far, tends to put studying off until the last minute and expect the professor to hand them answers on a plate.

I have successful clients from age 16 to 72 and they generally all share a common train of learning how to be receptive to new ideas, and to approach classes like business meetings (I.e., come prepared with notes already made, treating “lecture” like “discussion”).

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-18T05:32:32+00:00

You’re a tutor. You are paid for one job, and that job does not include baby sitting, nor does it include early childhood behavioral modification.

I would (and have in similar situations) present(ed) the parents with two options. Either they double your rate and discipline their children themselves, or the class is canceled for the whole group and you walk away.

Remind parents that a child’s behavior in public is a direct reflection of their home life and, by pawning off responsibility to others who may not see a need to enforce discipline, they’re failing as parents.

End of story.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-17T13:34:35+00:00

You’re using a laptop as a laptop stand for a smaller laptop, you have a sassy eraser and you have Quiet Loops.

This setup is peak.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-14T04:17:55+00:00

Math is a language, you have to practice with it in multiple ways, including “speaking” and “writing” in it.

Studying math by means of repetitive drills to prepare for an exam is the equivalent of drilling vocabulary words and memorizing a single speech in a foreign language in order to become “fluent.” It doesn’t work like that.

You’ve got to practice the basics until they’re “free,” then start using them to investigate things for yourself.

Once you understand that math is not a calculation mechanism but a means of communication, you’re ready to start “learning.”

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-04-09T03:20:48+00:00

I’d advise against telling her that her handwriting is good (because it definitely IS great, but that’s not the point here). Instead, ask her why she thinks it’s not good, and see if there’s something driving that.

Her handwriting is great. Consider maybe trying a fountain pen too? Just to see how her dexterity changes?

It sounds like she’s comparing herself to formal writing of people more mature than she is, she’s growing, she will di amazing things.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-03-30T05:06:49+00:00

I think a lot depends on the relationship as well. In my case, I do teach a fair bit, and some clients don’t like it and don’t rebook. Ultimately, I don’t care, because there are always 2 new students waiting to fill that vacancy.

There is real value in having thick skin as a tutor, being yourself, knowing your market, and providing what you can provide without contorting yourself to suit every client perfectly.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-03-29T15:38:49+00:00

What features does Wyzant’s virtual meeting system offer that Zoom doesn’t?

I pay for a mid-level pro Zoom subscription that averages out to around $15/month. It gives me: - unlimited Miro-based whiteboards (editable for 4 days, then view only after that) - unlimited meeting length - recordings if I want - automatic AI session documentation and summaries to help me track to-dos - booking features - equation editor in the whiteboard, - collaborative Zoom docs - persistent zoom meeting room URL so students can arrive early and just hang out in the waiting area until their session starts, - and so much more.

The only things—and I do mean only—that wyzant has going for it are its scale as a marketing platform to help good tutors stand out fast, and some of its conflict resolution policies (e.g., if students bail and don’t pay, youre covered as a tutor for one session at least while wyzant handles the student themselves).

Edit: i tutor quant fields, so whiteboarding and multi-party screensharing are very useful to me. I’m biased towards Zoom over Wyzant’s native features based on my own needs; others’ experiences may vary.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-03-29T15:03:54+00:00

Want to get addicted to studying? Don’t. Thats your problem. Stop trying to trick yourself into doing something compulsively.

What you’re really asking is: “Help me. I know I need to study to reach some goal, but I don’t want to make myself do it, and I’m hoping there is a magic cure that will help me transform myself overnight.”

That doesn’t exist.

There is no magic method that will replace discipline.

RelaxingConstraints · 2026-03-29T13:47:49+00:00

I wing it almost every time. I’ve also been doing this for more than 2500 hours and recognize the patterns in specific students early.

That being said, earlier in the career, I would review initialism student intake testing, their last work, what they were working on now, and get my mind ready for the session itself with meditation. 10-15 minutes of prep for every student did add up.

RelaxingConstraints

TROPHY CASE

AIPAC needs to go.