Learn to Skip Astonishing as it may sound, but I think it is vital for first year students to learn when to skip their classes. I mean you can’t skip all your classes but can and in most cases must in order to pass course. Again problem arises from fact that as a first year engineer you have a finite amount of time to study and in most cases weekend period is not enough. So for greater good you will have to skip liberal studies lecture or optional tutorial. I would rather see a student skip a class to study for a test then for him/her to show up for class and worry about upcoming test or quiz later that day.

Learn From Mistakes I find that it is usually high achievers in high school who are ones who freak out when they see their first C. Rather then understanding from their mistakes they get overwhelmed and in some cases obsessed with mark. They are continuously trying to make up difference by attending every class, compulsively trying to get perfect on every home work assignment and are ones who study all day in their locked rooms. Sure student might get an A on his/hers first semester courses but in long term (usually by end of second year) student will be too burnout and in most cases must drop out from their engineering program.

Take Time to Relax and Exercise I think it is vital for engineers to put aside some time to relax and exercise. Personally, I find nothing more satisfying then pounding a punching bag to vent out all built up frustration after a hard day at school. Apart from exercising, diet also plays a major role. If you can not eat your greens and fruits, on a daily basis, then you should consider taking a multivitamin everyday. Drink more water when ever possible and try to keep your daily caffeine intake to a maximum of two cups, yes I realize it is hard especially when you are doing an all nighter.

Hopefully after reading above hints you will manage much better in being a first year engineering student. Try to embrace your days in school and always try to get a good night sleep.

Title: Over here you type in title of your subject. (Test 1, Midterm, Exam, Assignment 5…etc)

Subject: Over here you type in what concern or problem you might have (Due Date Issue, Missed Test Issue, HW Problem #45…etc). Remember to keep it brief, no more then 5 words.

Example: Boston College-MTH140-Assignment 4-HW Problem #45

The Text Body Field Try to keep things simple, clean and to point. By that I mean no 2 page emails or fancy fonts and color, remember your first priority is to convey your message not to show off your email editing skills. Start off with writing Professors name (Prof C.Mcgill, Prof U.Stan…etc). Move on to subject of your email, as a reminder restate Course Code and Title Field (During Monday’s MTH140 class you stated for Assignment 4). The next line should state problem or concern. Remember to provide details and avoid repetitions. Its best to end email with a salutatory statement (Thank You, Yours Truly..etc) and use your name, student number and College or University name as signature.

Example: Prof C. Mcgill, During Monday’s MTH140 class you stated for Assignment 4 question #41 to use second derivative theorem. However, I am having trouble as to how to find delta X? In particular, during situation when time is 3 seconds and delta Y is 0. Do we set delta Y to Ymin and solve from there?

Thank You _________________ Any Student #:0101010101 Boston University

Things to Keep In Mind - Give a minimum of one weekday for Professors to reply back, before sending another email. - Avoid sending multiple duplicate emails at any one given time. - Try to send emails during weekdays and if possible during Professors office hours. - Try to be respectful and Professional (i.e. no offensive language, spell check…etc). - Avoid taking out frustration by spamming Professors email box.