Dear Bobby,
Today is truly your lucky day. I am you, four years older, maybe two years wiser. I am going to reveal your future so you can be in fourth year in 2015. We both know you have many things going for you. You’re youthful, handsome, and have above-average height, but take to heart the lessons I learned and your five years at UW will be great.
First year can be tough, but you will get through it. Most importantly, don’t feel terrible about the nasal infection you got during frosh week. You average one annoying illness each year, so you can check that off the list. In the classroom, the pace is unlike anything you have experienced in high school, but if you are diligent with your notes, the pace will become a non-issue. Just make sure you do the assignments. They are critical for your success, not only in your first year but for subsequent years also. You should probably separate yourself from residence when you get the chance. I was a couple of terms late. It saves you a few dollars and it is a positive step forward to adulthood. Unfortunately, you will immediately find job hunting difficult. You will realize, with disappointment, that most of your high school extracurricular activities are secondary or even tertiary attributes on your resume. Employers look for proven skills and relevant job experience. Being the captain of the volleyball team or a member of student council is like the baked potato to a prime rib steak: it is nice to have there, but the substance is elsewhere. If you get a chance to write a letter to your high school self, make sure to encourage him to volunteer at legitimate organizations and get some value-added jobs. Your expectations of a job offer in the early cycles will not be met, but fear not, someone will give you a chance. In first year, you learn that the world is big, but you also learn about perseverance and develop inner strength.
Second year is when you experience academic puberty. You realize your experiences in high school have taken you as far as you can go. Suddenly, equations have more terms, terms have more coefficients, and coefficients become more Greek. Of your five years at UW, you struggle the most in 2A because of your transition from high school to higher schooling. Different people will say that different terms are the hardest for a mechanical engineering student, but for me, every term is harder than the last, but you develop as a student more quickly than the rising difficulty of the course content, so you will feel that future terms are easier. You will also start to have more labs than you care to have. Second year, in fact, is the year you start working past 9PM. You will work past 9PM almost every night moving forward. Much like plastic deformation, you will never go back to your first year study habits. You will be glad that job hunting is significantly easier after you have some work terms under your belt. You will be annoyed that your interviews take up most of your lecture time, but this is a good problem to have. Second year is the year of transition.
During third year, your only concept of the sun will likely be just its spelling. You will be at school for early classes, and leave late after working on labs and projects. You will have multiple tasks worth 20% or more of your final grade thrown at you in such a way that you will have to stay late to work on something essentially every week. Hopefully you will have developed your organization skills and physical endurance so that you can handle the workload. I highly recommend you attempt to write your report, answer any questions, or create any additional deliverables on the same night that you start your lab or project. Having these tasks done before the next big job comes up makes your life much easier to manage, and the sense of accomplishment and comradery with your teammates feel great. The job hunting process provides a sense of satisfaction, because you and your colleagues form the top of the prospective employee totem pole. You actually start not applying for certain jobs because you cannot afford to go to all the interviews. Third year is a lot of work, but you finally have a clear understanding of your expectations. By the end of third year, you will know what needs to be done and you will be capable of doing it.
Fourth year is the light at the end of the tunnel. You will have come a long way. Unbelievably, you will have more work to do. More surprisingly, however, is your acceptance and numbness towards the mountain of work. Secondary to your course work is your impending graduation. Recently, I was part of some iron ring ceremonies with my classmates and friends. I do not remember laughing that much since, well, my first days at university. In your next five years, you will experience many difficulties. Despite some moments where I may have used my outdoor voice in an indoor setting to exclaim my distaste for academia, I have learned that university is a gift. It grants you a rare opportunity to grow as a person by compelling you to use and hone key soft skills that will play such a major role in your professional career. The next five years will be unforgettable. You will make it to where I am today. Just be yourself.
Love from Bobby.
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