Study Habits 101

One of the hardest things to do in engineering is getting an A.  Sure, it could easier because you enjoy learning about it.  And some would argue that getting A’s in engineering is overrated (there are some reasons for this, but many of them don’t make sense).  However, there are just those classes that you don’t get.  So below are Serena’s Ways to Getting A’s, based on her own strategy.  Someone told me I should write a book about my strategy; I guess this is close enough.  Disclaimer: I’m not promising this to anyone.  But your grades will rise if you are disciplined enough.

Work a 40 hour week.  I adopted this when I actually had 20 units, aka 20 hours of school per week.  Say, on average, you have school (class and office hours) for 4 hours per day, you would only need to study about 4 hours per day.  To be honest, this isn’t a lot of time.  If you do this, you’ll find out how much time you waste now.

Write down your study hours.  Be honest with yourself!  If you actually didn’t study, don’t write down those hours.  At the end of the week, you will either say, “Wow, I should/could have done more!”

Devote study time for studying.  I know this sounds stupid.  However, anytime you look around the library, I guarantee that about ¼ of the people are on facebook.  Just study now, and get it over with!

Set a time goal.  Instead of saying, “I’ll get my paper/homework/project done today,” say, “In two hours, I will have XYZ done.” Treat it is as real deadline.  Although you probably won’t get it all done, you still devoted those two hours to work, instead of meddling around on facebook.

Create a large To-Do list.  This only works for people that really like to see everything they have to do.  I love seeing how many things I can cross off my list.  I leave school at 5 and say, “Wow, I did a lot today.”

Separate school from home.  Many people study at home.  I understand this.  But psychology says that we can separate the mindsets.  Do all of your work in the library/lab/classroom/office.  Then go home at the end of the day, and leave your school-mind at school.  This really helped me with my school-anxiety, and I probably will never study at home again (unless I absolutely have to pull an all-nighter).

Do all of your homework…by the time it’s “due.”  I know that a lot of classes don’t have homework that’s “due.”  However, make your “due date” the day/time of the professor’s/TA’s office hours.  This keeps you accountable with the weekly stuff, and you’ll only have to review it when it comes time for the midterm.

Go to office hours.  Don’t just go to office hours; be prepared for office hours!  Ask lots of questions- annoying questions. (Well don’t actually be annoying, but if you don’t “get it,” say so!!!)   Have your questions ready!  Understand every component of the problem/solution before you ask your question.  Then if the TA says, “well I would do ____,” you can counter it with, “I already did that.”

If you don’t understand something, find the question in the book and complete similar questions.  Another thing people don’t do.  This is why you paid $150 for that textbook!  You didn’t spend the money to do 10 problems.  Instead of just giving up, ask your TA/professor about those similar questions; it may just ring a bell on that previous question.

Make office-hour friends.  Usually the people at office hours (like the ones that go religiously, like you should be doing) are working just as hard, if not harder, than YOU.  I have a couple of these friends (they are rare).  But once, an office-hour friend and I figured out the solution to a problem with the TA there.  The TA literally had no clue.  It was a great moment. 

Make friends with your professor.  Now this is helpful for people of any caliber.  I don’t mean for you to smooze with your professor.  I strongly dislike these people.  However, think about it from a professor’s perspective.  If she’s never seen you before, she probably won’t feel bad when she gives you a D or F…or even that B+.  If you show your face and look excited about the subject, the professor is going to relate to you.  They may say, “Well, she probably had a bad testing day.”  INSTANT GRADE BOOST!  I’m not saying all professors are like this, but they are less likely to be cruel if they at least recognize you.

I hope this helps.  If you would like me to elaborate or if you have critiques, let me know.:-)

Why would I? Undergraduate Research

I'm a huge advocate of undergraduate research.  Now, you're probably asking, "Why would I ever go into undergraduate research? I don't want to be a professor.  Why would I want to go to grad school with an engineer's salary?  No more school! I don't want to go into R&D. I don't know enough about a subject."  I've heard ALL of the excuses- I was there about 3 years ago.  So here are my top 10 reasons of why YOU  should do undergraduate research.

1. Get GREAT letters of recommendations from professors. You're going to need letters of rec regardless of where you go (unless you graduate and go sit on the couch). If you do work for them, they'll actually find out how motivated and awesome you are, and this will enable them to write a very extensive letter about YOU.

2. Learn about what graduate school is really like. I knew a lot about graduate school before I started research, but you get to interact with graduate students.  Grad school isn't all school (as many think).  It involves writing, experiments, code, and a ton of interacting with other students and professors. It's definitely not a task for the weary, but you may find that graduate school is actually for you.

3. Learn about an in-depth subject.  I knew nothing about materials when I started in the Material Performance Laboratory.  I've gained more knowledge from cleaning and sanding down samples for endless hours, rather than hear my professor talk about the mechanical capabilities of his car.  I've been able to see stress-strain curves develop before my eyes, and I've helped to solve problems on the go!  There's now a TON I know about the cyclic stresses on an airplane, and every time I take a flight somewhere, I explain to them about the material stresses on the cabin!

4. Rule out things you don't like. I've realized a lot about what I want and DON'T want in graduate school or, even, in the working world.  This is a very harm-free way of doing this.

5. Have something on your resume. The economy's tough right now.  It's very difficult to get internships, especially if you are a freshman or sophomore.  Sure, you probably won't get paid.  But this will be a GREAT way to get engineering experience and contacts with little risk.

6. It's possible to get Technical Elective credit. One less class I have to take? Sign me up!

7. Get your hands dirty.  I used to love coming out of the lab with grease on my hands.  I felt like I actually accomplished something and be one of the few students that can actually use tools.

8. Get mistaken for a graduate student. There have been many instances where I've been mistaken for a graduate student.  It makes you feel very confident about your work (even though you probably don't know much), and other students look up to you! Another perk: free coffee at the Graduate Student Union- don't worry, I was invited, and nobody could tell the difference.

9. Have something to talk about. Many engineering students ramble on about this lab report or this code or that professor. Be excited about your research, and other people will get excited around you.  It definitely is a change of pace from the day-to-day routine.

10. Present or publish your research before you graduate! Employers absolutely love to see that you can speak in public. It's not what you said. It's how many people you spoke to at once. Also, who wouldn't want their name all over a paper! Sure, you may not think it's a big deal, but graduate schools and employers LOVE to see that you can communicate effectively.

Now that I got you excited about undergraduate research, I will post about how to obtain a research position in the near future.