6 answers
Sebastian
Student
San Bernardino, California
1
Question
Updated
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Why is it important to find out how to manage your time in college and find a good group to study with when your at a college, especially as an engineer?
Aspiring biotech or pharmaceutical career with a major in chemical engineering.
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6 answers
William Vvuko
Retired engineer
236
Answers
Moyo, Northern Region
Updated
William’s Answer
Hi Sebastian,
Time management is one of the critical skills we need in life in order to succeed. How well we manage it determines how much we achieve each day.
Generally, humans need time to work, rest, travel, recreate, be with family, relatives and friends etc. Balancing time for these activities is essential for success. Ideally, we need to spend a significant amount of our time doing important things. Important things are those that contribute significantly to the achievement of our goals. This means that urgent things that are not important should be deferred to a convenient later time/date so we can focus on important things.
Teamwork greatly improves our chances of success. Working together helps team members to learn from one another, share each other's work load etc. Ability to work in a team is essential for success especially later in one's professional career. Besides , team members get the opportunity to pickup important attributes such as assertiveness, empathy and conflict management skills amongst others.
Time management is one of the critical skills we need in life in order to succeed. How well we manage it determines how much we achieve each day.
Generally, humans need time to work, rest, travel, recreate, be with family, relatives and friends etc. Balancing time for these activities is essential for success. Ideally, we need to spend a significant amount of our time doing important things. Important things are those that contribute significantly to the achievement of our goals. This means that urgent things that are not important should be deferred to a convenient later time/date so we can focus on important things.
Teamwork greatly improves our chances of success. Working together helps team members to learn from one another, share each other's work load etc. Ability to work in a team is essential for success especially later in one's professional career. Besides , team members get the opportunity to pickup important attributes such as assertiveness, empathy and conflict management skills amongst others.
Teklemuz Ayenew Tesfay
Software Engineer and Career Mentor
658
Answers
Ethiopia
Updated
Teklemuz Ayenew’s Answer
Managing your time well in college is essential, especially in engineering. The coursework is demanding and progresses rapidly, so staying organized helps you understand the material more effectively. Beyond basic scheduling, techniques such as time-blocking for focused study sessions, the Pomodoro technique to maintain concentration, and weekly reviews to adjust priorities can significantly improve productivity. This approach helps you avoid last-minute stress, strengthens understanding, and reduces burnout.
Having a strong study group is also important because engineering requires solving complex problems that are easier to understand through collaboration. In a study group, you can break down difficult topics together, practice exam-style questions in realistic conditions, and compare different solution methods to deepen understanding. Making sessions structured by assigning clear tasks, such as solving specific problems, explaining key concepts, and verifying answers, can improve productivity, while shared tools like notes or whiteboards enhance coordination. Reviewing mistakes together further develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Overall, these habits keep you disciplined and motivated while building teamwork and communication skills needed for engineering studies and future careers.
Having a strong study group is also important because engineering requires solving complex problems that are easier to understand through collaboration. In a study group, you can break down difficult topics together, practice exam-style questions in realistic conditions, and compare different solution methods to deepen understanding. Making sessions structured by assigning clear tasks, such as solving specific problems, explaining key concepts, and verifying answers, can improve productivity, while shared tools like notes or whiteboards enhance coordination. Reviewing mistakes together further develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Overall, these habits keep you disciplined and motivated while building teamwork and communication skills needed for engineering studies and future careers.
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Sebastian
Ryan Johnson
Professional Services
7
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Ryan’s Answer
Hi Sebastian,
Pursuing an engineering degree can be tough but also very rewarding. If you love figuring out how things work, this is a great path for you. Managing your time well is important, not just in engineering but in life. You'll face challenging projects and tricky exams, but don't worry—I've been there too.
Finding a good group of friends can make a big difference. They can support you and help with tough topics. I still stay close with my college friends because we helped each other through those years. When I struggled with something, someone in my group usually understood it and could explain it in a way that made sense to me. I was good at math, so I helped my friends with that.
The people around you can make hard days easier and good days even better. Enjoy the journey of engineering; it's all worth it in the end!
Pursuing an engineering degree can be tough but also very rewarding. If you love figuring out how things work, this is a great path for you. Managing your time well is important, not just in engineering but in life. You'll face challenging projects and tricky exams, but don't worry—I've been there too.
Finding a good group of friends can make a big difference. They can support you and help with tough topics. I still stay close with my college friends because we helped each other through those years. When I struggled with something, someone in my group usually understood it and could explain it in a way that made sense to me. I was good at math, so I helped my friends with that.
The people around you can make hard days easier and good days even better. Enjoy the journey of engineering; it's all worth it in the end!
Rebecca Louise Clancy
Technical Presales
3
Answers
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Updated
Rebecca Louise’s Answer
Hi Sebastian! Studying engineering at university doesn't come without us challenges. It's a very rewarding and useful degree however it kind of times be quite challenging. For me it was the first time in my life living away from home and having a more unstructured approach to learning. The way that lecturers teach is quite different to teachers at school. You are expected to take more control over your learning and you will sometimes have unguided learning and revision time that you need to manage yourself. Combining that with the excitement and privilege of being away from home for the first time and having a wealth of opportunities available to you it can be easy to want to say yes to everything and do it all in your private time as well. Balancing having an active social life meeting new friends and establishing a new community with studying and engineering degree isn't always easy to do. Combining that with the extra "adult" tasks you might need to such as shopping for yourself cooking cleaning and laundry (depending on your living situation) it's very important to learn how to balance your time and prioritise the right thing. Finding a good friend group is extremely powerful especially one that also studies either a similar subject or has a similar workload. That way you can motivate each other and have group study sessions to make the task of studying see more fun. It's also always great to have people that you can vent to or celebrate with who understand you. Sometimes it can be easy to feel like you're the only one who might feel overwhelmed or unsure of things but having friends you can open up to about those things can help remind you that most students are in the same boat and you're not alone and you can definitely do this! Best of luck with your studies, if in doubt just remember this is such an exciting time in your life and an opportunity to build friends and make memories that last a lifetime! Engineering is a very rewarding degree and if you choose to pursue it I'm sure you will do very well!
Maria Ariza
Manager
5
Answers
Bogotá, Colombia
Updated
Maria’s Answer
Managing your time well is really important, especially if you're interested in studying engineering. It's a crucial skill that will help you in your professional life. If you learn to manage your time while you're still in school, it can greatly improve how you learn and adapt to new situations. It also helps you use your resources, like time, more effectively. Good time management allows you to work well with your team, focus on specific tasks, and get the results you want.
It's important to plan your actions, set deadlines, and assign tasks. This way, everyone on your team stays focused and meets their goals. This skill is useful whether you're working on a school project or facing future career challenges.
Great engineers aren't just good at science and math—they also excel at organizing their work and helping their team succeed. By practicing time management now, you'll become a professional who can handle any challenge and deliver great results. Best of luck as you dive into engineering—keep learning, stay organized, and enjoy the journey!
It's important to plan your actions, set deadlines, and assign tasks. This way, everyone on your team stays focused and meets their goals. This skill is useful whether you're working on a school project or facing future career challenges.
Great engineers aren't just good at science and math—they also excel at organizing their work and helping their team succeed. By practicing time management now, you'll become a professional who can handle any challenge and deliver great results. Best of luck as you dive into engineering—keep learning, stay organized, and enjoy the journey!
Thank you so much, Maria!
Sebastian
Frank Wong
Project Manager
19
Answers
Dalian, Liaoning, China
Updated
Frank’s Answer
Time management is especially important in college, particularly for engineering students, because the workload is heavy, deadlines often overlap, and concepts build quickly on one another. Managing your time well helps you stay on top of assignments, avoid last minute stress, and maintain a healthy balance between academics and personal life.
Having a good study group is also critical because engineering problems are complex and often easier to understand through discussion. Study groups expose you to different ways of thinking, keep you accountable, strengthen problem‑solving skills, and help you develop teamwork and communication abilities that are essential for real world engineering careers.
Having a good study group is also critical because engineering problems are complex and often easier to understand through discussion. Study groups expose you to different ways of thinking, keep you accountable, strengthen problem‑solving skills, and help you develop teamwork and communication abilities that are essential for real world engineering careers.
Thank you so much!
Sebastian