As an engineering student, I had the opportunity to take a course called ENES100 in my second semester. This class was incredibly beneficial for me in many ways. The course is centered around a semester-long group project that requires you to build a functional autonomous over-terrain vehicle, or OTV. To be successful in achieving this goal, you need to develop several qualities. First, you must be personable and able to work well with others. This includes being punctual with meeting times and deadlines, having strong communication skills, giving and receiving constructive criticism, and developing leadership tendencies. Another quality this class helped me develop was technical knowledge in a few different areas. The class is structured so you get hands-on experience with circuitry, computer-aided design, 3D manufacturing, and programming. Going forward, if I am tasked with projects involving these skills, I have already been exposed to them in a highly technical project, which is very helpful. Finally, another quality that this class helped me to develop is attention to detail. While submitting milestone update reports for this project, you had to be incredibly detailed in how you presented your ideas and iterative process. This attention to detail is integral to the kinds of writing I will be doing for the rest of my college and professional career. For all of the reasons previously mentioned, I would suggest trying to find a class that has a focus on group work and is also in your chosen field of study. For engineers, the ENES100 class is required, so you will have to take it anyway. However, I know there are other classes of this nature for many different disciplines, and I encourage you to seek them out.
In the first semester of my freshman year, I took a course called Math241, or Calculus 3. In this class, I had the privilege of having a graduate student named Sudheer Shukla as my teaching assistant. Sudheer taught the discussion section of my class and was very knowledgeable on the subject matter. One day after my lecture, when I felt confused, I decided to go to Sudheer’s office hours to gain a better understanding. After that day, I never missed another one of his office hours. This was very impactful in my learning for the course because office hours are a great resource where you can ask any questions you want, and with a TA like Sudheer, my confusion was always overcome. Especially as a freshman, I hadn’t been exposed to the concept of office hours, but after I went once, I was totally hooked. The greatest obstacle I had was being intimidated by the 1 on 1 time with an expert, but I urge any incoming freshman that these small group opportunities are integral to not only understanding the material in your courses, but also building close relationships with leaders in your class. If you go consistently and ask any questions you have, even for massive lecture classes, they will remember you, and you can start to build that relationship.
My relationships have enabled me to cope with the adjustment to college by giving me a sense of community, even away from my hometown. Finding a solid group of friends early on made pursuing different new opportunities around campus less intimidating since I was with other like-minded people. The hardest part about finding these friendships is being the first person to reach out. When you first get to college, every other freshman is also trying to make new friends as they too are in a new environment. If you see someone you think you’d get along with, whether it be in class, the dining hall, or your dorm floor, be the person who introduces themselves. You will never be turned down. Like I said, everyone is thinking the same thing, but many are too nervous to make that first bridge. Next year when you get on campus and make new friends, I urge you to get out and explore lots of different clubs and other organizations with them. Joining new clubs can be scary, but if you have a band of friends with you, it is far less intimidating. The same thing goes for if you plan on rushing a fraternity or sorority, it is always easier with friends.
When I first came to university, I was unprepared for the amount of work required, especially for my major's required engineering classes. In high school I earned a lot of credit from my AP classes, so coming into my first semester I was signed up for several “weed out” courses from the engineering school. I vastly underestimated the strength of my schedule and ended up swamped with work just a few weeks into college. I barely did anything besides study, do homework, and go out a few nights late on the weekends. I had a poor balance of school and everything else that college brings. I didn’t get involved in any clubs my first semester due to my crazy schedule, and I regretted that. I recommend that you come in and take some major required classes, but mix in a lot of your gen eds as well. Freshman year is such a unique time in college when you are in a new environment, exposed to new ideas, and want as much freedom as possible. Taking a lighter schedule, at least for your first semester of school, is a good idea to make sure that transition is as smooth as possible.