CHAPTER

2
PnnpARrNG FoR AN
ENcINEERING CAnEER

aking the transition from high

school to college requires

extra effort. ln order to have a

rewarding education you should realize

that you must start studying and

preparing from the first day of class,

attend class regularly, get help right

away, take good notes, select a good

study place, and form study groups.

You should also consider the time

management ideas discussed in this

chapter to arrive at a reasonable weekly

schedule. Your education is an expensive

investment. lnvest wisely.

27
28 Cnaprrn 2 PnrpenrNc FoRAN ENcrNBsRlrc Canren

In this chapter, you will be introdwced to some aery important sugestions and idzas
that could, iffollowed, make your mgineering edacation more rewarding Read this
section uery carefully, and think about how yoa can adapt the strategies ffired here
to get the optirnurn bmef.tfromyour collegeyears. Ifyou encoanter difrcahy inyour
studies, reread this chapterfor ideas to help you rnaintai.n some selfdiscipline.

2.1 Making the Transition from High School to Colleqe

You belong to an elite group of students now because you are studying to be an engineer.
According to rhe Chronicb ofHigher Educatioa approimately only 5%a of students who gad-
uate with a B.S. degree ftom universities and colleges across the Unircd States are engineers.
You will be taught to look at your surroundings differendy than other people do. You udll learn
how to ask questions to find out how things are made, how things work, how to improve
things, how to design something from scratch, and how to taLe an idea &om paper to reality
and acually build something.
Some of you may be on Four own for the veryfirst time. Making the transition from high
school to college may be a big step for you. Keep in mind that what you do for the next four
or five years will affect you for the rest of your life. Remember that how successfirl and.happy
you are will depend primarily on you. You must take the responsibiliry for learning; nobody
can make you learn. Depending on which high school you a*ended, you may not have had
to study much to get good gades. In high school, most of your learning took place in class.
In contrast, in college, most ofyour education akes place outside the class. Thereforg yo& may
need to develop some new habits and get rid of some ofyour old habits in order to thrive as an
engineering student The rest of this chapter presents sugescions and ideas that will help you
make your college experience successfirl. Consider these suggestions and try to adapt them to
yoru own unique situation.

2.2 Budgeting Your Time

Each of us has the same 24 hours in a day, and there is only so much that a person can do on
an average daily basis to accomplish certain thirS. Many of us need approximately 8 hours of
sleep every night. In addition, we all need to have some time for work, friends and family,
studying relaxation and recreation, and just goofing around.
Suppose you were given a million dollars when you reached your adulthood and were told
that is all the money that you would have for the rest of your life for clothing, food, entenain-
ment, leisure activities, and so on. How would you go about spending the money? Of course,
you would make reasonable efforts to spend and invest it wisely. You would carefirlly budget for
various needs, trying to get the most for your money. You would look for good sales and plan
to buy only what was necessary, and you would atempt not to waste any money. Think ofyour
education in a similar manner. Don't just payyour tuition and plan to sit in class and daydream.
Your education is an expensive investment, one that requires your responsible management.
 2.2 BupcsrrNc Youn Trtvrs 29

A srudent ar a private university went to her instructor to drop a class because she was not get-
ting the grade she wanted. The instructor asked her how much she had paid for the class. She
said tlat she had spent approximately $2000 for the four-credit class. The instructor happened
to have a laptop computer on his desk and asked her the following question: If you bought a
laptop computer from a computer store, took it home to install some software on it, and had
some difficulty making the computer work, would you throw it in the trash? The student
looked at her instructor as ifhe had asked a stupid question. He explained to her that her drop-
ping a class she had already paid tuition for is similar in many ways to throwing ail'ray a com-
puter the first time she has trouble with some software. Try to learn from this example. Gener-
ally speaking, for most of us learning is a lot of work at the beginning and itt not much fun.
But often, after even a short period of time, learning will become a joy, something you work at
that raises your own self-esteem. Learning and understanding new things can be downright ex-
citing. Let us examine what you can do to enhance your learning during the next few years to
make the engineering education you are about to receive a firlfilling and rewarding o<perience.
Let us begin by performing some simple arithmetic to see how efficient we might be in us-
'!?ith
ing our time. 24 hours in a given day, we have, for a one-week period, 168 hours arailable.
Let's allocate liberal time periods to some activities common to most students. Refer to Thble 2.1,
when following this example. Notice that the time periods allocated to various activities in this
able are very generous and you dont have to deprive yourselfofsleep or relaxation or socializ-
ing with your friends. These numbers are meant only to give you a reasonable staning point to
help you budget your time on a weekly basis. You may prefer to spend an hour a day relaxing
during the week and use the additional social hours on weekends. Even with generous relaxation
and social time, this sample allows 68 hours a week to dwote to your education. A typical engi-
neering student takes 1 6 semester credits, which simply means about 16 hours a week are spent
in the classroom. You still have 52 hours a week to s$dy. A good nrle of thumb is to spend
at lea$t 2 to 3 hours of studlng for each hour of class time, which amounts to at least 32 hours
and ar most 48 hours a week ofstudying. Of course, some classes are more demanding than oth-
ers and will require more time for preparation and homework, projects, and lab work. You still
have from 4 ro 20 hours a week in your budget to allocate at yoru own discretion.
You may not be an l8-year-old freshman whose parents are psytngmost of your tuition.
You may be an older student who is changing cueers. Or you may be married and have chil-
dren, so you mu$ have at least a part-time job. In this case, obviously you will have to cut back

{rliiji,, -
li'liliri ff_''
i Activity RequiredTime perVbek

Sleeping: (7 days/week) x (8 hourslday) i6 (hours/week)

Cooking and aung: Q days/week) X (3 hours/day) : 2l (hoursiweek)
Grocery shopping = 2 (hours/weeD
Personal grooming: (7 daysiweek) X (1 hour/day) 7 (hours/week)
Spending time with family, lgirl/boy) friends, relaxing, playing
sports, exercising watchingTV: (7 daln/weeD X (2 hours/day) = 14 (houn/week)

Totat = 100 (hours/week)

 Hour Monday Tuedef Wednesday Thor.daf F id"y Satffday Soodry

7-8 Showt/ Shower/ Shower/ Showerl Shower/ Exaa sleep Exaa sleep
Dress/ Drcss/ Dras/ Dras/ Dress/
Breakfaet Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast Breakfast

8-9 CALCT]LUS CALCULUS St"dy CALCULUS Showerl Sbown/

CLASS CLASS English cLrss Dress/ Dress/
Breabfast Breahfast

9-10 ENGLISH Studylntro. ENGLISH Study Intro. ENGI-ISH ", Grocery OPEN
CLASS to F.ng, .CLASS to Eng. CTASS .:, shopping TIOUR

10-ll Study INTRO" Stody INTRO. Srudy Grocery OPEN

Calculus TOENG. H/SS TOENG. Calculus shopping HOI]R
CLASS crdss
tt-12 H/SS Study H/SS Study H/SS Exercise Relax
crJlss Chemistry crass Chemistry CLASS

t2-l Lunch Lunch Lunch Lunc,h Lunch Lunch Lunch

t-2 CHEM. Stody CHEI\{. Study Intro. CHEIT,I;,.,, , Relax Relax

cLtss Calculus clJtss to Fng. ,elA$$ti1ffi

2-3 Study CHEM. Study Study Intro. Study Stody Study

H/SS I.AB H/SS to Eng. H/SS English

t-4 Study cHEwt. Study Study Study Study Snrdy

Calcufts I-{TB H/SS Calcrrlus Calculus Chemistry H/SS

4-5 Exercise CHEM. Exercise Exercise Exercise Study Stndy

IAB Chemistry Chemistry

5-6 Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Dinner Relax

6-7 Study Study Study Study Relax Relax Dinner

Chemistry C*alculqs Calculus Calctlus

7-8 Study Study Study Study Study $tudylntro. $tudf

Chemistry Calculus C,alculus Chemistry Calculus , to Eng. Cdculus

8-9 Study Intro. Study StudyInto. Stody Recreation Recreation Srudy

to Frg. Chemistrf to E rs. Chemictry Calcrrlus

9-r0 Stody Study Strdy Study Recreation Recreation $tndy

English Chemistry English English Engfish

l0-lt Relax/Get Relar/Get RelaxlGet Relax/Get Recreation Recreation Relax/Get

ready for bed ready for bed ready for bed ready for bed ready for bed

30
 2,3 Darr-v SruovrNc AND PnBpenerron 3l

in some areas. For example, you may want to consider not mking 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 crn rebudget your time. The puqpose of this time budget ex-
ample is mainly to emphasize the fact that you need to learn to manage your time wisely ifyou
want to be successfirl in life. Every individual, just like any good organizadon, monitors his or
her resources. No one wants you to flun into a robot and time yourself rc the second. These
examples are provided to give you an idea of how much time is available to you and to urge you
ro consider how efficiendy and wiselyyou are allocating and using your time. The point is that
budgedng your time is very important.
\fith the exception of a few courses, most classes that you will take are scheduled for
50-minute periods, with a lO-minute break between classes to allow students to attend several
classes in a row. The other important reason for having a lO-minute brek is to allow dme to
clear your head. Most of us have a limited attention span and c:rnnot concentrate on a certain
topic for a long period of time without a break. Tirking a break is healthy; it keeps your mind
and body working well.
Typi"rtly, as a fust-term freshman in engineeringyou mayhave a course load similar to the
one shown here:

Chemistry (3)
Chemistry l^ab (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 suengths and weaknesses; you may have to make sweral afiempts to arrive at a good
schedule that will fit your needs the best. You m47 also need to modifr the example schedule
shown to allow for any variabiliry in the number of credits or other engineering program
requirements at your particular school. Maintain a daily logbook to keep track of how closely
you are following rhe schedule and where time is being used inefficiently, and modifr your
schedule accordingly.

2.3 Daily Studying and Preparation

You sart sndying and preparingfrorn the uery frst day of classlIt|n always a good idea to read the
material that your professor is planning to cover in class ahead of time. This practice will im-
prove both your understanding and retention of the lecnrre materials. It is also impoftant to go
over the material that was discussed in class again later the same day after the lecure was given.
\Vhen you are reading the material ahead of a lecnre, you are familiarizing yourself with the
information that the instructor will present to you in class. Dorft worry if you dorit firlly un-
derstand wery*ring you are reading at that time. During the lecrure you c:ur focus on t*re
material that you did not firlly understand and ask questions.'S?'hen you go over the material
after the lecture, werything then should come together. Remember to read before the class and
study the material afur the class on the same day!
3? Cnaprpn2 PnrperuNc ronaNENcrNurnrNc Car,Esn

Read the material your professor is planning to cover in class ahead of time

Attend Your elasses Regularly Yes, even ifyour professor is a bore, you c:m still learn a great
deal from arending the dass. 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 hane read the material before class and have made some notes about the
conceprs thar you do not firlly understand, during the lecture you c:m ask questions to clarifr
any misunderstanding. If you need more help, then go to your professor's office and ask for
additional assistance.

Get Help Right Away $7'hen 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 r.he 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 hane 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.
Recendy, I had a student who sent an e-mail to me on Sunday night at 10 : 05 p.rra. asking for an
extension on a homework assignment that was due on the following day. I asked the student the
ner(t mornin& "\Vhen did you start to do the assignment?" He replied, "at 10 : 00 r'.rr'r. Sunday
night." On another occasion, I had a student who came to my office and introduced himself to
me for the fust time. He asked me to write him a recommendation lerer for a summer job he
 2.3 Derrv SruovrNc AND PnnpenerroN 33

was applying for. Like most professors, I do not write recommendation lemers for students, or
anyone, whom I do not acrually 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 lecflrre, but some
students may not realize that they should also take notes when reading the textbook" Try to [is-
ten carefirlly during r:he lectures so you c:m identify and record the important ideas and con-
cepts. If you have read ahead of dme the text materials that your proGssor is planning to cover
in class, then you are prepared to write down notes that complement what is already in your
terbook. You dorft need to write down werything tlat your professor says, wdtes, or projects
onto a screen. The point is to listen very carefrrlly and write down only notes regarding the im-
poftant concepts that you did not understand when you read the book.
Use wirebound notebools 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 dwelop now. As an
engineer you will need m keep records of meetings, calculations, measurements, etc. with time
and date recorded so you c:rn refer back to them ifthe need arises. Thus it is best that you keep
the notes in a wirebound notepad or a notebook with the p€es 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 at-
tempt ro do your homework assignment. This approach will save you a great deal of time in
the long run! Dort't be among those students who spend as litde time as possible on under-
sanding the underlying concepts and try to take a shoncut 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 worit develop an understanding of the material. lTitlout a firm grasp of the
34 Cnaprsn 2 PnrpenrNc FoR AN ENcrNeERrNc Cenrsn

Not a good way to study!

basic concepts, you will not do well on the exams, and you will be at a disadvantage later in
your other classesand in life when you practice engineering.
Tirke good legible notes so that you can go back to rhem 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 studyyour
book. Keep all your engineering books; dont sell them back to the bookstore-some day you
may need them. If you have a computer, you may want to type up a slrmmary sheet of all im-
portant concepts. later, you can use the Find, command to look up selected terms and concepts.
You maywish to insen 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 certainlyagoodplace forstudying, butyou can makeyour dormroom oryourapaftmentroom
into agoodplaceforsrudfng. lllk toyourroommate(s) aboutyourstudyhabits andstudytime.
Explain to them that you prefer to study in your own room and appreciate not being disturbed
while studying. If possible, find a roommate with a declared engineering major, who is likely to
be more understandrng ofyour study needs. Remember that a bad place for studying is in your
girlftiendt or boyfriend's lap or arms (or any other acceptable engineering configuration). An-
odrer usefirl idea is to keep your desk clean and avoid having apicnrre ofyoursweethean in front
of you. You dorit want to daydream as you are studying. There is plenry 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 fust understand the
basic concepts. You need ro study on your own first and then get together with your classmates
 2.3 Danv SrupyrNc lNp PnrranenoN 35

. - &" -'':
A good way to study!

to discuss and explain key ideas and concepts to each other. Everyone in your sftdy group
should agree drat they need to come prepared to discuss appropriate materials and rhat they dl
need to contribute to the discussions. It should be understood that the srudy groups serve a dif-
ferent purpose than that ofa tutoring session. However, ifanother student in your class asks for
assistance, help ifyou can by explaining new concepts you have learned. Ifyou have difficulty
explaining the material to someone else, that could be an indication you dont firlly undersand
the concept yourselfand 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 actiue bamn not apassiue leamn!

Prepare for Examinations Ifyou study and prepare from the first day ofclass, then you should
perform admirably on your exams. Keep reminding yourselft'hat there is absolutely no substitu-
tion for dailystudying. Dorftwait until *re night before the exam to study! That is not the best
time for learning new concepa and ideas. The night before the exam is the time for rwiew only.
Just before an exarn, spend a few hours rwiewing your notes and sample problems. Make sure
that you get a good nightt rest so you can be ftesh and think clearly when you take the enam. It
may be a good idea to ask your insrructor ahead of time what rype of exam it will be, how many
questions there will be, or what susestions she or he has to help you prepare better for the e:<am.
As with any test, be sure you understand what the questions are asking. Read the questions care-
firlly 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 ehe more complicated questions. Finally, some of
you may hane experienced test anxiety when taking an exam. To reduce the anxiety, prepare well
and consider timing yourselfwhen doing your homework problems.
36 Cneprsn 2 PnspARn{c FoR AN ENcrrrnnrNc Cennsn

AIChE ffiWffiffi-
,emolfcnrWoffofW@dwre
,.1ii.ii'i:1.,

GIE
ff,
Join an engineering organization!

2.4 Getting lnvolved with an Engineering 0rganization

There are many good reasons to join an engineering organization. Networking, panicipating
in plant tours, listening to technical guest speakers, participating in design competitions, at-
tending social events, .eking advantage of learning oppornrnities *gough shoft courses, semi-
nars, and conferences, and obtaining student loans and scholarships are a few of the common
benefits of belonging to an engineering organization. Moreover, good places to learn more
about areas of specialization in engineering are the'Web sites of various engineering organiz*
tions. As you spend a litde time reading about these organizations, you will discover that many
share common interests and provide some overlapping services that could be used by engineers
of various disciplines. You will also note that the primary plrrpose of these professional engi-
neering organizations is to offer the following benefits:

l. They conduct conferences and meetings to share new ideas and findings in research and
development.
2. They publish technical journals, books, reports, and magazines rc help engineers in partic-
ular specialties keep up-to-date.
3. They offer short courses on curent technical developments to keep practicing engineers
abreast of the new developments in their respective fields.
4. They advise the federal and state governments on technology-related public policies.
5. Th.y create, maintain, and distribute codes and standards that deal rrith correct engineer-
ing dCIign practices to ensure public safety.
6. They provide a networking mechanism through which you get to know people from dif-
ferent companies and institutions. This is imponant for two rq$ons: (1) If there is a prob-
lem that you feel requires assistance from ou*ide your organization, you have a pool ofcol-
leagues whom you have met at the meedngs to help you solve the problem. (2) \Vhen you
know people in other companies who are looking for good engineers to hire and you are
thinking about something different to do, then you may be able to 6nd a good match.
Find out about the local student chapters of nadonal engineering organizations on your qrm-
pus. Anend the fust meetings. After collecting information, choose an organization, join, and
become an active particrpant. As you will see for yourself, the benefits of being a member of an
engineering organizadon are great!
 2.6 OrnrnConsronnpmoNs 37

2,5 Your Graduation Plan

At most schools, there are three levels of admissions. First, you get admined to the university.
For that to happen, you must meet certain requirernents. For example, you need to rank in the
top xo/o of your high school class, have an ACT or SAI score of rooc, and hatre so many years of
english, mathematics, sciences, and social studies. After you complete your freshman year, you
may need to apply to the college in which the engineering program of your interest resides. To
be accepted ro, say, the college of engineering at yoru university, you need to meet additional
requirement. Finally, at the end ofthe second year, upon successfirl completion ofmath, chem-
istry, phpics, and basic engineering classes, then you need to apply and gain admission to a
specific engineering program, for example, civil, electrical, mechanical, and so on. Make sure
you meet with your advisor so that you understand what the requirements are for admission to
the college and the specific program, becau$e at many universities, admission to an engineering
program is highly selective.
It is also a good idea to sit down with your advisor and plan your graduation. List all of the
classes that you need to take in order to obtain your degree in four or five years. You can alwap
modify this plan later as your interests change. Make sure you understand rhe prerequisites for
each class and in which semester a class t1'pically is offered; a program flowchart will be quite
usefirl. In order to make you aware ofyour social responsibfities as an engineer, you also are re-
quired to take a certain number of classes in social sciences and humanities. Think about your
current interests and plan your social science and humanity electives as well. Again, dort'tworry
about your inceresa changing, you can always modiS your plan. For those ofyou who currendy
are studying at a community college and planning to rransfer to a university later, you should
contact the university, learn about their engineering course ffansfer policies and requirements,
and prepare your graduadon plan accordingly.

2.6 0ther Considerations

Doing Volunteer Work Ifyour study schedule allows, volunteer for a few hours a week to help
those in need in your community. The rewards are unbelievable! Not only will you feel good
about yourself but you will gain a sense of satisfacdon and feel connected to your community.
'\Iolunteering
could also help dwelop communication, management, or supervisory skills that
you may not dwelop by just attending school.

Vote in Local and National Elections Most of you are 18 or older. Thke your civic duties seri
ously. Exercise your right to vote, and q'to play an active role in your local, state, or federal
govemment. Remember that freedom is not free. Be a good responsible citizen,

Get to Know Your Classmates There are many good reasons for getting to knorn' one or two
other students in your classes. You may want to study with someone from class, or if you are
absent from class, you hane someone to contact to find out what the assignment is or find out
what was covered in class. Record the following information on the course syllabi for all your
classes: the name of a sudent sitting next to you, his or her telephone number, and his or her
e-mail address.
38 Crg.epran2 PnspARrNc roRAN Encnrnrnnrc CenBrn

Get to Know an Upper'Division Engineering Student Becomingacquaintedwith junior andsenior

engineering students can provide you with valuable information about their engineering edu-
cation ercperience and campus social issues. Ask your instructor to inuoduce you to a junior or
a senior engineering student, and record the following information on your inuoduction to
engineering dass syllabus: the name of an upper-division engineering student, his or her tele-
phone number, and his or her e-mail address.

,r*"",-"*
gram, I "i
I discovered tJrat b,
to stand ous aod to
tionship with my pq
paledmrnerhemorr
once said, "the job of
withlife, comfo*
nicheiq thefieldof
the development o

mewith
 my gar- eet as an employee of the
So why not become an engineer? Environmental
drainage, .orrrt ooiorr, and ventilarion problems for rural engineering has been my field of erpertise for the past
dients. Afur working for seven years, I decided to go back 20 years. It allows me to inregrate all of the sciences and
to universiry to complete a Master's degree while keeping to comb up with solutions to problems concerning our

:LH"ffiitJ;[ffi*15'"'ffffi#.1#r "t*ffff;-#:k ro ser a reer ror environmentar

frfli+ffiilfi
:frffi;Sffi:'i'"rffi:f:'*':T:; are given
*. jou,o design a' anaerobic_{i_

urin wil Pru.,u'c.' uy urE I'uPua-

Llc
neering is all about tadng your imagination run wild. En- l:: ;:.t* *o friends can collect' for one
gineers are probrem *r"*i;;'.t;;;;'^dil .1.":; I?,"
vour
t*-eup*idrinnovariverechnorogiestharwu;*:jH Xffh,**.i#trj;ff*:J:f"'#ffi
i::"_1T1!l_l,l-y_":::1*:::':*:ry:g *"ffia,-*eeachoneoryo*r,i*J?.rar,"
*"rt. into a container of
produced. Put this food

is that solutions must now integrate some social aspects. If

a solution requires too many changes in someone's life or
roo much worh it will not be adopted. For erample, I
worked with a smdl communiry in the hean of Montreal
to cenpr, lFe
"
*"d.Y";T*'co T"*r':"*P**F
thi, ."nter .apily visible and accessibG to all rnem-
bers of the mmmuniry: th.y could drop off their food
waste on the way to work three rnornings per week, and
being visible, the center drew customirs in no time. The
project worked where many had friled before, becaus€ y/e
turbtdity of the both tbe
a disunce out or'lheir
:#:J::f.H:i,l#*:$k

39
40 Cser'rrn2 Pnnpmrnc FoRAN ENcrNsnRrNc CnneEn

SUMMARV
Now that you hane reached this point in the text
. You should use the ideas discussed in this chapter to make your ffansidon from high school
to college smoothly. You should also consider the time management ideas discussed in rhis
chapter to arrive at a reasonable weekly schedule.
. You should realize that you must start studying and preparing from the first day of class,
acend classes regularly, get help right avay, uke good notes, select a good study place, and
form srudy groups.
. You should knorv the imporance of joining an engineering organization and choose an or-
ganization, join, and become an active participant.

21. Prepare a schedule for the cunent semester; also pre- 'Write a one-page summary discussing each week's ac-
pare two additional alternative schedules. Discuss the tivities that deviated &om the planned schedule, and
pros and cons ofeach schedule. Select what you think come up with ways to improve or modifr its shon-
is the best schedule, and discuss it with your instructor comings. Turn in a biweekly summary report to yoru
or advisor. Consider his or her suggestions and mod- instructor or advisor. Think of this exercise as an on-
tfy .h. schedule if necessary; then present the final going test similar to other tests that engineers perform
schedule ro your instructor Maintain a daily logbook regulady to understand and improve things.
to keep track of how closely you are following the 2.2. Meet with your advisor and prepare your graduation
schedule and where time is being used inefficiendy. plan, as discussed in Section 2.5.

Hour Monday Tuesday Vednesday Thursday Ftidry Saturday Su"dty

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8-9
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11

L-2
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3-4
zl-)
5-6
6-7
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9-10
l0-1 1

"I have never let my schooling interfere with my education."

Twain (1 835
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-Marh