Before Starting a College STEM Degree
- Lectures may be optional, but they are not. It is an option for two reasons: (1) You are an adult, and no one can make you go to a lecture, and (2) a test of integrity and responsibility. You must understand that college is shaping you into an adult. If you treat college like high school, you are going to go back to school when you graduate. If you treat it like a professional career, you will become highly employable.
- Reading (or learning from) the textbook. You must learn from the textbook. When you have a syllabus that says, “You can use the assigned textbook, lecture notes, class, and office hours.”, anything else is not following the code of conduct (plagiarism). Watching Khan Academy (or similar platforms, private tutors, and solution manuals) is like listening to an audiobook read by an unaccredited amateur source. If your professor does not give you permission to use these things, it is unethical. But mostly, your job as a STEM professional is to learn how to fluently read scientific data—that is, textbooks. The entire undergraduate degree could be summed up as: “Bachelor’s: The art of learning how to read textbooks.” The internet is unaccredited and built by amateurs. Employers have no faith in hiring someone who needs their mama to read them a bedtime story (the textbook).
- The flow of your curriculum is why the internet is bad. When I say “internet,” I am referring to using services like Chegg, WyzAnt, YouTube, Khan Academy, and Solution Manuals. It is also unacceptable to use ChatGPT for critical thinking, not grunt work. ChatGPT and similar tools are excellent for mundane tasks, but not for tasks that require critical thinking. These platforms may show techniques you are not allowed to know yet or haven’t been taught yet. Students are removed from class every day for using these platforms. If you don’t want to do the work, why are you a STEM Major?
- Practice exams are the most important part of studying. Homework is usually worth so little that, after an end-of-semester grade adjustment, it is irrelevant to the final grade. The exams determine the grade. No one is good at exams. You only get better with practice. If you spend all your time doing practice exams, you will become an expert at taking exams, understand more, and become better qualified for letters of recommendation.
- Respecting the professor and your classmates: You need letters of recommendation to get into grad school, secure internships, research positions, and in most cases, jobs. You will not receive letters of recommendation if you are absent from lecture and perceived as disrespectful. Treat your professor like a potential future boss and your classmates like potential colleagues.
- Focusing on your resume from day 1: It is crucial to begin building your resume immediately. Look up job applications for positions you may be interested in and identify required skills. These may include Microsoft Office tools, coding languages, HTML, SQL, and other technologies. During the summer months and spare time, you should focus on building these skills so you meet qualifications by graduation.
- Internships and work experience: Upon graduation, many jobs require experience. You may need to start in an entry-level position to gain experience. Prepare early by working during summers, pursuing internships, assisting professors, and building qualifications. Research experience is extremely valuable and helps build technical skills. By starting freshman year, you can graduate highly qualified for jobs.
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