Office Hours

Office hours are one of my favorite resources on campus for a couple reasons.  There are other resources off campus such as LionTutors and PSUKnowHow, which provide review sessions for exams and offer private tutoring.  These places are great but will cost you a good bit if you use them frequently.  Office hours are times during the day that your professor will set aside solely to answer any question you may have on homework, lecture material, or any other information pertaining to the class.  This is your chance to get one-on-one help from a professor that could teach from classes of 50 to 400.  They take time out of their day specifically to assist students with class material and many times there are only one or two students who attend and often there are none at all.  This basically means you can have a FREE personal tutor who knows what is going to be on your exams. 

Most of the time your professor will hold office hours each day at varying time to try to accommodate to each student’s schedules.  If for some reason none of the times the professor has set aside work with your schedule they are often very willing to schedule a different time with you.  As a freshman, there are typically many sections of your math, chemistry, and physics classes with different teachers teaching them as well.  This means that you can also attend other professor’s office hours if those times work better for you or if you feel that you better understand the information in the way they present it rather than the professor you have assigned for your section. 

Teaching Assistants (TA), will also hold office hours.  I personally prefer to go directly to the professor so they can put a name to a face in the larger class sizes you will be exposed to but TAs are very helpful as well and often can be better at explaining things because they are students as well.  I personally go to office hours almost every day of the week to keep of with the material that is being taught in lecture and it has been extremely helpful.  This one-on-one time your get with your professor can also be very helpful in creating a strong relationship with them.  This can lead to potential letters of recommendation for leadership positions in clubs and activities, scholarships, and jobs.  Between TAs and your professor, there are many options for office hours to help you make it through your classes during your time at Penn State! 

Megan Farrell is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering, and is a Mentor for WEPO'15!

Freshman 15

Alright ladies, I know that you have all been told about the myth of the “freshman 15.”  Well, as many of you would not like to believe this will happen to you, this is not a myth.  There are many factors that can effect gaining this weight when coming in as a freshman, but the dining commons food plays a large part.  At first, the impressive buffets and food available at most hours of the day is very attractive, but these calories can add up and take a toll on your health.  There are some ways to use the meal plan in a healthy and delicious way to fuel your diet.

Portion sizes play a large part in weight gain your freshman year because at the buffets, you have unlimited access to many different options including pizza, pasta, salad, dessert, and many more.  Taking one plate at a time will allow you to judge how hungry you actually are and instead of having multiple options right in front of you.  Reading the menu before going into one of the buffets is a smart way to stay on top of your diet.  Also, one of Penn State’s claim to fame is the delicious Creamery Ice Cream which is conveniently offered in the buffet areas.  Even though this ice cream is absolutely delicious, the calories in this ice cream add up after a while, so be cautious when selecting dessert.  Another hack to stay smart in the buffet areas is to get the food to-go.  The container is properly portioned to make it easy to make good decisions regarding what you eat.

On a meal plan, you have access to the food marts in each commons area.  You can make smart decisions to stay on top of your health when making the decision on what to have for a meal or even just a snack.  Sometimes it is just quicker when studying to grab something quick to throw in the microwave.  Much of this pre-packaged contains extra sodium and sugar.  Instead, using the food marts to get fresh items is a good way to get the nutrients you need to get your quick fix.  Also, I am guilty of this: it’s late, and you are up studying a snack sounds like the perfect way to get a break and re-fuel your brain.  Freshman year, I went for the chips and pretzels and lots of sugary treats.  Binge eating is one of the quickest ways to gain weight and choosing snacks like apple slices or carrot sticks is a great way to fuel this want.

All in all, just make sure that you are aware that what you eat will eventually catch up to you.  Since you will now be living on your own, it is up to you to make these good decisions for yourself.  Have fun, be smart, and eat up!  

Melissa Monstrola is a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering, and is a Mentor for WEPO'15!

Balancing Engineering with Everything Else in College Life

College is going to be by far the biggest transition in your life up until this point.  It’s an incredibly scary and confusing time, but it’s also the best four years of your life!  You’re going to be overwhelmed with everything, particularly as an engineer.  That is why I’m going to try to explain to you how to make the most of your time here in Happy Valley while pursuing an amazing degree.

First and foremost, pursue what you love, whether that is a sports team or a club or anything.  Getting involved on campus is a must, but whatever you join, make sure it’s wholeheartedly.  The biggest mistake you can make is signing up for five different clubs and showing up maybe once a month.   

Join Greek life or dedicate your time to THON or work at the local bakery downtown.  It is totally possible to have it all.  I am a member of the engineering/science sorority Phi Sigma Rho!  I also had the privilege of participating in a canning weekend to raise money for the fight against pediatric cancer.  Devoting your time to a group of people that you share many similar interests with will help keep you from losing your head.

If you have been athletic your entire life, don’t stop in college!  Working out and staying active is crucial.  Studies have shown individuals who participate in some sort of physical activity show lower levels of stress.  We have some amazing facilities that offer killer classes.  I highly suggest you attend any one of them.

But what you do join and actively participate in, devote the little free time you have to!  Activities and passions other than anything engineering related are key to keeping your sanity. 

Emily Dunn is a sophomore majoring in Computer Science, and is a Rover for WEPO'15!

Planning your Classes

So it’s your first semester.  A lot is on your mind.  Did you pack everything that you needed?  What clubs are you going to join?  What if you have issues with your roommate?  What if your classes are really hard?  And so on and so on.  Hopefully, this WEPO blog has provided many answers to these questions.  But what about the questions that crop up after you’ve arrived, the ones that hit you when you feel like you’ve already gotten the hang of college?  At this point, you’re simply trying to get all your stuff together for your current classes, when you’re already forced to look ahead to next semester.  This is when you start asking different questions.  What classes should I take?  Should I take this class with this professor or that professor?   Can I wait to take this class next year instead of next semester?  Will I be able to handle taking 2 math classes and physics in the same semester?  And that can get pretty stressful.

But it doesn’t have to be.  First of all, there are quite a few resources available.  You can talk to your advisor to make sure that you are meeting all of your academic requirements.  You can talk to Cheryl; she always has loads of advice.  You can ask your friends to see what classes they’re planning on taking to get a feel of what other people are leaning towards.  I think the best resource though is upperclassmen.  They can give you tips on which classes to take first because they can help with future classes.  They’ll be able to tell you the teaching styles of different professors which could help your decisions.  So go ahead – ask us anything.  We’d be happy to help.

Now for the main reason for this blog post.  Deciding what classes to take shouldn’t just be something you only think about when it’s time to schedule.  I’m here to tell you that it’s more important than that.  If you want to make the most of your time at college, you should plan further than just the upcoming semester.  You should sit down with you advisor to create somewhat of a roadmap for the next four years.  It doesn’t have to be incredibly detailed class by class and it’s by no means set in stone.  Even so, it’s incredibly helpful.  It will allow you to know where you stand if you have to retake a class.  It will help you plan around co-ops and study abroad so that you can still graduate on time.  Lastly, planning ahead will give you an idea of what room you have to maybe double major or add on minors.  This leads me to my second point – explore what you feel passionate about and how you want to use that passion.  Who knows?  You might end up really enjoying a topic and decide to learn more and add it to your curriculum.  As a senior, I feel like there are one or two minors that I would have liked to pursue.  I would have been able to fit them into my schedule, too – if I had just planned ahead more.  For instance, there were classes that could have double counted and given me room in my schedule, but I hadn’t thought of that at the time.  The bottom line is, with good planning, you can accomplish all that you want in college.  This is your education, so make the most of it.

Erika Arrojado is a senior majoring in Mechanical Engineering, and is a Mentor for WEPO'15!

Internship Advice

After you’ve gotten an internship you’re going to be so excited and you’re probably going to wonder what to do once you reach your internship.  This post is going to give you advice on how to navigate the summer.

1. Make a ton of new friends from across the country
2. Learn new things everyday
3. Understand exactly what’s expected of you
4. Do not be afraid to ask questions
5. Take weekends trips and go on some adventures
6. Build a network of people that will support you even after the internship
7. Learn from employees around you by going to talks and observing others in action
8. Be creative and offer your opinion
9. Be open minded to other’s ideas and thoughts
10. Don’t forget to call your family once in a while - they keep you grounded

It’s super easy to get lost in corporate America, but always remember that everyone started from somewhere.  You may be at the bottom of the food chain, but take this amazing opportunity to learn as much as you can.  You’ll be ahead of the game when it comes to finding a full-time job and being a full-time employee.  Keep up the good word and don’t forget to always believe in yourself!

Ria Bhatia is a junior majoring in Computer Science, and is a Mentor for WEPO'15!