Jenn Patel

 Learning Specialist
 

Hi, I'm Jenn, a certified Learning Specialist.

I work with college students facing academic challenges related to ADHD, anxiety, depression, and executive functioning.

Through our work, my students learn

time management, organization, study strategies, dealing with procrastination and perfectionism, and more.

 
what i do

C u r r e n t l y :

I provide weekly, one-on-one learning specialist sessions

(also called ADD/ADHD tutoring or academic coaching),

and teach a college-level course on executive functioning skills

at Fountain House College ReEntry in NYC.

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If you'd like to discuss working together, contact me here.

 

F o r m e r l y :

Throughout 15+ years providing academic support to students in challenging situations, I've served in various Universities and roles, from writing tutor to academic advisor to assistant dean. I recently returned to my roots as a learning specialist, my calling.

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A L W A Y S :

My approach is multidisciplinary and grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy and the Freirean/hooks models of education as liberation, freedom, and self-love. I use tools from neuroscience, counseling, positive psychology, and behavioral economics.

 

My goal is for students to leave our work with skills, confidence, and personalized strategies for getting work done without compromising on physical or mental health.

 

Therefore, one of the most important parts of my work is helping students cultivate a sustainable relationship to their schoolwork. To do this, we leverage their strengths, build personalized systems for school success, and form healthy "habits of mind".  

 

This leads to academic improvement, and more importantly, to finding satisfaction and meaning in their work. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who do you work with?

I specialize in working with college students in challenging, often high-pressure, situations. This includes students who identify as overachievers struggling with perfectionism and students labeled "at-risk", for a variety of reasons. Most of my students have diagnoses of one or more of the following:

  • ADD/ADHD
  • anxiety
  • depression
  • physical conditions
  • learning differences
Specific capacities in which I currently or previously focused include:
  • Adjustment to college academia after high school
  • Succeeding in school amidst demanding priorities (ie: NCAA student-athletes, students who need to perform to keep their academic scholarship)
  • Struggles in maintaining self-care "basics" (health, hygeine, isolation, etc.) while in school
  • Academic probation
  • Returning from a medical/mental health leave of absence (LOA)
If you'd like to discuss working together, reach me via the contact form below.



What subject areas?

I work with students across a variety of subjects by helping them develop interdisciplinary abilities. We use their current assignments as "labs" in which they learn lifelong skills. This work includes:

  • executive functioning
  • time management, including procrastination & prioritization
  • study strategies
  • critical thinking
  • reading comprehension/strategies
  • perfectionism
  • writing
  • communicating with professors
I do not assign students "extra" work. Instead, I help them build a foundation of the above skills, upon which tackling current assignments becomes more doable. I started out as a tutor trained by a top University Writing Center with advanced degrees in English, and can help students with almost any writing assignment, at any point in the process, including:
  • essays
  • research papers
  • capstones/master's thesis papers
The goal is not just to help students produce better work, but to help them become more confident, capable students who have increased their comfort zone.



What's your academic background?

I graduated summa cum laude from St. John’s University with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English. My graduate coursework focused on culturally-responsive pedagogy, vernacular literature, and Critical Race Theory. Early in my career, as an academic advisor for NCAA Division I student-athletes at St. John's University, I earned my Learning Specialist Certification through the National Association of Academic and Student-Athlete Development Professionals (N4A). Later, I created and directed Hofstra University's first Academic Success Program, designed to help students learn skills they need to know to do well in school, that are not typically taught in school, such as time management, study skills, communication with professors, note-taking, reading strategies, and more.
I also served as an assistant dean of the University Tutorial Program, training peer tutors using the College Reading and Learning Association's accredited curriculum. ​ From my professional and personal experience, I know it's crucial that students integrate healthy self-care and self-esteem while building their personalized system for academic success. The most rewarding part of my work is guiding students to leverage their strengths and celebrate progress while dealing with challenges. They often learn they can trust and appreciate themselves as they go.



What is a Learning Specialist?



 
 
Contact me
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