Brian Hicks

10/28/16
English 110
K. Sibson
PROJECT STATEMENT
My name is Brian Hicks, and currently I am on course for a bachelor of science
degree in computer engineering. Im nearing the end of my first semester here at Old
Dominion University. This paper will sum up all of my success, failures, traits and flaws. I
hope you enjoy what Ive learned during my first year as a student at the university.
The process of becoming a world-class engineering student is no small or easy
feat to accomplish. It takes many tasks and traits to get where you want to be as an
engineering student. What is engineering though?

I was asked how important it was

graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering earlier in the year. The answer
still hasnt changed to this day. Graduating with a B.S. degree in computer engineering is
extremely important. That is the goal I sat out for myself when I first decided on a major.
I want to learn as much as I can so I can become a successful world-class engineering
student. Im at the end of my first college semester and I am doing pretty well. If I keep
on this current track, I should be able to graduate in four years barring any setbacks. I will
not have any idea of my Grade Point Average (GPA) until the start of next semester. GPA
is very important going forward especially when looking for a job. The interviewer is most
likely going to ask about my GPA. Most employers are looking for 3.0 or higher when

searching for candidates. Below a 2.5 would just rule me out of the job. Now is the time to
work towards to making a 3.0 or higher.
Take what I just previously stated and imagine the opportunities that would open up
if I have a 3.0 or higher going into an interview. The sky it limitless, if I get the job, after
that point. I can just see and smell the money coming now. Who wouldnt want to
possibly make six figures a year? That sounds amazing to me. Interns even make upwards
of 60K a year sometimes. If that is not good money, I honestly do not know what is. To be
an engineer, it is also important to know what it means. There are several different
definitions of engineering. I define engineering as using applied math, sciences, and art,
taught to make design and build systems such as engines and machines.
Coming here to Old Dominion was not my first choice actually. After my second
visit though, I soon realized ODU was better fit for me over Virginia Commonwealth
University. I feel more at home here. Sometimes I have to make changes that work best
for me, and ODU is where I belong. Who knows, I may have to make one hard decision
that affects my life, such where Im going to college (God forbid) in order to do the same.
Then again, I always do whatever I put my mind to.
The road to my four-year degree is going to be very long but it is going to go by
very fast. How do I know this? Well the semester is almost over just like that. Since the
time flies, I need to be planning ahead. Not just for the summer time but for what I plan to
do after I graduate. Of course I want to get a job in my field but I need to be specific about
it. That means research.

I feel like my future is coming up so fast. I thought it was bad in high school but I
was wrong. I did not want to leave high school at all just because of the change. Now that
college is moving so fast, it seems like I will not get to enjoy it as much as I want to. In
about five years, I hope to be at least in some type of internship. If I do end up in one, I
hope its at my moms job at Dominion Power. Hopefully in the next ten years, I will be in
a full-fledged job in my field working as a computer engineer. I also hope to have started
my family because their support will make me strive more to be greater. In the next twenty
years, I hope to be my own boss. There is nothing like working from home all the time.
Being a boss is no easy job though. I will need to be responsible for my own time and that
of my employees. I also have to be very good at decision making, communicating,
listening, persuading, cooperating, managing, scheduling, and delegating. Delegating is
definitely a weakness out of all of the previous stated attributes. I would like to improve in
delegating, though. I generally give tasks to someone of my caliber or higher. I tend to
avoid doing this with someone lower than me because of a lack of trust. People under me
cannot get it easy all the time. Putting my level or a higher task on them will challenge
them. That challenge will help them improve and hopefully get to my level or higher as
well.
Nothing ever comes easy, no matter what I am doing. Being world-class means I
am able to overcome challenges placed in front of you. Getting to college is not easy. I
have to maintain good grades throughout high school. Even with that, college looked
improbable after my appendix and three abscesses burst in my stomach during what was
supposed to a one week stay in the hospital. I stayed practically the rest of the month and
the road to recovery did not end until a week before I moved into college. It is not the first

time I have hardships or adversity though. Being small and short got me overlooked too
often growing up and playing sports. That not only drove me on the field but also in the
classroom. I knew that working hard on the field and classroom would make the coaches
notice me more. Those were not the only things that gave me drive in high school. I lost
three grandparents in the span of less than two years. I already knew they were proud of
me but I wanted to make them even more proud. That is why I am here now at Old
Dominion.
Becoming a world-class engineering student means that I have to be good at
managing many different aspects of my life. If my free-time is handled correctly, I should
be able to keep all of my task very manageable. Wednesdays are not my best days for freetime but any other day of the week is good because I have more time to study or get
homework done. Weekends are also good even though it is supposed to be my down time.
Yes, I know my family and friends get excited when I come home but I cannot just be
unproductive when I am there. I need to take my time to study. Whatever it takes to
succeed is worth taking some time out of my own personal time. Some of the things that I
need to change include not procrastinating, spending more time studying in groups, and
reviewing notes daily. My biggest problem is probably procrastinating. I did it for some
of middle school and a good majority of it in high school. I do not know why that was
such a big problem but it needs to be overcome soon. It was probably the worse in my
senior year of high school. My grades looked good, yeah, but they could have definitely
looked better. College is in full swing now. Everything happens so fast which means you
have to be on top of all things.

My attitude generally doesnt change for each class. I go in with the attitude that I
am going to do this to the best of my ability and pass. Like for one, I have been doing a lot
of studying for chemistry. The reason behind that is because of how difficult this course is.
This was course I sort of struggled with in high school. But because of the type of person I
am, I tend to master material presented in class or wait until the last minute to study for a
test depending on what class it is. Say if its chemistry, I try to get on those subjects first
because they are harder. Now with a class less difficult, I tend to wait. I do this to make
sure I do not slip in that subject. I am certainly willing to change this though. If I get on
top of everything else as well as chemistry around the same time, I could definitely see an
improvement. I just have to manage my time wisely.

I tend to study 100% alone sometimes though. I am used to doing a lot of things
alone, that is where the habit comes from. If I changed up from studying alone to studying
with one or more people, I would definitely see an increase in my grades. Since then, I
have actually started to study with other students. These students live on the same hallway
with me so planning to get together is not hard at all. We generally get together in the
evening after everyones classes are over with. We mainly meet in the study room on the
second floor of our dorm.
I think one mistake was not visiting professors during office hours hurt this
semester. If a professor knows my name, the chances of me getting a better grade may
increase. When professors do not know who I am, chances are they will not give me that
grade. I am sure teachers giving me the grade I have earned is hard enough but it is always

good for the professors to know my face and name, because that might be the difference in
a letter grade.
Being an engineer means that I am doing various things that are applied physically
and mentally. Growing up, I loved taking things apart and seeing how they worked. Now
the goal is to learn how the things work and put them back together. I am so curious as to
how to make such systems and learning to make them work properly. I am also a very good
problem solver whether it comes to critical thinking or simply resolving an issue between
two people. Say if there is a group project with three to five people, I am generally an xfactor with my outside-of-the-box thinking. That type of thinking could be the deciding
factor on how good of a grade I am going to get. That type of thinking can also make me a
must have leader as a group assignment down the road. Great leaders of the past and
present have demonstrated great thinking skills that lead to eventual greatness.
I do not lack any self-confidence so I do believe I can make it. From the start of
middle school to the end of my high school career, math and science were somewhat of a
struggle. I still kept my head up and made it through. College is the start of something
new for many teenagers all over the world. For most of them, it is probably their first time
having to make their own decisions. Too often though some of them the wrong choices
resulting in them not being successful or getting off to a bad start here in college. Also its
not always bad decisions that get you off to slow starts either. Some students have trouble
adjusting to college. Sometimes it takes failure to see the light though. That was the case
for my professor, Kim Sibson. She told me that once she failed her first class, it opened a
whole new gateway for her realize what college was about. She also said that one of her
pitfalls is expecting things to fall into her lap. She recovered though, getting a bachelors

degree. The work never stops there though. Why settle when you I can get a masters
degree to make my chances at getting a job easier. Kim told me to work and even put
some pressure on myself. Theres nothing wrong with a little pressure. The pressure
makes you more adapt to handling tough situations.
I hate to get touchy on certain subjects but stress is very real in college. The
workload from high school to college is extraordinary. It may not be starting off but as the
semester continues the work piles on. Sometimes the work can overlap if I do not manage
my time correctly. That can definitely cause me some stress. Now, not all stress is caused
by overlapping work. Some assignments can be very hard to students. I am not going to
let work pile up or frustrate me. I know people that have friends that have taken their own
lives because of college work. If the work gets too hard for me, I will set time aside to
come back to it. I need to understand that if I want to be successful, I need to have some
patience with myself. The more you practice at it, the better you will get. I also cannot let
work pile up on me. The last thing I want is to be stressed out and not near anyone from
my family. That could end tragically.
Being a world-class engineering student even means looking forward into my
future. In four or five years, Ill be walking across the stage at the Ted Constant
Convocation Center. Then it is really time for me to work. So, I need to start preparing
myself now and doing the necessary things for me to be able to get a job when that time
comes around.
The engineering field is constantly changing and evolving, especially my intended
major computer engineering. Students from the University of Illinois at Chicago are
introducing computer engineering to students at elementary schools. Hosted by the

Society of Women Engineers, girls from fifth, sixth, and seventh grade, along with their
parents, participated in this event. Over thirty students and their parents attended this event.
As you can see women are doing major things in this ever changing field.
I also read an article by W.C. Leong, M.Z. Abdullah and C.Y. Khor wrote an article,
Flexible Printed Circuit Board in Personal Computer Motherboards, in 2011. Also
shortened to FPCBs, these circuit boards are used as an alternate option to rigid printed
circuit boards. Along with it being very flexible and lightweight, it also reduces size and is
low in cost installation for motherboards. Experiments have been conducted to test the
strength of the FPCB. The results varied because of several different effects. To name
some, there was weight-induced force, flow-induced force, flow velocity, and fastening
options. Not all the forces have a negative impact. For the FPCB to be used, however, it
needs to become stronger. The future for engineering is very bright currently.
Going forward, starting with the end of this semester, I need to make major changes
that will impact me a lot. That is going to start with my time management. I have calmed
down on the procrastinating but I could still be better with not waiting until the last minute.
The amount of free time I have has increased enormously since the last time I describe my
current schedule. Of course, next semester brings on different classes and time scheduling.
Once I get adjusted, I will have my studying time ready and in place to get me through my
challenging second semester. Next, is my actual studying habits because my time
management a lot as the semester went on. It started off pretty well. I think once I
dropped one of my classes and I got more free time, I started to relax more. I know that I
definitely need to take advantage tutors and office hours way more next semester. My

parents are paying for my college so there is no need to waste my resources. They are here
to help me anyways. It is a privilege because not too many colleges are willing to help their
students like this. Also, I need to stop staying up so late at night. With the time I spend
staying up at night, I am not doing anything that productive. Plus that will make me sleep
later and take away time before classes that I could be preparing. I need to be more
affective when I go home. I go home every other weekend. I spend most of the way home
in traffic. I get up early on Saturdays and do not do anything until later that evening. That
is more than enough time for me to get some type of work done. Lastly, I need to not try
and find the easy way out on things. I do not do it very often I do it when I get lazy. That
can definitely come back and bite on the final grade of a project or paper. So, if I just
focus and tough it out, I shouldnt have to worry about even attempting to find the easy
way out.
ODU is filled with numerous amounts of clubs for the students to join.
Unfortunately, I have yet to join any clubs. I know it is terrible that it is the end of the first
semester and I have not joined any clubs. Joining a club could help me gain experience of
what to expect in a couple of years once I declare my major. Internships and co-ops will
earn me the experience I need, along with money since engineers tend to have paid
internships. Working the summer as an intern then finishing college with some experience
and money in my pocket does not sound like too bad of an idea.
By now, Ive learned that no one learns the same. Someone like myself is good at
learning in two different ways: kinesthetic and visually. If I envision something, I am able
to recreate in a lot of cases. In order to improve my metacognition, which revolves around

kinesthetic and visual learning, I need to learn how to be a better reader/writer and auditory
learner. I can do that by taking more notes in class and trying to understand what the
professors are saying as they are teaching, by listening to what they are saying and
translating into visual or kinesthetic methods. For example, one chemistry lab class, we
had to make three models of this particular molecule using blocks and connectors. I saw
one picture of the molecule and I was instantly able to create that molecule. I need to learn
how to take these skills and apply them to my reading/writing and listening skills, which
are weaker.
So, I conclude this paper with I love it here at ODU so far. It is the end of the first
semester and it seems like I just started college. Winter break is going to go by fast next
thing I know, second semester will be here. No big deal though, this is nothing I have not
dealt with before. As long as I change my habits that I stated previously, I should be more
successful in the second semester. There is no turning back now. The road to becoming a
world class engineering student is in front of me and I now have the roadmap I need to be
successful.