Meet Dhruvil Patel, SI/PASS Leader for CHEM 351
Happiness: Students having that "aha!" moment
It's National Tutor Appreciation Week! Celebrate one of our SI/PASS leaders:
Dhruvil Patel
Tell us a little about yourself.
My name is Dhruvil Patel, and this is my 3rd semester of being an SI/PASS leader. I am a junior Biochemistry major with a minor in Sociology, currently on the Pre-Medical track. I hope to practice medicine and commit my life to helping others after I graduate from UMBC.
Tell us about how you are involved on campus.
In addition to being an
SI/PASS leader for Chem 351, I am also a Genetics TA, and an undergraduate
researcher in Dr. Paul Smith's Organic Synthesis lab.
How and why did you get involved in being a SI/PASS leader?
I first started off as
an LA for Chemistry 101 during my Spring semester of freshman year. After being
an LA, I found out that I was recommended by my professor to become an SI/PASS
leader for Chem 101. I accepted the offer and started holding SI/PASS sessions
for Chem 101 because I really liked helping others during my time as an LA, and
so I wanted to commit my time to holding sessions and guiding students towards
success by helping them further as a leader.
What is your favorite thing about being a SI/PASS leader?
My favorite thing about
being an SI/PASS leader is seeing, first-hand, the "aha!" moment that
arises when students finally understand a difficult concept or idea by coming
to the realization of a piece of information that they have missed all along.
When I get frustrated on a topic, I generally do some research on it and try to
figure out ways to help me understand it better. However, the feeling you get
when you learn something from another source, versus being guided in the right
direction and figuring it out on your own is very different. When you figure
things out, the information stays longer in your head because you own the logic
and thought process that is associated with it to some extent. Thus, when
students have that "aha!" moment, it makes me feel happy for them
since I know that they have left my session learning something or understanding
something in a better way.
Why should students utilize SI/PASS sessions?
Tutoring can greatly
help a person improve their grades by not only helping them find an answer, but
also by helping them reinforce what they have learned in class. Most college
classes require to apply general concepts to bigger and new situations, and by
building on the foundations and reinforcing ideas, students can dramatically
see improvement in their application skills as well.
What advice would you give students about how to prepare for a SI/PASS session?
When reading the book,
write down any questions that they may have so that they can bring them up to
an SI/PASS leader in class or during a tutoring session. This way, students can
stay organized and go to a session knowing what topics are to be covered in a
session as well as have their own specific questions answered.
When and where can someone work with you through the Learning Resources Center?
For fall of 2017, my SI/PASS sessions are held in Sondheim 103 on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00AM- 11:50AM for Chemistry 351.
Posted: October 4, 2017, 9:27 AM
