Study Advice

[Harmony Becerra]

Hello, so Dr. Lavelle has so many resources, which is great. However, it is impossible to attend everything. Does anyone have any recommendations for which office hours to go to? Like are the step up sessions most beneficial, or..? What do you recommend because I would like to spend my time in the best one. Thank you in advance!

[Emmaraf 1K]

I personally prefer to go to the workshop sessions that are 2 hours long since they tend to go over all the material of the past week very in depth and you get to do plenty of practice problems which are similar to the tests. However, if you go to Lyndon's Workshop 7-9 on Mondays you should get there like 20 minutes early since it gets ridiculously packed.

[Margaret Akey]

Lyndon's review sessions are good!

[Michael Torres 4I]

I personally enjoy attending the drop in sessions. Often my questions go unanswered in large workshops, so I like talking to people one-on-one. From my experience, drop in sessions have generally been a pretty good way to do that.

[704913468]

what TA or drop in sessions or workshops do you guys like attending?? Which one do you guys think is more helpful?

[Jocelyne Milke 1G]

Karen's sessions are helpful too! She goes over concepts and has a worksheet

[KatrinaPho_2I]

If you look up the worksheets that the TA Joyce posts on chem community, they are really helpful. Lyndon's review sessions are also very helpful.

[KatelinTanjuaquio 1L]

I like to go to office hours and workshops. I prefer Lyndon's workshops but it's usually full by 6:15.

[jessicahe4Elavelle]

Lyndon's and Karen's sessions are the best in my opinion!

[Joanna Pham - 2D]

It honestly depends on how you prefer to study. If you like going going through problems and solving them step by step, then the STEP UP sessions would be beneficial. However if you’re like me, where you’re confused about certain topics and would rather do problems on your own then ask questions, the drop in sessions or the TAs OH are good. I personally find it easier to look through problems on my own first and go through the concepts since STEP UP doesn’t go through concepts, just problem solving

[Kayla Vo 1B]

If you need to improve your problem solving skills, I think the step up and workshop sessions are great for that. If you are unable to make it to some of the sessions, you can also find some of the worksheets with practice problems and solutions on chemistry community. Also, some TAs post their powerpoint slides or worksheets that they use during discussion, so those are helpful as well if you need to learn the content and do more practice.

[Mona El Masri 1F]

Lyndon's Reviews are really helpful for me. It is also extremely beneficial to do all the homework problems and read through the textbook for clarification. Another thing that helps me is studying with friends. You can test each other and figure things out together!

[Kessandra Ng 1K]

Hi! Personally I go to the review sessions (I found Lyndon's midterm review session extremely helpful) and do the step-up session worksheets that are posted on Chemistry Community. There's a lot of resources like maths advice on Dr. Lavelle's website so they're good for clarifying things we don't cover in class. I find the best way to learn is doing the homework problems though!

[anthony_trieu2L]

Try doing all of the homework practice questions. I found doing this to be very helpful. By doing this, you can gauge your strengths and weaknesses and subsequently attend office hours or workshops to clarify any questions you may have.

[Nicolle Fernandez 1E]

I like Lyndons then I like the step up sessions because they are very helpful and allow us to learn things all over again.

[Nicklas_Wright_1A]

I think the drop in sessions are the best because you can come and go as you please.

[Lauren Ho 2E]

My favorite way to study is by using The Organic Chemistry Tutor on Youtube! His videos with practice problems somehow always follow Dr. Lavelle's outlines perfectly, and Youtube is perfect for studying in the sense that explanations are clear if you are using a good channel to study and for the pause/play capabilities.

[lindsey_ammann_4E]

I like Lyndon's and Karen's because they have worksheets you can practice.

[Phil Timoteo 1K]

Lyndon and Karen's workshops are great!

[Katie Sy 1L]

attending study sessions are super helpful. and if you find a specific topic difficult, i recommend searching it on youtube and watching a video where they do practice problems

[Cienna Henry 1J]

The study sessions are great, you'd probably find value in any of the ones you attend but I wouldn't rely solely on review sessions. You should also do homework problems and read the book to fully understand what is going on in class.

[Emily Kennedy 4L]

sometimes even just doing the more of the tricky questions really helps too

[Nina Do 4L]

If you are in AAP or are looking to get into AAP, I recommend their PLF sessions and a lot of YouTube videos revolving the topics covered on the syllabus helps a lot. I also would recommend doing the worksheets that flow around Chem Comm. from Karen or other UAs. Best of luck!

[MackenziePerillo-1L]

Is there any way to get access to the worksheets distributed at these sessions if we missed this week?

[Calvin Patel 2H]

One thing I do is that I go on the Syllabus and it lists practice problems for each topic. So i go over those and try to understand them conceptually.

[Zubair Ahmed 1L]

I usually attend Lyndon's review sessions on Mondays. He provides great insight and detail on all the topics we are currently learning and his worksheets are very helpful as well. Moreover, I normally do all the practice problems on the outlines Dr.Lavelle has on his class website. Those are really helpful when it comes to understanding the material on a conceptual level.

[mbaker4E]

I definitely recommend attending step-up sessions if you are completely lost and don't know where to start and need some momentum. Workshops are really good if you already have a basic handle on everything.

[805169754]

Sometimes there are worksheets with the answer keys posted here on chemistry community. Those can be helpful if you can't make it to the workshops

[Krista Mercado 1B]

Lyndon and Karen's workshops are usually the most helpful for me.

[Alysa Rallistan 2G]

Personally, I use the review sessions to solidify my understanding of the material but for the concepts that are more difficult to grasp in lecture, I usually take notes from the book. I like the way the book explains concepts in depth. Although we aren't tested on what the concepts actually are it helps to have a good foundation of them when you carry out calculations because it makes more sense as to why you're doing it the way you should versus memorizing a bunch of equations and hope you pick the right one

[isarose0]

Does anyone have notes from Lyndon's review session today that they are willing to share?

[Claire Grover 3G]

I went to 2 Step Up sessions for the first time today and they were very helpful! I would definitely recommend going. We went over some of the most challenging homework questions and in one of them a worksheet was provided.

[Dan M -3E]

I'd probably say the drop-in sections are better if you have specific questions about the material, but if it's more than you want a review of an entire topic, the 2-hour workshops have been good in my opinion.

[Louise Lin 2B]

I really like going to Lyndon's workshops on Mondays, but to study I also rewrite my notes the day of the lecture (mainly because I have bad handwriting haha but it really helps), and doing the problems from the textbook! Also! study buddies are super helpful, even if it's just to help you stay focused, only because I'm the type that gets sidetracked easily. It's easier to work hard when you know everyone else works hard too. Let's all pass together :999

[Emily Burghart 1k]

I end up doing the readings from the book and I make sure to do the example problems as I go along to make sure I have grasp the subject. The practice problems are helpful and the evening step up sessions are helpful if you need extra guidance on certain problems.

[ELu 1J]

Lyndron Bui and Michael Zalgari's sessions are helpful!

[Jared Khoo 1G]

Honestly just doing all the homework problems will probably give you the best grasp of what will be expected from you on the test.

[Nick Lewis 4F]

I think you should definitely go to Lyndon's review sessions, catch up using only study tools like Khan Academy and just doing as many example problems as you can.Thats all I do and I've always done pretty well above the curve in this class

[Charlyn Ghoubrial 2I]

Ok so none of the replies mentioned the organic chemistry tutor! He’s really good and I find him better than khan academy but you won’t always find all the topics you need but he’ll provide the best and easiest explanations to the topics you search. Watch his videos if you need the basics to be explained

[605395381]

personally, lyndon's reviews are great for me.

[William Chan 1D]

I personally find that taking practice tests (like Lyndon's) helps a lot with the application of these concepts, so doing problems off of the topic outlines would definitely be helpful.

[Jasmine Fendi 1D]

I think that Lyndon's review sessions and office hours are good resources!

[Megan Kirschner]

Who is Lyndon? Is he still a TA?

[Shail Avasthi 2C]

Lyndon's review sessions are always super helpful. Do his packet before attending the session. Other than that, probably do a lot of practice problems from the homeworks and make sure you know how to do everything.

[Shutong Hou_1F]

I generally attend TA's review sessions talking about outlines that contain concepts not sound familiar to me to get a big picture of what I need to know. And Lyndon's review session is outstandingly helpful, in which he would help us go through potential tricky questions. Professor Lavelle's lecture notes are important too, because they imply some subtle but important details that could appear in exams. Finally, the textbook problems listed in the outlines are great practices and ways to check blindspots of concepts.

[Sreyes_1C]

I find myself very lost at times and started going to the step up sessions, which I have found pretty helpful. Before then I would just go to my PLF but the step up sessions have given me a nice boost in my understanding

[805097738]

I personally recommend the online sapling learning problems. The review sessions are great but I've noticed the sapling learning problems are more in line with the test material and you can work at your own pace. Also the site provides very in depth explanations about each problem which I find very helpful.

[Naji Sarsam 1F]

Also, If your schedule does not align with any review sessions, reading the assigned chapters in the book helps a lot. I know it takes quite a long time; you don't have to read everything, just what you need help on. OFten the book explains concepts very clearly and gives step by step problems.

[Megan Kirschner]

I think it's always good to find a friend who can attend different review sessions than you and then compare notes.

[Kennedi2J]

A lot of people are saying Karen has good review session but I don't see her name or where and when her sessions are on the peer learning sessions link. Does anyone know where and when her review sessions are?

[J_CHEN 4I]

I read the textbook and take notes, then do sapling problems, and then do the textbook problems listed on the syllabus.

[Veronica Lu 2H]

I do all the textbook problems

[Nare Nazaryan 1F]

Lyndon's review sessions (especially for the midterm and final) and the textbook problems are the most helpful.

[Leyna Dang 2H]

review the notes and try to do all of the homework/textbook problems

[chari_maya 3B]

Lyndon's reviews!!

[DesireBrown1J]

Lyndon's reviews!!

Is his worksheet available now?

[Zoya Mulji 1K]

you should try to go to the peer learning sessions in young during the day! you can usually fit them in in between classes and there are never that many people.

[Zoya Mulji 1K]

Hannah's peer learning sessions in young are great!

[Nathan Rothschild_2D]

I really like Bozeman science videos or khan academy as well as doing every practice problem and reading through the examples in the book.

[Cindy Adiwidjaja 1B]

Khan Academy and The Organic Chemistry Tutor on Youtube are both really helpful to me.

[Jesalynne 2F]

I like going through the homework problems to practice doing problems and going through the worksheets from discussion. I like to attend the review sessions that go over the topics I am not understanding or have questions about. Drop-in sessions or office hours would be a good resource if you had specific questions. Or if you're not able to attend some of the review sessions Khan Academy can be really helpful since they have videos and practice problems.

[AGaeta_2C]

For me, the step-up sessions and the drop-in sessions are the most beneficial.

[san_2F]

The best way to study in my opinion is to do all the homework problems. In regards to review sessions, I would go to the final review sessions only for the topics that you need. I would also go to Lyndon's workshop on Monday because he goes through the topics in depth and give good practice problems.

[Eesha Sohail 1D]

Is there a way for me to get one-on-one help sometime this week? I'm still shaky on thermodynamics.

[Ryan_K_1K]

I usually do all the homework problems and before every lecture or review session, I will watch a video related to what I'm going to be learning about to refresh my memory if it has been a while since going over that topic. I tend to learn things really well auditorily so videos are helpful for me.

[TanveerDhaliwal3G]

I personally go to Lyndon's Workshop on Mondays from 6-8 and Kate's Step-Up/Workshop on Thursdays from 6-8. They're really thorough and good at explaining confusing concepts.

[GFolk_1D]

I think going over some of the questions other students have asked on Chem Community is helpful in ensuring you understand every aspect of the topics and maybe help pick up on concepts you missed!

[vibha gurunathan 1h]

If you look up the worksheets that the TA Joyce posts on chem community, they are really helpful. Lyndon's review sessions are also very helpful.

how do you look up the worksheets?

[pmokh14B]

I think the homework problems are the best way to prepare.

[Mai V 4L]

Does anyone have a particular website/youtube channel/study site(something like quizlet or study blue) they want to plug?

[JohannaPerezH2F]

you should go through topics on your own and maybe to optimize your time to attend the workshops of topics you don't understand that much and the ones you do skip out unless you have the time. Also, on Thursday from 6-9pm they are covering all topics I think so that should be good.

[Leslie Almaraz 4G]

I've been doing a lot of independent studying through khan using the outlines given by Lavelle in order to guide my research.

[bellaha4F]

for me, lyndon's review sessions are the best and most beneficial

[Aiden Metzner 2C]

I like doing all the homework problems in the textbook because Lavelle loves putting problems like those on the test. I also like to review past midterms and exams.