One of the bad habits that I’m beginning to pick up as a non-engineering major is procrastination. It’s one of the worst feelings in the world to know that a 15 page research paper is due in a few days and you haven’t even look at your sources. This strategy works for some people (like my roommate), who can completely crank out an essay in one long night and still manage at least a B on it. For others (like me), doing big projects in one sitting can be one of the most stressful things to do.
After having to do a long economics homework assignment in one night, I have learned my lesson. It is always best to try to do things earlier. Even if you don’t feel like it, just start working through a little bit of it at a time and before you know it, the assignment is complete! The week before spring break was really a test of my ability to get things done. I worked so hard to meet all of my deadlines and they ended up being extended. The good thing about this is that I was given a chance to go back and look at the work I had done and revise it.
In my Marketing class, my professor assigned a project where we have to do a marketing plan. We were given the names of the people in our groups and expected to get together and complete the project. When I was an engineering student, everyone had a general idea of who everyone else was. Even if we didn’t know each other personally there was still some sense of community. When a project was assigned in engineering, everyone just found the members of their group and got the job done. Now that I’m on the business track, I feel like everyone is much more independent. I go to class, look straight ahead, take notes, and leave. When my Marketing professor posted the lists of people who were in each group on TLearn all I saw was names, I had no idea who they are. The only thing I knew about my project group members were their names and the due date for the project is coming up soon! Eventually (today), everyone in my group got together and sorted our project out.
I think the best way to avoid this problem is to start networking early, even if it’s just making a friend in that class to study with, or striking up a conversation with the people around you before class starts. After this experience with Marketing, I’m definitely going to take my own advice and start networking!
One of the best perks of switching from an engineer to a possible-business major is my schedule. My earliest class is at 11:30 in the morning and/or afternoon. This allows me to stay up later or wake up earlier to do last minute homework, get homework done early, or just watch some TV. A down side to having class my first class in the afternoon is that it is hard to find the energy to actually get up early to get things done. One of my down falls is staying up really late because I know in the back of my head I can sleep in the next morning. Sometimes I even find myself questioning whether or not it’s healthy to wake up so late! Despite my concerns, I think the most important thing is getting the same amount of sleep each night. My advisor told me that it helps your body get on a familiar sleeping schedule; doing this will help you get quality sleep.
Outside of my new sleeping schedule, another perk to switching to business is the classes (as you can see from the previous blog). All of my classes are challenging in their own way, but (outside of microeconomics) my classes are a lot easier than my engineering, physics, and calculus classes that I took last semester. Switching to a mostly business schedule also allowed me to continue taking Spanish. This is something I could not have done if I continued with engineering.
Even though there are many benefits to switching to business, engineering gave me a lot of discipline. My roommate and suitemates are always shocked when I tell them I’ve completed my homework way before it is due. This is because last semester, most of my homework was due the following day. Now, my old system of doing work is still there.
Remember how I said I love my classes? I still do. However, I have noticed a dramatic increase in the amount of reading I have been “assigned”. As an engineering student I would have to do a few math problems, or sketch shapes. Now I’m on a completely different homework schedule, it takes a little longer when you actually have to read. The worst part is it isn’t even assigned directly. It’s almost like my professors just snuck it onto the syllabus and expect it to be done. It took me a second to notice the readings but I think I got the hang of it.
Over this past weekend, I learned to space my reading, prioritize, and ALWAYS try to get a head start. The weekends are time for relaxation, but they are also the best time to get stuff done (especially when it comes to reading). It takes some of the stress away from the entire week ahead. Another one of the major things I discovered was that it’s possible to do homework on a Friday (this goes along with the “get a head start” thing). Usually, I just do nothing until nine o’clock at night then go out with my friends. It’s probably best to take advantage of that time and do something productive.
I love my classes. That’s right. I said it. I LOVE my classes. I am no longer forced to abide by a strict math and science curriculum, I haven’t seen a real calculator in weeks, and no one forced me to be conscious before 11:00am. I am officially free of the engineering curriculum at Trinity University. Although I am now elated beyond imagination, it wasn’t so easy at first. On the very first day of class my engineering professor gave the classic “half-of-you-guys-won’t-be-here-next-semester” speech. That speech was a major reason why I hesitated dropping engineering, I didn’t want to be labeled as a quitter. Somehow, after some self-evaluation, I decided I didn’t want to be an engineer and that I wasn’t quitting, I was starting a new era of amazing-ness.
Last weekend was unlike any other weekend I’ve ever had at Trinity. My girlfriends and I went to a party and had fabulous time. I was free to do what I wanted, and when I did do homework, it didn’t feel like a task. My homework was fairly interesting and light for once. As an engineering student, I was really anxious. I always felt like I was forgetting something, I didn’t do any of my homework problems right, or some other atrocity that was probably just in my imagination. Now, with my current position as class-explorer/budding business major, I had the opportunity to live a little. After all, you can’t buy youth.
