Preparing for a New Course
Work closely with your advisor to balance your course load. If you are planning to take 12 course credits, make sure they aren’t all engineering courses. Give your brain a break from math by adding a humanities course to the mix. Your advisor can help you to balance your schedule between engineering and non-engineering courses.
Understand how much time you’ll need to spend studying. Most professors expect that for every engineering course credit you take, you will spend 2-4 hours studying. So, if you have two engineering courses in a standard semester, that’s six credits. That means you will need to spend an average of 18 hours studying outside of class per week. Make sure you have the time before you commit to the courses!
Read your syllabus carefully. Find out up front what the expectations will be. Make a note of important items, such as: The policy on tardiness and absences. If a professor will fail you after three tardies or unexcused absences, you’ll want to pay close attention to be present and on time. Assignment due dates. Is there homework due weekly? Daily? Make sure you understand how the coursework is structured. Tests and test dates. If you aren’t a good test-taker, and the course grade is solely based on three test scores, this might not be the right class for you.
Sit in the front of the classroom. This will eliminate the urge to fall asleep or get distracted. You will also be able to see and hear better, and it'll be easier to ask questions. Your professors will also be more motivated to see you succeed if you appear to be making an effort.
Take advantage of your professors' office hours. You can usually find these at the top of your syllabus. Don’t be afraid to connect with your professors and ask them questions! They want to help you learn. And sometimes they can give you extra clues on what to expect to see on the test.
Managing Coursework During the Semester
Take good notes. Don’t try to rely on your memory! You will be able to refer back to those notes later when you get stuck on a homework problem or while studying for a test. You can also highlight any parts that you might need to discuss with a tutor.
Read ahead. Come to class having already read the material that will be covered. This will give you an opportunity to ask more effective questions, and go back over anything you didn't understand while you were reading through it. But, you don't necessarily need to understand it all during the first read-through.
Attend class and pay attention. Even if you don’t understand everything that is covered, you’ll be able to take notes and ask questions, and it’ll make more sense when you go back over it later. You will learn more by being present than you will by trying to catch up later. Engineering is a language of its own; the more time you spend listening to it, the easier it will be to understand it over time.
Study the material that is being covered, as you go along. Don’t wait until just before a test to begin studying. Engineering classes build progressively, and tests tend to cover both old and new material -- if you don’t understand something, address it immediately and work to fully understand it before moving on. This way, the days before a test can be spent going back over the things you need the most help with.
Preparing for a Test
Study with a group. Chances are, some of you will understand things that others don’t, and vice-versa. In a group, you can trade knowledge and help each other through things. It will also help you stay alert and focused. Talk to other students in your class, fraternity, or sorority to form a study group, or contact the Academic Services office at your school to find other students who are interested in forming a group. Meet in a quiet, private place where your group can focus. Come prepared to your group meetings, with an idea of the content that needs to be covered. Be an active participant -- listening to others work through a problem will not prepare you to work through it yourself. Offer your knowledge. Teaching someone else how to work through a problem can cement your own understanding.
Prepare study materials. Engineering courses range from calculus to chemistry, and require different tools depending on the information you need to study. Use flash cards to memorize definitions. Keep a “cheat sheet” of formulas that you can memorize and refer to as you’re working through practice problems. Draw and study any relevant diagrams.
Do as many practice problems as you can. You can’t rely on memorization for engineering and science classes. Repetition is key; how you work through problems in practice is how you will work through them on the test. Work through as many types of examples as you can to make sure that you can apply your knowledge to multiple scenarios and variations. You can rework assigned homework problems or look for extra problems in your text book. Assess each problem to determine what kind it is: general derivation, straight calculation, or design problem. Determine what formulas you need for each problem. Engineering problems tend to have multiple parts. If you get stuck on one, identify and solve for any elements you do know. Always double check your math, including the numbers you’re working with and any units of measurement.
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