Name: Theresa Windus

Official title at Iowa State: Professor of chemistry

As a student, what was your favorite part about your first year in college?: My favorite part in my first year of college was learning new concepts and getting different perspectives on interesting subjects. I am the annoying person who always asks “Why?” questions. College gave me the opportunity to not only ask those questions, but to figure out how to answer them!

As a student, what were some challenges you faced in your first year in college?: Balancing my time was the hardest challenge for me — it still is! At the time, I was married (still am!) with a young daughter and carrying a full load of classes. I had also picked up some work-study hours to help pay the bills. I felt like I was constantly on the go without a lot of down time. Trying to get everything done, and keeping my priorities straight was a constant balancing act.

What is some advice you would offer new ISU students?: Ask questions! The faculty and staff are here to help you and can do that more effectively if you let us know what you need. You should also ask questions while you are studying (and, yes, you should study!). For example: “Do I understand what that paragraph just said? If not, what part is confusing me?”, “How does this topic relate to the ones that I am learning in other courses?”, “What are the most important concepts in this section?” Asking questions will help you to think more deeply about a subject.