Meet Andrew SI PASS leader who plays clarinet like Squidward

Wed, 03 Oct 2018 09:20:29 -0400

Tell us a little about yourself…

My name is Andrew Simpson. I’m a Junior Biology major and Spanish certificate, and I love watching and playing soccer, basketball, football, and martial arts. I love the energy and comradery of sports, and I got to experience the passion for the World Cup when I studied abroad in the beautiful Barranquilla, Colombia! A final fun fact about me is that I also play clarinet (like Squidward).

Tell us about how you are involved on campus.

I’ve been blessed to be a part of many great organizations on campus, and they have really helped me feel at home on campus. These include UMBC Jujitsu, the Down and Dirty Dawg Band, the Shriver Center (for off-campus volunteering), and Cru Christian Ministries.

I think what I’ve become kind of famous for on campus is for being an SI PASS leader of CHEM 101. I have met a lot of people through the SI PASS sessions (especially freshmen), and I have really enjoyed doing what I can to help many students navigate taking chemistry.

How and why did you get involved in being an SI PASS leader?

First semester I took biology and chemistry intro courses, and found out very quickly that those classes are really hard! They are not difficult because they are unfair or try to trick you, but they require a different type of thinking than what is expected in high school. This was a hard adjustment for me and many students, but by utilizing various resources on campus I found methods that worked for me to succeed in these classes. I wanted to pass these strategies on to my fellow students, and SI PASS seemed like a good means to accomplish that.

What is your favorite thing about being a SI PASS leader?

There is a lot to love about the SI PASS program here at UMBC. The community of fellow leaders and administration is remarkably supportive, and I was encouraged to be creative and incorporate my personality into my sessions. Balancing the freedom to use jokes and movie references with the challenge of preparing the students for chemistry exams was a creative challenge that I grew to love.

However, my favorite aspect of SI PASS is undoubtedly seeing students succeed. That sounds really cliché, and I hate clichés, but during my first semester of doing SI PASS a student ran up to me and hugged me and told me that I was the reason that he passed his exam. Obviously, I was not the one taking the exam and the credit goes to the student, but I played some role in helping a student pursue his dream of being an engineer. I will never forget this moment, and it is an incredible joy to watch students that have gone to my sessions succeed in their college career.

Why should students utilize the SI PASS sessions?

SI PASS utilizes research from across the United States and all over the world to craft the best group-oriented sessions that focus on exam prep and critical thinking. It has been a fantastic resource for many successful students, and is completely free. No appointments are necessary either, just show up to the times and locations posted on Blackboard.

What advice would you give students about how to prepare for a SI PASS session?

Be open-minded about working with others. It is easy to work alone or with only people you know, but the students that collaborate more actively have made new friends and ways of seeing and explaining the material. Seeing the concepts from different perspectives is key for critical thinking and analysis, which are two crucial skills for exams.