Your First Weeks as a Missouri S&T Engineering Freshman

D. R. Fannin, Director 1986-2005
Freshman Engineering Program
Missouri University of Science and Technology
N.E. Hubing, Director 2005-2006
Freshman Engineering Program
Missouri University of Science and Technology
© 1998 and 2005

Welcome to Missouri S&T! You probably have great expectations of your college experience here, such as being challenged intellectually, because you know almost instinctively that if you are not challenged you will not grow. You may be curious about many things and want to know more about how they work. Perhaps you envision the opportunity to sit down with a member of the faculty who is expert in the field(s) that interest you and have serious discussions about topics of mutual interest. You may want to know how you can use this knowledge to help others, to make a better life for yourself, to get a good job, or to prepare yourself for graduate study in engineering, law, medicine, or some other field. Great! The faculty share your lofty expectations, and we want to help make your college experience as productive as possible. Things may be a bit different from your high school, though.

Of all the colleges and universities in the country, and that's a bunch, the characteristics of Missouri S&T's freshmen (national test scores and high school class rank) place them among the top 1%. Yep, you're in one of the top 1% of all freshman classes in the country. That should make you proud, not only because you made it into such an elite group, but also because when you're surrounded by such bright people some of it is likely to rub off. You're pushed to achieve and learn as much as possible. The faculty is proud, too. After all, we helped recruit this class, and we like working with the brightest students. But this does mean that all those underachievers you got so frustrated with in high school aren't here to help pad the grade distribution, and most faculty seem to think they should give some poor grades, so you're going to have to study for a change. You're also going to have to make a lot of choices you may never have had to make before, such as when to get up, whether to have breakfast (or lunch or dinner), when to go to class (or whether to go to class), when to do assigned reading and homework, what student organizations to join, and probably a thousand other things. It can be overwhelming. I know you've heard this before, but it's true.

We've put together this material in an effort to help you work your way through the first five weeks of the semester. If you get through that in good shape and establish some productive habits, you'll almost certainly be successful here. And that's what we want for you. This book is arranged by the week, in the order we think you will encounter the issues with which we hope to help you. It contains lessons we had to learn the hard way, as well as things we have picked up from many years of conversations with our faculty colleagues and with students.

Most all faculty really do want you to succeed, but you'll need to earn your success. Remember that all faculty have been in the situation in which you now find yourself. They are sympathetic to your plight even if it doesn't appear so. And they are, for the most part, normal people with a wide range of interests outside their academic pursuits. Most enjoy spending time with their families. Many enjoy music, theater, movies, and athletics. Others enjoy reading, sports cars, flying, and traveling. Try to get to know some of your professors - you may find that they share many of your own interests. Furthermore, getting to know them will help to convince you that they really do care about your success, and that can help motivate you to do well.

We think the best way for you to use this material is to read through the whole thing first. Then, each week you should read carefully the items for that week, seriously contemplate how they may apply to your situation, and then apply them. If you do this in good faith, we truly believe you will not only succeed at Missouri S&T, but that you will prosper here. That is our wish for you.

Several of our colleagues on the faculty and staff have reviewed this book and made constructive comments and suggestions, for which we are most grateful. We are especially indebted to Julia Zapadka in this regard. Dr. Fannin also wants to thank both of his sons, who reviewed it from the perspective of current and recent students. His son Karl, especially, made some very insightful suggestions which we believe significantly improved the book. Thanks, Karl!