Let's jump into it. This is the main source of anxiety and in some cases,
determinant of worth as a student. Let's put something into perspective:
everything needs to be balanced. You can't adopt a "C's get degrees" or a
"every point matters" attitude and expect Engineering to go smoothly.
"Yeah, yeah, blah blah blah. I know all that, just get to the
part where you tell me how to do well!"
So how does one achieve a high GPA?
Here's a list of things you can start with:
There is some controversy concerning whether learning styles are an innate phenomenon or just
a hype that may do some good. Furthermore, there is also no concensus on how many learning
styles exist in the first place. So you may wonder why I am starting with this...
Here's the good news: there is no controversy on forming good habits and sticking with it.
What I mean by "know your learning style" is to know what works for you. Learning styles may not
be a thing (since most people have a combination and it all depends on what you have gotten used to),
but if in the past you associate yourself as a
visual, auditory, reading/writing or kinesthetic learner, continue to learn with that method that works
for you.
The details matter too. During my Freshman year, I learned that we can improve our "mood" to study
(and memory) by associating certain physical cues to studying. For example, turning on a desk lamp to do focused
studying, and then turning it off once you're done can actually help you focus in the future. I'm sure
there is a scientific term for this, but I call it "Pavloving myself".
I cannot stress this enough. At 7:30am, the last thing you
want to do is get out of your comfortable bed. I get it. I truly do. My
relationship with my bed is a strong one (my mother can attest to this).
However, the sad fact is that if you do not attend class, you miss valuable information that
you pay thousands of dollars for. In general, professors (despite what students like to believe) actually
students to learn and succeed. The last thing they want to see is a room full of empty seats.
My experience dictates that when a student participates in class discussion, said student retains information that is taught better.
Plus, asking questions in class helps clarify your questions, as well as your classmates' (who may not be comfortable speaking up in class).
Also, in a 200-person classroom, asking questions actually helps professors notice you, which is a good thing (cue next point).
Bonus tip: try push skipping class as much as you can. Once you skip class once, you may find yourself caught in a viscous downward spiral.
Yes, I am asking you to undergo the anxiety of meeting your professor one-on-one and possibly embarrasing yourself
in front of a well-respected, educated, noble professional.
If you're anything like I was during my freshman year, professors scare you. They could be the nicest people, and
even give out candy in class (fun fact, my graduate level professor actually brings snacks for us every class), but the
thought of embarrasing myself in front of honorable faculty kept me far from their office. Here's my piece of advice for you:
if you make a joke and laugh at yourself (as long as you're not rude), it'll make you more memorable. My closest
student-professor relationships have happened because I overcame my anxiety and went to their office hours.
Here's something I wasn't told before: you don't need to have a great question to go to office hours!
Depending on the type of office hours the professor holds (which you will find out after going at least one), you may be able to
just listen to other students' questions (like a big group study- just with the professor to steer you in the correct direction).
Once you attend one office hour session, you will realize just how few students go to office hours.
Professors allocate time in their busy schedules to only answering students' questions outside of class... and so many students
do not take advantage of this free resource.
You're an Engineering student, so I am going to presume you've taken maths classes.
From experience, you probably know that practice is key, and yet somehow when students come to university,
practice takes a backseat. I understand that there is a lot to do- each chapter reading consists of at least 50 pages of dense material.
Here's the wow factor:
practice trumps readings (in most subjects). Physics, maths and even for psychiology class, solving problems and doing questions
will help you retain the knowledge you learn better much than passive reading. This is actual research.
If you think you're going to succeed through Engineering alone, oh boy, you're wrong. If you end up being right, I am both amazed
and worried for you (you'll do a lot of teamwork in the real world in most jobs).
A great team will make all the difference in your engineering classes. You need to find friends who will motivate, encourage you, and
be self-motivated to perfom well. These networks you make through school will help you in many, many ways. That being said, a distracting and unmotivating team can be
disasterous, so choose your friends and teammates carefully.
This is so important that despite having an entire page dedicated to it, I am mentioning it here again.
Now, go read that page.
