UIUC MechSE | COURSE SUPPORT

After completing Statics (TAM 211), Thermodynamics (ME 200), and Intro to Mechanics (TAM 195), I was invited by the professors to join the course staff. I loved the job because it also was an opportunity to keep my fundamentals sharp. I wanted to stay engaged with the core principles of mechanical engineering, and there is no better way to maintain fluency in these subjects than by helping others navigate them.

Grading hundreds of assignments offered a unique perspective on engineering logic. I wasn't just checking for correct answers; I was analyzing the thought process. I saw how five different students could approach the same force balance or energy equation in five different ways. Learning to follow someone else's derivation, and identifying exactly where their logic diverged from the solution, trained me to debug technical problems quickly. I also assisted in essentially Quality Assurance for final exams, vetting problems for consistency and clarity before they reached the students.

This was the most valuable part of the experience. During weekly office hours, I walked students through Free Body Diagrams (FBDs) and complex energy balances. The challenge wasn't solving the problems for them, but understanding their approach and guiding them past mental blocks. Explaining the 'why' behind a vector component or a thermodynamic assumption repeatedly didn't just help the students but reinforced my own understanding. It bridged the gap between knowing how to use a formula and deeply understanding the physical mechanics behind it.