Back to School with the BYU Design Review
For many students, August and September marks the beginning of another academic school year. We wish you all the best as you take new classes and learn new skills! As the BDR editorial board, we asked each other which articles we could re-read to get ready for another school year. Here’s a list of 7 articles that could give you a kickstart on your next school year. Good luck!
Three Unexpected Tips for Writing Better Technical Papers
By Chris Mattson
Sam: Students often find themselves writing reports, and this article has helped me improve my writing. Chris’s questions on whether your sentence is true, logical, and eloquent provide a great framework for writing your own papers.
Good Ideas: They come from your head
By Samuel McKinnon
Sam: I wrote this article to share an experience I had in high school where a teacher encouraged and empowered me to be creative and exercise my own analytical capabilities. I also hope you can find it encouraging as well.
Optimizing vs. Satisficing: Tips for Product Design and Designing Your Life
By Chris Mabey
Natalie: The technical principles we learn as rising engineers can help us in our personal lives. Chris’ article discusses two decision making approaches (optimizing and satisficing) and why they are both appropriate in different circumstances.
A Spoonful of Paper Helps the Prototype Go Down
By Derek Ashby
John: We often think the most technically savvy products will save the day. It can always help, but good ole’ fashion paper (and pencil) can go a long way before we even turn on an electric device. As you start a class or project this year don’t discount the benefits of a technology thousands of year older than a computer.
Getting the Most Out of a Career Fair
By Monte Marshall
John: Recruiters will be visiting campuses all over the world in the next couple of months looking for you. Be proactive before the homework assignments and midterms arrive and prepare for a career fair before the night before.
The Rules of Work
By Chris Mattson
Will: The perfect time to start developing and practicing helpful habits for a career is while you are in school. Every engineer and designer learns roughly the same skill sets as their peers in class. What are some unspoken, un-taught rules that can help you to go further in school and your career? Chris lays out a few of these with precision, clarity, and brevity.
6 Tips for Being Successful in Graduate School
By Chris Mabey
Will: Considering graduate school, starting graduate school, or already in the mix? As a recent grad student himself, Chris lays out a few game changers to help you design your graduate school experience to be fruitful.
