Expert Tips on Foundations in Science: Energy and Matter: An Interview with a JS002 Peer Tutor

In this article, SASS interviewed Foundations of Science: Energy and Matter peer tutor Eli G. We hope that this article will help current and future Foundations of Science: Energy and Matter students in their academic journey!

Q: What did you enjoy about this course?

Eli: I really loved getting to explore physics, chemistry, and biology in this course. I especially enjoyed the labs, which forced me to push myself to use my understanding of the material to reach my own scientific conclusions.

Q: What challenged you the most in this course? How did you overcome those challenges?

Eli: The most difficult part of JS002 for me was the lab write-ups because writing for science classes was still relatively new to me at the beginning of the course. I was able to get more comfortable with the lab reports by leaving plenty of time to complete and review them, usually on different days.

Q: What tips do you have that could be useful to students taking this course?

Eli: I often found myself confused with complicated topics because I was still trying to figure out the simpler topics upon which most of the more challenging topics were based. I would recommend making sure that you really understand all the material, especially in the beginning of the semester, because it will be very useful and necessary later on.

Q: About how much time a week did you spend working on assignments and preparing for discussion sessions in this course?

Eli: I spent about four hours per week on work for JS002. Most of this time was spent working on labs, which I found the most demanding, but also rewarding, assignments in this course.

Q: What was your favorite topic covered in this course?

Eli: My favorite part of JS002 was physics, especially electricity. However, I really enjoyed all of the topics and found it interesting to build upon physics into chemistry and biology later in the year.

Q: What assignments did you enjoy doing in this course?

Eli: My favorite assignments were the labs because they helped me improve in performing the experiments, reaching scientific conclusions, and writing lab reports. I also really enjoyed the practice quizzes, which I typically found more challenging than the actual quizzes, because they helped me use and test my understanding of the material without worrying about grades.

Q: Did you have any experiences with this course that could encourage those who are uncertain of the course to want to take it?

Eli: I would completely recommend JS002 to OHS students because it is a fun and challenging course that introduces many of the disciplines of science. The material was exciting and interesting, and I feel that I gained a new perspective on and a good foundation in physics, chemistry, and biology.

Eli can be scheduled as a peer tutor through the Stanford OHS Writing and Tutoring Center.