New to Lavelle

[Jesse Kuehn 1B]

I am new to Lavelle and finding it a bit confusing to navigate through his website and resources (im still not even really sure how to navigate chemistry community because there are so many posts and so many from the past, it seems as there are so many great resources but almost too many. I was wondering what the best resources to use outside of lectures are as far as straight reading from the book, TA office hours, UAs (not sure what those are), or his videos?

[ChathuriGunasekera1D]

Honestly I just do homework problems and the audio visual practice (you find it on his website). His UAs are undergraduate assistants that host small review sessions. There are:

Step ups for people that struggle a bit with chem, it's for them to start from the basics and work their way up
Drop ins for people who are okay with chem, but they just want some review
Workshops for people who are pretty good with chem, but they might need some brushing up

I think by next week, he will post these sessions he calls "peer learning sessions" on his website. Each UA teaches a step up, drop in, or workshop at different times during the day, everyday (including weekends! if I remember correctly), and they are both on campus and on the Hill. You can go to as many as you want and they UAs give out worksheets! I go to some, they're really helpful!

[Hannah Pham 1D]

I honestly find all of his resources helpful, so I do all the problems in the book, watch the modules, and go to workshops when I need extra help on a topic. That’s just generally how I prepare for a test in his class.

[Becky Belisle 1A]

If you are confused about a specific topic the search tool on here is very helpful. Sometimes I'll google a question I have and the top result is this website.

[havishgattu]

As someone new to Lavelle I would like to ask, how well do the lectures prepare us for the midterm and final ? Is watching the modules absolutely necessary to ace this class or do the lectures go over all the topics well enough ? Also, how rigorous are the tests (not the final and the midterm the other ones)?

[Alexandria Ilagan 2A]

I am also new to Lavelle and I was wondering how I should prepare for tests and midterms.

[Nina Do 4L]

Hi there,

I would definitely agree with all of the above suggestions. Personally, I use his website as well as Chemistry Community a lot and the homework questions are the main source of preparation for you so I recommend doing all of them or as many as you can. I also go to the step up sessions and PLF sessions through AAP but there are many other tutoring and peer learning resources outside of the ones Lavelle have set up. He really gives you all of the tools necessary for the success in his class! I know it can be a lot, but Chem comm is a 24/7 service and I use it a lot to help me grasp homework problems and ask and answer questions. Hope that helps!

[whitney_2C]

I definitely understand, I also found his websites to be slightly confusing to navigate at first. Trust me though you'll get the hang of it after the two weeks or so. As for outside of lecture prep, I personally found doing all the homework problems he assigns, going to Lyndon's review sessions (he's a UA which is basically an undergrad who does everything a TA does except grading and teaching discussion sections), and doing review worksheets/packets on chemistry community to be the best way for me to study.

[haleyervin7]

For the midterm and final Lavelle plans a lot of review sessions, but I would say the most helpful is Lyndon's because he goes over a review sheet that he made, but the other review sessions are more helpful if you have specific questions or topics you struggle with. The UA Karen also posts weekly review sheets.

[Selina Bellin 2B]

homework problems and practice test problems!!

[Brianna Brockman 1F]

practice the homework problems for sure and go to review sessions that the TAs hold! I also recommend personal tutoring, but it can take time to find one that you like that doesn't charge you $60 a session lol

[Jennifer Lathrop 1F]

I would definitely spend the time to really get used to using chemistry community, the more you take advantage of it the more it helps. Even if you don't reach out to other students for study groups, you can still get quick and easy help and sometimes tests/midterms/finals reference discussions made on chemistry community as well. Truly is a great resource when used properly.

[Lisa Werner 2F]

I recommend doing as many practice problems as possible by doing those from the book and attending workshops with practice handouts.

[bryan de leon disc1k]

okay i know this may sound odd, but i am having trouble figuring out how to post a question, im ablle to navigate through but i can't figure out how to make a post of my own. Im new to Lavelle's class as well so this thread is useful.

[MadisonB]

To post a question you will go to the board index and post under the topic that most closely relates to your question. It will probably be removed or changed if it's posted in the wrong category. After that, you click on the new topic button and ask your question.

[904914909]

I find the UA sessions really helpful and when preparing for tests to do a lot of practice problems, especially the ones that are integrated into the readings

[EllaBerry]

I had Lavelle last quarter and what helped me more than anything was the step up lectures and other discussions set up by TAs and UAs. You can go to them and get all your questions answered, or just go more in depth on a topic you are confused about.

[Mhun-Jeong Isaac Lee 1B]

For me personally, I found that paying close attention to his lectures and doing most of the homework problems really prepared me for the tests, midterm, and final. A huge help is also Lyndon Bui's, the TA, review sessions. They are very thorough and refresh your memory on everything that was covered.

[Abby-Hile-1F]

Asking questions on here is usually helpful and you can also just search for a topic and look at other peoples posts to clarify anything you may be confused about.

[Phil Timoteo 1K]

Doing homework and going to STEP UP sessions

[josephperez_2C]

I always make sure to take really good notes in class because while it sounds trivial, lecture is probably one the best resources for doing well on the exams. Also one tip for navigating chem community is going into Quicklinks on the top left and clicking on active topics to respond to questions.

[Ricardo Martin 1J]

Personally, I find it helpful to do all problems assigned for homework and attending review sessions during the week and also the ones right before midterms and finals.

[beckyolmedo1G]

I think doing hw problems is the best way to practice the material. Also, attending office hours is extremely helpful.

[Anjali 4A]

Going through lecture notes, as well as hw problems, and step up sessions (if you can't attend a few some worksheets are posted on chemistry community) help a lot!

[Nandhini_2K]

I take sessions with AAP for this class, doing homework and practice problems works best for me.

[Elle_Mendelson_2K]

Personally, I find attending lectures and reading through the textbooks critical! I think that doing as many book work problems as you can is so important and will prepare you well for his tests. Additionally, attending the workshops helps a lot. Just for reference- last quarter the average grade was about an 83%, the average midterm grade was a 83% and the average final was around 76%. Hope this helps!

[Sheridan Slaterbeck 1J]

Some of the UAs will post practice Tests before the midterm and final that are really helpful for studying, last quarter Lyndon posted them.

[Gisselle Sainz 2F]

I personally like to go to the UA sessions, AAP peer learning sessions, watch the online modules, and assigned problems from the textbook

[Lauren Huang 1H]

I personally think going to office hours is also really helpful since it is a good way to get some answers to the questions you might have after doing the homework problems.

[Millicent Navarro 1I]

Personally, I found going to the UA workshops very helpful. Depending on how you feel on the mastery of the course, you can choose which workshop fits for you (Step-Up, Drop-In, Workshop)! That being said, there are plenty of resources for you to be able to choose from to succeed in this class.

[Chem_Mod]

As a UA who has taken the course and has been a UA for multiple quarters, I found the notes I took during lecture along with the assigned homework problems to be the most helpful. Both of these resources can adequately prepare you for the midterm and the final. If you have questions/need extra help, that's where Chemistry community, UA, and TA sessions come in. Reading the book chapters never seemed too helpful to me but it may be helpful if you need some clarification on concepts. Hope this helps.

[Julia Lee]

As someone new to Lavelle I would like to ask, how well do the lectures prepare us for the midterm and final ? Is watching the modules absolutely necessary to ace this class or do the lectures go over all the topics well enough ? Also, how rigorous are the tests (not the final and the midterm the other ones)?

The modules that are posted are the exact same thing as the lectures and he even uses the exact same slides. If you need extra help or review on that specific topic, I would suggest going back and watching the module. However, Lavelle only posts modules for the first Outline so they will not be a resource past the Chemical Equilibria section.

[Karina Jiayu Xu 4E]

Doing all of the homework problems (not just the 7, but every one listed) helps me the most. His tests are pretty similar to the homework problems sometimes even easier.