Ultimate Crash Course for STEM Majors by Jonathan David | AuthorJonathanDavid.com

Before Starting a College STEM Degree

1. Lectures may be optional, but they are not. It is an option for two reasons: (1) You are an adult, and no one can make you go to a lecture, and (2) a test of integrity and responsibility. You must understand that college is shaping you into an adult. If you treat college like high school, you are going to go back to school when you graduate. If you treat it like a professional career, you will become highly employable.
2. Reading (or learning from) the textbook. You must learn from the textbook. When you have a syllabus that says, “You can use the assigned textbook, lecture notes, class, and office hours,” anything else is not following the code of conduct (plagiarism)! Watching Khan Academy (or similar platforms, private tutors, and solution manuals) is like listening to an audiobook read by an unaccredited amateur source. If your professor does not give you permission to use these things, it is unethical. But mostly, your job as a STEM professional is to learn how to fluently read scientific data—that is, textbooks. What makes you think listening to another’s interpretation of a data source is acceptable to a degree in which you are supposed to struggle through to interpret yourself? The entire undergraduate degree could be summed up as, “Bachelor’s: The art of learning how to read textbooks.” The internet is unaccredited and built by amateurs. 20 years ago (before Khan Academy and all the other cheating platforms), the success rate for STEM majors was 50%. It is still 50%! What is the difference? People used to be able to get jobs, but employers have no faith in hiring someone who needs their mama to read them a bedtime story (the textbook)!
3. The flow of your curriculum is why the internet is bad. When I say “internet,” I am referring to using services like Chegg, WyzAnt, YouTube, Khan Academy, and Solution Manuals. It is also unacceptable to use ChatGPT for critical thinking, not grunt work. ChatGPT and similar tools are excellent for mundane tasks, but not for tasks that require critical thinking. The reason why is not just because it is—by definition—cheating, but because they may show techniques that you are not allowed to know yet or haven’t been taught yet, or may come from a different subject, and so on. Students get in trouble every day for using these platforms. They are accused of using techniques not covered in their curriculum, which is seen as AI, cheating, and plagiarism. If you don’t want to do the work, why are you a STEM major?
4. Practice exams are the most important part of studying. Homework is usually worth so little that, after an end-of-semester grade adjustment, it is irrelevant to the final grade. In other words, the exams determine the grade. No one is good at exams without practice. If you spend all your time getting perfect homework scores, you will only become good at homework. If you spend your time doing practice exams, you will become an expert at taking exams. You will study less, understand more, and become better qualified for letters of recommendation from professors.
5. Respecting the professor and your classmates: You need letters of recommendation to get into graduate school, secure internships, research positions, and, in most cases, jobs. You will not receive letters of recommendation if you are absent from lecture and perceived as disrespectful. Treat your professor like a future boss and your classmates like future colleagues. Classroom professionalism directly affects employment.
6. Focusing on your resume from day one: Begin building your resume immediately. Explore job applications early to understand required skills. Develop proficiency in tools, coding languages, and technical knowledge. Use summers and free time to build qualifications so that by graduation, you already meet hiring expectations.
7. Internships and work experience: Upon graduation, you will face both entry-level roles and positions requiring experience. Early summer work, research with professors, and internships build the experience employers expect. Preparing during freshman year ensures you graduate qualified, competitive, and ready for the job market.