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Students tap into seminar series for survival skills
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Panelists (from left) Dolly Yu Chen (B.S.’98 CEE) and ME/MSE senior Jui-Shan Grace Hsu shared their tips for success at the Alumni Relations seminar in February. “Be happy and be healthy,” Hsu told participants. “You can’t be productive if you’re not happy.”
RACHEL SHAFER PHOTO
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Two Tang Center psychologists and six engineers teamed up last February to give students a reality check for navigating the stressful ups and downs of life at Berkeley Engineering.
“Learn the Bear Necessities: How to be a Successful Engineer” was the first in what will be a regular series of survival guide seminars involving faculty, alumni and students. Panelists included MSE professor Ron Gronsky (M.S.’74, Ph.D.’77 MSE), ME graduate student Jenni Buckley, alumnus Bill McLean (B.S.’63, M.S.’65, Ph.D.’71 ME), Engineering Physics sophomore Ipsheeta Furtada, alumna Dolly Yu Chen (B.S.’98 CEE), ME/MSE senior Jui-Shan Grace Hsu, and moderators Rick Low and Claytie Davis, both counselors at University Health Services Tang Center.
“Don’t be afraid to ask questions in your work,” advised Chen, who works for HDR, Inc., an architectural, engineering and consulting firm with offices in the Bay Area. “There’s really no such thing as a dumb question. I’d much rather have someone ask now, when they’re not sure, than wait until we’re all the way through the design process and it’s a problem. You also need to be adaptable. In order to be successful in my career, you need to be able to do everything.”
Gronsky told the audience that his day begins at 4:30 a.m. and usually doesn’t end before midnight. “For every hour of class, I put in 10 hours of prep time,” he said. “Be kind to your advisors and professors. We have stress, too.” The students were given pizza and stress squeeze balls in the shape of little yellow construction hats, supplied by HDR, Inc.
“I’m trying to figure out how to be happy and academically successful at the same time,” said one student, “and this helps.” For more information on upcoming seminars, go to www.coe.berkeley.edu/alumni/.
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