My name is JJ McCauley; I am an aerospace engineering major, pursuing a minor in Japanese, and am a Science and Global Change student. I am proud of how my freshman year went and I am excited to continue to work hard, meet new people, and learn new things next year.
The courses that came as the greatest surprise to me in my freshman year were ENES100: Introduction to Engineering Design and ENAE202: Computing Fundamentals for Engineers. The scope of these courses was most surprising to me. With Engineering Design, I had the impression that we would learn the fundamentals of calculations and brainstorming engineering ideas. I did not realize that I would actually have the opportunity to fully design, prototype, build, and test a project involving both mechanical and electrical components. Through this project, I also developed technical skills with CAD, 3D printing, woodshop, and more. To best prepare for this course, students should keep an open mind and seek to learn as much as they can, as it really is a great way to get a foot in the door for basic engineering skills. With the Computing Fundamentals course, this class was a challenge as there was a very heavy emphasis on applications to aerospace engineering. The homework assignments require a lot of reading and forces students to grasp the basics of some post-graduate and professional level aerospace engineering problems. To best prepare for this course, dedicating a lot of time for studying and practice is essential. It is easy to get lost in all the technical details, but it is also a great way to learn very useful information regarding computer science.
My greatest success with developing relationships with faculty members was with my Japanese classes. Over the two semesters of my freshman year, I had a total of three Japanese professors. Inoue-Sensei, Ogawa-Sensei, and Hamada-Sensei are all very diligent, encouraging, and easy to communicate with professors. Since the sizes of these classes were significantly smaller than most of my other classes, it was easier to be recognized and be more than just another face in the crowd. Putting in effort to participate in class, asking questions when needed, and going to office hours all helped me develop strong relationships with my professors, and they have encouraged me to continue to learn Japanese, despite the difficulty of balancing Japanese and the rest of my coursework. A common obstacle that I and many others have encountered when trying to develop relationships with faculty members is struggling to stand out in a lecture full of dozens of people. My recommendation to best combat this is to attend office hours and email professors with any questions you may have. I also recommend joining clubs and student organizations that suit your interests, as any faculty advisor that the organization has is likely very easy to talk to and you most likely will have a shared interest.
Relationships with fellow students is a great way to better adjust to college life. Having people to study with, eat with, and just hang out with makes the transition easier. Peers are always great resources as well if you ever are feeling down and need someone to talk to, as they likely have faced something similar since moving in. Personally, having people that share my same academic interests and are in the same classes that I am in make it easier for me to be motivated and encouraged to work hard and pursue my interests. An obstacle that I have faced is that it is sometimes difficult to build a lasting friendship with peers. I feel as if I have many fellow “acquaintances” that I see and talk to in classes or on my floor, but not as many true friendships as I may have liked. The best way to get past this is to not be discouraged and to continue to try to meet new people. I have met plenty of people who have felt the same way and it isn’t something you should be shy about.
What I felt I was least prepared for was the inevitable adjustment to my sleep schedule. Despite being able to wake up early every morning in high school, it felt harder and harder to get up on time as the year went on. Without fully realizing it, my bedtime becomes progressively pushed back throughout the semesters. The best way to address these issues is to be aware of it and accepting of it. There are going to be longer nights and challenging mornings in your college career, it is inescapable. However, it is very important to do your best to limit the extent and amount of times these dilemmas happen. Being organized with an agenda and putting your phone down are easy ways to get your responsibilities done in a timely manner. Getting addicted and reliant on caffeine is not a sustainable nor healthy way of dealing with this issue. Prioritize sleep and physical health, as these will eventually make dealing with the workload easier.