Student-to-Student: Advice from the Experts
Advice to Seniors
For the new senior, the challenge is to maintain a focus on academics while preparing to make the transition to work or graduate school. We asked recent engineering graduates to share their perspective and compiled a summary of their answers.
What would you have done differently during your senior year?
Perhaps most surprising is that many recent graduates now think it is important not to rush to finish school. They suggest taking no more than 13 credit hours per semester to allow more time to concentrate on each course. To gain more experience in engineering, join an engineering society or work with a professor. What else? Get more sleep!
Esther Villars, a mechanical engineering graduate of the City College of New York, reflects that she would have participated in sports and other extracurricular activities during her senior year.
"I wish I could have enjoyed more than I did my senior year," she says. "I also wish I could have spent time out with my colleagues building friendships in a different setting than on campus."
William Aponte of Florida International University says, "I wish I had gotten into the master's program right away, even if my priority right after graduation was to get a job."
Did you participate in an engineering internship or co-op last year? Was it beneficial to you?
Without exception, students who did not participate in an internship wish they had. Consider the experience of Sergio Leal of Texas A&M University-Kingsville: "I did participate in a co-op, before I graduated, at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and it was beneficial, because I'm now working for NASA."
CCNY's Esther Villars says her internship "helped me enormously to market myself better when I was looking for a job. It is helping me now to adapt more quickly to the working world."
What advice do you have for college seniors?
Take advantage of university extracurricular activities, some advised. As Elena Maldonado of Florida International University put it, "Students should make an effort to get involved because they will benefit from it. A lot of companies look for that in students when they are hiring."
William Aponte, also a graduate of FIU, emphasizes that grades do count. His advice: "Work experience and G.P.A. are very important when getting a job. Pay close attention to grades...and get a job or internship" while in school.
The importance of internships also was stressed by Esther Villars of CCNY: "Try to get an internship as early as possible, because that will give you (an idea of) what's to come, including what you would like to do...."
Claudio Segura, a recent electrical engineering graduate of CCNY, advises seniors not to let down: "My advice for them is to work even harder than when they started school. Many seniors tend to slow down a little bit in their studies because they had made it to the top.... When you become a senior, that's when you need to focus on what you want in your career. You need to start getting prepared for those coming interviews and be ready to go to the real work field."
Denny Pichardo, another recent CCNY graduate, has very practical advice for seniors: "Start looking for a full-time job early."
Advice to Juniors
For third-year students, it is time to focus on an exit strategy from college, much as they did as juniors in high school preparing for college. Here is advice from seniors on how to make the most of your junior year.
What would you have done differently during your junior year?
Bonita Cantu of Texas A&M University-Kingsville would have made better use of career opportunities.
"I would have spoken with more representatives at career fairs," she says.
Some students would have focused more on course work. For example, Armando Palma of Florida International University says, "I wish I had had a better focus on the sequence of classes to finish faster."
Walter Maldonado of FIU reported that he would "enroll in more courses each semester, so that I could finish my degree requirements." At the same time, he cautions that he also would have "studied on a daily basis instead of the day before the test."
But Andres Herrera of FIU says if he had the year to do over, he would "take fewer credits. Then I would be able to dedicate enough time to all my responsibilities."
Victor Flores of CCNY says, "I would have reviewed all of my basics, such as physics and math. Also, I would try not to take too many junior classes, since they are probably the most demanding and challenging."
Did you begin thinking about what you will do after college?
By the junior year, most students start thinking ahead to a job or graduate school. Keeping options open seems to be important at this point. Juan Carlos Agudelo of FIU expressed this view: "The job market in technology is cold at the moment. The best option is to try to find an internship or job inside your university. In case I do not find a good job, another option is to prepare for graduate school by taking the GRE and improving my G.P.A.
FIU's Walter Maldonado planned to continue his education: "After finishing my engineering degree, I would like to pursue a master's degree in business administration...so that I can try both technical and management aspects of real life."
CCNY's Flores already has plans to pursue a master's in electrical engineering and go on to pursue an M.B.A./J.D. degree, to better prepare for a career as a corporate-level engineer.
What advice do you have for juniors?
"Get involved in an internship. Be involved in school activities as well," counsels FIU's Maldonado. He participated in an internship himself and says, "I was able to get experience in engineering" because of it.
Pay attention to the basics, advises Armando Palma of FIU.
"I wish I had known the basics better," he says now. "Learn everything you can on your own. You will need it for your following classes."
Advice to Sophomores
The sophomore year is typically the "washout year," as hopeful engineers, scientists, and mathematicians discover they would rather pursue other interests. What do last year's sophomores have to say to the incoming class?
What would you have done differently during your sophomore year? What will you do differently this year?
Omar Castillo of FIU would get involved sooner with career counseling services at his university. This year, he plans "to get a little bit more involved with the professional organizations and find out more about the classes that I enrolled in."
The need for better study habits can become clear during the second year. Jorge Alvarez of FIU says if he could do it over, "I would have learned to work in study groups." This year, he says, "I will focus on improving my time management skills. I plan to set aside time for academic activities and for myself, something most people tend to forget and thus get overwhelmed."
Jennifer Coronado of California State University-Northridge knows what she would do differently. She would "start working on my study skills, rather than waiting and struggling with it now." She would make it a point to set aside time for each course.
Did you begin thinking about what you will do after college?
The second year may not be too early to start making plans for the future. Castillo of FIU believes, "It is important to have goals for what you want to do after college and have some kind of career plan in mind."
Alvarez of FIU says likewise: "It was very important to do so in my field of mechanical engineering, since it is so broad. The way that I approached this was to sit down and write down my goals and aspirations. Once you have written them out, you can visualize what you would like to become."
What advice do you have for sophomores?
Castillo of FIU has two pieces of advice: "First, start looking for an internship. You don't need to be a junior to apply, so start thinking about getting some experience. Second, a great way to enrich your college experience and increase your growth as an individual is to get involved in different organizations."
"Start learning how to manage your time wisely," counsels Coronado of Cal State Northridge. "Challenge, prioritize, manage time, be active, and do not work unless you must."
Advice to Freshmen
For freshmen, the big issue in many cases is the culture shock they will experience adjusting to campus life and classes. Marianne Espinoza of FIU offers advice to freshmen.
What surprised you most about the challenges you faced during the first year?
"The classes I took were very time-consuming, and that challenged me to manage my time."
What will you do differently this year?
"I will manage my time and list my priorities," she says.
What courses did you find most difficult?
Many would agree with her assessment: "My math and science classes were most difficult, because classes like these require hours and hours of studying as well as going to class."
Did you make friends last year who helped you in your studies?
Espinoza says, "Within the College of Engineering, I got to meet and know great students who set examples for me. Not only did they give me advice on how to study, they also told me to set goals while studying and learn what my bad study habits are to get rid of them and adopt new methods."
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I think that work experience and G.P.A. are very important when getting a job. Seniors need to pay close attention to the quality of their grades to either get a job or internship within their field."
-- William Aponte, graduate, Florida International University
"I advise students to get involved in extracurricular activities, Even though engineering is a hard major and in reality you don't have enough time. Students should make an effort because they will benefit from it. A lot of companies look for that in students when they make hiring decisions."
-- Elena Maldonado, graduate, Florida International University
