During your first few days at Penn State you will most
certainly have a lot on your mind.
You’ll be getting yourself situated in your dorm room, learning your way
around campus, and beginning to get to know your fellow classmates who will
soon become some of your best friends.
However, after a few weeks go by and things begin to fall into place,
you will soon notice that your classes begin to travel to the top of your
priority list. As engineers, we are the lucky ones who are gifted with a
rigorous course load right off the bat. There’s no need to worry, though,
because I assure you, you WILL make it through. No matter how difficult or
frustrating the course work may seem at the time, keep your head up, because it
will all work out in the end. We
have all gone through the same trials and tribulations that you are about to
embark on and we have all made it through. But I assure you, this would not
have been possible without a little help from one of my favorite benefits here
at Penn State: facilitated study groups.
As a member of WEP, you will have the opportunity to join a
facilitated study group (or multiple) at the beginning of each semester. There are groups for all of the basic
math and science classes which all engineers must take, including Math 140,
Math 141, Chem 111, Chem 112, and Physics 211, just to name a few. If you decide to join (which I highly
recommend you do), you will be placed in a group of about 8-10 other girls who
are also enrolled in the given course. The group will be led by an older women
engineering student who has already received an A in the course, and therefore
knows all there is to know about the course material. Your group will meet once
a week to go over homework problems and review material and any other questions
you may have. By joining a
facilitated study group you are not only receiving extra help outside of the
classroom, but you are doing so for FREE. Many other study groups on campus,
such as PSU Know How and Lion Tutors, charge money, which can get pretty costly
if you need help with multiple courses.
Therefore, joining a WEP facilitated study group is the best route to
take!
In addition to being free, joining a facilitated study group
has many other benefits which I would like to quickly point out:
- Your facilitator and group members can offer additional insight which you do not get in the classroom. Sometimes the way your professor explains things does not immediately click with you. By having the opportunity to learn the material from someone else, you are allowing yourself to hear it in a different way. I joined a facilitated study group for Chem 111 my first semester, and my facilitator, Steph, was able to teach us an easy trick for determining the molecular geometry of a molecule, something which seemed much more difficult when explained in class.
- Once you join, it is not mandatory to attend. Facilitated study groups are made solely for your benefit. I recommend joining one for all your classes which are offered, even if you think you won’t need help. It is very nice to have the option to attend the weekly session, just in case you do have a few homework problems or questions that you need help with. Just be sure to communicate with your facilitator and let her know if you plan to attend!
- Joining a group allows you to make new friends! Although WEPO and WEP Wednesdays will give you the opportunity to meet many other women engineers, you will most likely not have the chance to meet them all. Joining a facilitated study group is a great way to widen your friend circle and get to know other women in engineering. I became friends with some of the girls in my facilitated study groups, and we would even meet multiple times during the week to work out some of our homework problems together!
As you prepare to make the move to Penn State, I know classes and studying are probably the last things on your mind. However, when the time comes to sign up for a WEP facilitated study group make sure you do! Trust me, when it comes to exam time you will certainly be grateful that you did!
Can’t wait to see you at WEPO!
No comments:
Post a Comment