This is a very useful article written by Dr. Lisa G. Bullard from the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University. It is very good for new and existing chemical engineering student to read this paper.

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Dr. Lisa G. Bullard

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Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

North Carolina State University

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As you prepare to take your first chemical engineering course, you may be feeling a bit smug, or perhaps a bit nervous, or both. You managed to navigate your one-person kayak through the relatively smooth waters of the freshman year, easily maneuvering around the rocks of calculus, chemistry, and physics by spending about 30–45 minutes (usually 30) on any given homework assignment and studying the night before a test, usually for anhour and a half at the most. The terrain was familiar based on your strong high school preparation. Group work was not necessary (hence your one-person kayak); you mayhave noticed your fellow kayakers paddling along, some falling by the wayside, but most keeping pace with the group.

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Now you and some others have made your way to what looks to be a large, remote island. As you climb out and gaze at the island, you see in the distance that there are spectacular, steep cliffs. Some have beautiful waterfalls cascading down. You can see beautiful flowers and exotic plants before you. All of a sudden some natives emerge from the forest to greet you and your fellow travelers.They look a little strange and they are speaking a language that you don’t understand. They hold out some sort of tools in an effort to be friendly (you hope), but you have no idea what they are or how to use them. You realize that you’ve developed strong paddling skills in order to get here, but you have no idea what lies ahead of you and how to reach those spectacular cliffs.

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Welcome to Chemical Engineering.

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Taking the first course in your major—any major—is an exciting but scary step into the unknown. There’s the excitement of feeling like you’re FINALLY getting into your chosen field, accompanied by the nagging feeling that you’re not sure what it really is or what you’ll end up doing with it. After teaching the first course in Chemical Engineering—CHE 205—several times, I’ve observed that the course is a big shock for many students. They spend several weeks or perhaps the whole semester discovering ways in which CHE 205 is different from courses they’ve taken before, and trying to figure out how to be successful. Some students quickly get “the lay of the land” and adapt their study habits to achieve success. Other students fight it kicking and screaming all semester, and either give up or barely limp

through, feeling battered and betrayed at the end of the semester.

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In an effort to equip and inform you from Day 1, I asked some current and former undergraduate and graduate students to share advice and observations that might help you avoid the mistakes they made when they took the course. I hope that you’ll take their advice to heart, since they have successfully scaled the high cliffs and stand looking back on the journey with valuable perspective on the potential pitfalls along the way. Comments in italics come directly from students—they say it best.

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Continue reading full paper here CHE_Survival_Guide(Bullard).

This is the source.