Creative Resumes

In the previous post, Joe asks the excellent question on creative resumes and cover letters.  My answer, in short, is no, I haven’t seen any effective, creative resumes and cover letters. 
The most effective resumes and cover letters, to me, quickly answer the question “Why would I want to hire this person?”  We have a job [...]

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A Day in the Life of an Academic Advisor

A behind-the-scenes look at advising for freshmen first-year students fresh out of high school.  Mostly true, except for the parts I’ve made up.
I arrive at the student center at 8:30 am carrying my computer bag overstuffed with a small laptop, clipboard, and large 3-ring binder. I dig out my magnetic nametag, attempt to clip it [...]

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How to be a Good TA

Aneet asked about “doing well” as a lab assistant (his particular GA appointment). I’ll offer some general advice, since much of it is the same for whatever TA position a student might obtain. (more…)

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Grad School

As a professor, I get asked about graduate school quite often. Some students are quite focused on graduate school in some form. Here is my advice.

Keep your GPA above 3.0. For good schools, the higher the better. A 2.95 may not kill your chances, but it will kill your chances at the really top notch [...]

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The Most Important Lesson

The most important lesson to learn in college is to learn to figure things out for yourself.
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Preparing for a Major in Engineering

I’ve been doing incoming student advising, and there are a few things that are harder for me than the students who are not prepared for college in general, and engineering and the sciences in particular.

If you are planning on a 4 year degree in Engineering, be prepared in Mathematics. Many universities are requiring math placement [...]

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