Tools in Your Toolbox

The first tool you will always have is your network of friends and class time. During class it is extremely important that you ask questions when you don’t understand something. Many times students become afraid to ask questions, and you’ll see it often especially in classes like physics or math. The professors are there to help you and they want you to learn, so don’t be afraid to ask about

things that don’t make sense or seem unclear! Another HUGE tool is office hours. Office hours are your number one resource not only because you can get one on one time with your professor, but also because it is great networking time. The more often you go, the more your professor will recognize your effort. The professor will be more likely to help you out on little exam boosts or even becoming a reference. Professors are people too, and you’ll find some of them love to chat about things other than class. Plus they could even be doing research that you might be interested in!

One of the many benefits of doing WEPO is that you will have a network of friends before your classes even begin. You will more than likely have a couple classes with the friends you already made, which makes it easy to work on homework and study in groups. Studying and working on your own first is important, but if you get stuck or if you just want to test out what you know working in a group is the way to go. Another tool that will be mentioned during WEPO are the on campus tutors. On the second floor of Boucke are the Penn State Learning tutors, who can help with classes like math and English. Just look up Penn State Learning in Google to find drop in times for the class you are interested and get the help you need! Another similar tool are the engineering specific tutors in Sackett called the Academic Excellence Center. They can help with the more challenging classes like physics and even engineering mechanics or compsci. These tutors work later in the afternoon and evening, in case you can’t drop by Boucke during the day.

           

            The last and final tool that I want you to remember that you have is your confidence. Engineering is not an easy major, but I think you already knew that. Sometimes it will be hard to remember that you can do this, but what I want you to know is that you 100% can do engineering. We have all been through the tough times before and if you are ever struggling, reach out. Reach out to your friends, your rover, and your mentor. We will always be here to help you. I hope you found this post to be helpful, good luck with your first year at Penn State!

WE ARE!!!

Margo Blake is a senior majoring in Chemical Engineering and is a mentor for WEPO'16!