Hey guys! I’m Shanzida, a current sophomore at GW and an avid user of the ULA program here on Foggy Bottom. Having the LA program implemented at school has been a great addition for more opportunities to get a better grasp on topics, specifically in Chemistry. I am here to give you an inside look at a typical week of classes and extracurriculars, while also being able to fit in a review session for an upcoming exam. Chemistry recitations take place on a specific day of the week (according to your schedule) where you'll find the professor and the ULA (Undergraduate Learning Assistant) guiding the class time through to work in small groups on topics learned within that week. Recitation is a time to apply the information you've learned in the lecture. The ULA's role is to help with your thought processes and reasoning to get a proper solution.
While this is a chance to fully engage in the material, review sessions are also held as more practice. In this setting, I work with two other classmates in a group and collaboratively work through problems. The ULA keeps monitor of us and listens to how we come together to solve different chemistry problems. We are all each given a mini white board + marker. If our group is struggling, we simply raise our hands and the ULA sits by us and helps us figure out where we can fix what we may have missed in a problem, or if the material is difficult to understand. The atmosphere of a review session is structured, but still free flowing. Don’t hesitate to ask questions - the ULAs are there for us!
In this setting, the ULAs mustn't just volley us the answer. Whenever ALEKS is due or a quiz or exam is coming up, it is important that we as students can independently walk through a problem and solve it efficiently. My favorite part of the ULA program is that it truly is at the student’s disposal. We are given times and places to meet up. It is up to you to take this valuable resource and put it into your schoolwork. The STEMWorks room in Gelman is a friendly safe space for all students. Tirelessly walking from Elliot to Ross Hall, forgetting to eat lunch before your class on the seven floors of Milken can most definitely put your energy level at 0% by the end of the day. I, as a student, can say fighting through till the end of the day and getting to my review session made it all worthwhile. And yes, you WILL get through thermodynamics, I promise 🙂