Don't use cell phones in class: video 

(Excerpts from the book, "Engineering Your Future", by Oakes, Leone, and Gun) 

The three components to succeeding in your academics are your ability, your attitude, and your effort.  While there is unquestionably a level of ability that is needed to succeed in engineering, there are numerous students who had the ability but failed at engineering because of poor attitudes or poor or inefficient effort.  There are also many students who lacked the natural ability but because of their positive attitude and extraordinary effort are now excellent engineers.

Attitude

Approaching your classes, professors and teaching assistants with a positive attitude is the first key to succeeding in your engineering studies.  Each class should be looked at as an opportunity to succeed.  If there are difficulties along the way, learn to deal with those and move ahead.  Many students will decide that a certain class is too difficult or that the professor is a poor teacher and will expect to do poorly.  Many fulfill their own prophecy and actually fail.  Other students look at the same situation and overcome the hurdles to excel.

Keys to Effectiveness (Effective Effort)

Effort and effectiveness may be the most important components of your success as a student.

• Take Time to Study

          A general rule is that it takes a minimum of two hours of study outside of class for each

          hour of class lecture.

• Go to Class
• Make Class Effective

          1.  Get involved during class.

          2.  Prepare for class.

• Keep Up with Class
• Take Effective Notes
• Work Lots of Problems
• Group Study
• Select a Good Study Spot