E NGINEERING C AREER
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Chapter 2 Preparing for an Engineering Careerin some areas. For example, you may want to consider not taking as many credits in a given semester and follow a five-year plan instead of a four-year plan. Depending on how many hours a week you need to work, you can rebudget your time. The purpose of this time budget example is mainly to emphasize the fact that you need to learn to manage your time wisely if you want to be successful in life. Every individual, just like any good organization, monitors his or her resources. No one wants you to turn into a robot and time yourself to the second. These examples are provided to give you an idea of how much time is available to you and to urge you to consider how efficiently and wisely you are allocating and using your time. The point is that budgeting your time is very important.
With the exception of a few courses, most classes that you will take are scheduled for 50-minute periods, with a 10-minute break between classes to allow students to attend several classes in a row. The other important reason for having a 10-minute break is to allow time to clear your head. Most of us have a limited attention span and cannot concentrate on a certain topic for a long period of time without a break. Taking a break is healthy; it keeps your mind and body working well.
Typically, as a first-term freshman in engineering you may have a course load similar to the one shown here:
Chemistry (3) Chemistry Lab (1)
Introduction to Engineering (2) Calculus (4)
English Composition (3)
Humanities /Social Science electives (3)
Table 2.2 is an example of a schedule for a freshman engineering student. You already know your strengths and weaknesses; you may have to make several attempts to arrive at a good schedule that will fit your needs the best. You may also need to modify the example schedule shown to allow for any variability in the number of credits or other engineering program requirements at your partic- ular school. Maintain a daily logbook to keep track of how closely you are following the schedule and where time is being used inefficiently, and modify your schedule accordingly.
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Attend Your Classes Regularly Yes, even if your professor is a bore, you can still learn a great deal from attending the class. Your professor may offer additional explanations and discussion of some material that may not be well presented in your textbook. Moreover, you can ask ques- tions in class. If you have read the material before class and have made some notes about the concepts that you do not fully understand, during the lecture you can ask questions to clarify any misunderstanding. If you need more help, then go to your professor’s office and ask for additional assistance.
Get Help Right Away When you need some help, don’t wait till the last minute to ask! Your pro- fessor should have his or her office hours posted on the office door or be available on the Web.
The office hours are generally stated in the course syllabus. If for some reason you cannot see your professor during the designated office hours, ask for an appointment. Almost all profes- sors are glad to sit down with you and help you out if you make an appointment with them.
After you have made an appointment, be on time and have your questions written down so that you remember what to ask. Once again, remember that most professors do not want you to wait until the last minute to get help!
Any professor can tell you some stories about experiences with students who procrastinate.
Recently, I had a student who sent an e-mail to me on Sunday night at 10 : 05p.m.asking for an extension on a homework assignment that was due on the following day. I asked the student the next morning, “When did you start to do the assignment?” He replied, “at 10 : 00p.m.Sunday night.” On another occasion, I had a student who came to my office and introduced himself to me for the first time. He asked me to write him a recommendation letter for a summer job he Read the material your professor is planning to cover in class ahead of time.
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Chapter 2 Preparing for an Engineering Careerwas applying for. Like most professors, I do not write recommendation letters for students, or anyone, whom I do not actually know. Get to know your professors and visit them often!
Take Good Notes Everyone knows that it is a good idea to take notes during lecture, but some students may not realize that they should also take notes when reading the textbook. Try to lis- ten carefully during the lectures so you can identify and record the important ideas and con- cepts. If you have read ahead of time the text materials that your professor is planning to cover in class, then you are prepared to write down notes that complement what is already in your textbook. You don’t need to write down everything that your professor says, writes, or projects onto a screen. The point is to listen very carefully and write down only notes regarding the important concepts that you did not understand when you read the book.
Use wirebound notebooks for your notes. Don’t use loose papers, because it is too easy to lose some of your notes that way. Keeping a notebook is a good habit to develop now. As an engineer you will need to keep records of meetings, calculations, measurements, etc. with time and date recorded so you can refer back to them if the need arises. Thus it is best that you keep the notes in a wirebound notepad or a notebook with the pages sown into the binding so you won’t lose any pages. Study your notes for at least an hour or two the same day you take them.
Make sure you understand all the concepts and ideas that were discussed in class before you attempt to do your homework assignment. This approach will save you a great deal of time in the long run! Don’t be among those students who spend as little time as possible on under- standing the underlying concepts and try to take a shortcut by finding an example problem in the book similar to the assigned homework problem. You may be able to do the homework problem but you won’t develop an understanding of the material. Without a firm grasp of the Get help right away—see your professor.
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basic concepts, you will not do well on the exams, and you will be at a disadvantage later in your other classes and in life when you practice engineering.
Take good legible notes so that you can go back to them later if you need to refresh your memory before exam time. Most of today’s engineering textbooks provide a blank margin on the left and right side of each sheet. Don’t be afraid to write in these margins as you study your book.
Keep all your engineering books; don’t sell them back to the bookstore — some day you may need them. If you have a computer, you may want to type up a summary sheet of all important concepts. Later, you can use theFindcommand to look up selected terms and concepts. You may wish to insert links between related concepts in your notes. Digital notes may take some extra time to type, but they can save you time in the long run when you search for information.
Select a Good Study Place You may already know that you should study in a comfortable place with good lighting. You do not want any distractions while you are studying. For example, you do not want to study in front of a TV while watching your favorite situation comedy. A library is certainly a good place for studying, but you can make your dorm room or your apartment room into a good place for studying. Talk to your roommate(s) about your study habits and study time. Explain to them that you prefer to study in your own room and appreciate not being dis- turbed while studying. If possible, find a roommate with a declared engineering major, who is likely to be more understanding of your study needs. Remember that a bad place for studying is in your girlfriend’s or boyfriend’s lap or arms (or any other acceptable engineering configuration).
Another useful idea is to keep your desk clean and avoid having a picture of your sweetheart in front of you. You don’t want to daydream as you are studying. There is plenty of time for that later.
Form Study Groups Your professor will be the first person to tell you that the best way to learn something is to teach it. In order to teach something, though, you have to first understand the basic concepts. You need to study on your own first and then get together with your classmates Not a good way to study!
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Chapter 2 Preparing for an Engineering Careerto discuss and explain key ideas and concepts to each other. Everyone in your study group should agree that they need to come prepared to discuss appropriate materials and that they all need to contribute to the discussions. It should be understood that the study groups serve a different pur- pose than that of a tutoring session. However, if another student in your class asks for assis- tance, help if you can by explaining new concepts you have learned. If you have difficulty explaining the material to someone else, that could be an indication you don’t fully understand the concept yourself and you need to study the material in more detail. So remember that a good way to learn something is to form discussion groups where you explain ideas and concepts in your own words to others in the group.Be an active learner not a passive learner!
Prepare for Examinations If you study and prepare from the first day of class, then you should perform admirably on your exams. Keep reminding yourself that there is absolutely no substitu- tion for daily studying. Don’t wait until the night before the exam to study! That is not the best time for learning new concepts and ideas. The night before the exam is the time for review only.
Just before an exam, spend a few hours reviewing your notes and sample problems. Make sure that you get a good night’s rest so you can be fresh and think clearly when you take the exam. It may be a good idea to ask your instructor ahead of time what type of exam it will be, how many questions there will be, or what suggestions she or he has to help you prepare better for the exam.
As with any test, be sure you understand what the questions are asking. Read the questions care- fully before you proceed with answering them. If there is some ambiguity in the exam questions, ask the instructor for clarification. After you have looked over the exam, you may want to answer the easy questions first and then come back to the more complicated questions. Finally, some of you may have experienced test anxiety when taking an exam. To reduce the anxiety, prepare well and consider timing yourself when doing your homework problems.
A good way to study!
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