How is the Organic Chemistry Peer Tutoring Department different from LARC?
Tutoring in Organic Chemistry is provided free of charge by the Department of Chemistry for all UCI students. Tutoring is available on a “walk in” basis, no prior sign up or attendance required. Tutors prepare weekly worksheets (available at the tutoring sessions) of the material covered in the lecture and book, and each tutor holds two hours of office hours every week. Review sessions for the midterm and final exam are also provided by the tutors, with review packets provided during reviews.
LARC sessions meet twice a week in two 50-minute sessions of 12-15 students to go over class material, and they are facilitated by a LARC tutor, whose pay comes from a $100 fee levied upon students who choose to sign up for LARC. LARC tutors also hold exam reviews for their students. Scholarships are available through Student Support Services. Registration is mandatory for students to attend the sessions.
What happens during office hours?
Depending on the hour, tutors will either be going over their worksheet for that week, or dedicating the hour to general Q&A. These designations can be found on the office hours page.
What is expected of us as students?
As tutors, we are here as an additional resource and are not meant to replace lecture or discussion section. That being said, we encourage you to review the lecture material and give the worksheet a try before coming to our office hours, but it’s not required at all; the tutors will be more than happy to help you out regardless!
Will worksheet keys be posted online?
We don’t post the worksheet keys online, and that’s to encourage students to come to office hours! If you can’t make it to office hours, feel free to talk to the tutors before or after class, or find a friend who went 🙂
If it’s the middle of the quarter and I haven’t been to any of the tutor’s office hours before, can I still go?
Yes! Tutoring is provided on a walk-in basis and though we ask you to sign in, it is for our own records only. Speaking of which, you can attend any tutor’s office hours, regardless of the professor they’re tutoring for.
If I haven’t gone to any of the office hours can I still go to the review sessions?
Yes! Again, all of our services we provide are free and there for you to take advantage of them whenever you want to.
I want to be a tutor next quarter; what are the qualifications, and how do I apply?
Great to hear! You need to have earned a minimum of a B+ in each of the 51A-B-C courses, including lab courses. Applications open during each quarter, so look out for announcements regarding that! The application is competitive; the acceptance rate is approximately 37%. If you are not accepted, we always encourage you to apply again the following quarter!
Check again in the fall quarter of 2022 when the new cycle of applications will be released!
More questions?
Feel free to e-mail one of the tutors for your class, or e-mail one of the coordinators with your question and we will get back to you promptly!