Hello iEFX reader! This is Shugo Tanaka, a freshman engineer at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. Having entered college, it's a time for reflection on the past and outlook into the future. There are three skills that I hope to learn and will focus on throughout the first semester of this school year.
The first one is to improve my study habits. Throughout my previous schooling career, as I'm sure with most of you reading this, I was able to get by with little to no studying. I could go into a test with very little preparation, and still come out with an A. But now I'm entering college. This is a different animal entirely. I don't think my old habits will allow me to survive in this new arena. And so I will need a new arsenal of study techniques. Firstly, I must defeat the ravage beast known as Procrastination. In the past, I've had the terrible mentality of "If I could do it later, why do it now?" I need to stop this way of thinking and start things early so I have more time to work on it. I also need to dive into the books and actually study come test time. I'll have to start using more notecards, charts, mind maps, and other tools to memorize concepts and ideas. This will all be tested by my first midterms. Like voting, I'll do it early and often. Wish me luck!
The second skill I hope to harness over this semester is the ability to think up tangible projects. I'm a fairly creative person, but some of my ideas for projects are too far out. Either we don't yet have the technology or they're downright impossible. I have ideas for a molecular analyzer or a rapid DNA scanner. Someday, these ideas will be possible, but as for right now, I have to think more realistically in the realm of possibility. I need to use my creativity to think up of projects that I could do within my college career. I'm still working on ideas for different engineering clubs and classes, but I know I'll be able to think up neat, useful projects. And to do this, I'll need to work on my third and final skill I wish to learn.
And skill number three is to increase my reservoir of knowledge in math, physics, and chemistry. Before you can build a computer, you must know how one works. The steps to complete this skill are simple in theory, but will require hard work in execution. I need to go to my classes, learn the information, and perform well on tests. I've learned all of this information before, but failed to retain it. To change this, I need to learn it and apply it. Like learning a new language, I will only remember it if I keep using it. When I learn a new concept, I have to use my creativity to think of how to use this. In essence, that is what engineering is: the application of math and sciences.
Well, dear reader, this marks the beginning of a new journey. A quest for knowledge and an adventure into the unknown. These stepping stones will show me if I'm on the right path, and someday I'll look back to this and see how far we've come. Crudely quoting Hannibal, "I'll either find a path, or [engineer] one!"
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