When students at the University of Pennsylvania are looking to reinforce their skills, they visit a center on campus that can offer them new tools and approaches to learning. 

Located on the second floor of Stouffer Commons is the Weingarten Learning Resources Center. Its Office of Learning Resources offers a toolbox of ways to enhance students’ study skills, including test-taking preparation and help with learning how to manage research. It also helps students with academic reading, writing, study strategies and time management. 

“Sometimes the transition to Penn for bright students includes new ways of studying and learning,” Myrna Cohen, the executive director at the Center, explains. “Many highly intelligent students with incredible talents visit us to become more strategic in terms of their studying or because they’ve developed counter-productive study habits, like studying only the night before a test.” 

The Office of Learning Resources offers programs that can help set the tone for the semester, Cohen says. 

For instance, undergraduates can participate in “Mastering the Ivy League,” which offers workshops focusing on strategies for students who are new to Penn, and other programs, such as “Staying on Top of Your Reading” and “Managing Your Time at Penn.” 

Staffed with learning specialists, the Office is open to all students at Penn. 

“Nearly 50 percent of the students we see are graduate and professional students,” Cohen says. 

The Office also provides assistance to international students. 

As a representative of the Assembly of International Students, Neeraj Chandrasekar, a sophomore at Wharton who was born in India and lives in Singapore, served on the Weingarten Office of Learning Resources Student Advisory Board during the past spring semester. He says that experience taught him about problems that some students were going through and inspired him to help connect other international students to Weingarten. 

“Coming from a range of educational systems, some international students have trouble adjusting to college in America,” Chandrasekar says. “Weingarten offers programs designed to help international students make the transition.” 

For example, international students have the opportunity to attend “Academics Plus,” a workshop series tailored to strengthening skills in critical thinking, polishing writing and research skills, honing presentation skills, refining note-taking skills and maintaining school-life balance. 

All of the services and programs are free and confidential. 

Cohen says that sometimes students are unable to “see themselves” taking advantage of Weingarten’s services. So, the organization launched a social-media campaign with the hashtag #imatweingarten.