Reviews enable one to evaluate recent performance and take necessary steps to ensure immediate and short term goals are fulfilled. August is approaching a close and a review of 2019 is well warranted. Looking back, I did not set concrete goals for the year and that was perhaps a mistake. All is not lost, for the main battle is just getting started.
The Final Year
As I enter into senior year, the stakes pile up to it’s highest point. $52K now rest on the table and this is one giant bet I cannot afford to lose. The main focus for the upcoming months is to solidify my foundation on the core concepts necessary for each module. An entire year away from school has somewhat dulled the brain, with many important building blocks lost in memory.
Had I retained those information, much time could be saved. Hence, what I hope to achieve is efficiency.
Maximising Efficiency
A high efficiency implies getting more work done for the same amount of effort. If efficiency is raised and concurrently, more effort is put in, I should expect improved results provided all else stays constant. That in itself is an extremely big assumption.
Time is a limited resource with numerous wants and needs clamoring for a share of the pie. Each day only has 24 hours and thus, time should be prioritised towards activities which hold the highest value.
Distractions are a major obstacle to getting things done. All non essential actions should be reviewed and the top offenders removed through the Pareto method. Upon listing the activities and the duration of each entry on a daily or weekly basis, a top down view on the wastage become apparent. Things such as waiting for a lecture to start or for the bus/train to arrive may seem insignificant. However, transferring other small tasks such as checking emails or reading news articles into these time slots frees up the period that these activities usually take up.
The trial run from two years ago proved to be rather successful. By quiting both CCAs I had, more time could be placed into completing my studies for the week. The trade-off is often non quantitative as well-being is not easily measured. Being less squeezed for time meant that life was less stressful and proper rest could be attained leading to a better state of mind at the end of the semester. As such, I managed to buckle the trend of the falling cgpa and this successful trial proves that the method works.
The Targets
Setting realistic goals makes hitting the target easier, but where’s the fun in that? To challenge oneself and make this worthwhile, I decided to aim higher. At least if I miss, I end up further than where I would be had I tried for a more conservative approach.
| Module | Target Grade |
| Flight Dynamics | A |
| Aircraft Navigation | A |
| Aircraft Electrical Devices | A+ |
| Aircraft Design | A- |
| Operations Research | A+ |
| Final Year Project | NIL |
Flight Dynamics
A similar module to Flight Performance I took in the second year, one that I had severely underestimated. The concepts were easy to grasp and understand, however, the trick was in applying them. On a practical question, it becomes difficult to accurately identify which concepts apply in this situation and which assumptions should hold. I had fully expected to secure an A+ for flight performance and this time I aim for a A instead. Of course, more effort will be placed into this module to avoid the same mistake of underestimating the module and the professor again. Sorry Prof 🙁
Aircraft Navigation
Aircraft navigation seems like a tough one. It relies heavily on math concepts, which could prove to be disastrous if I do not allocate enough time to study for it. The target grade shall be tentatively set as an A.
Aircraft Electrical Devices
Looks like a memorise-the-formula and apply in exam module. Professor is quite clear in his notes and explanation, so the chance of doing well is naturally higher. Expected grade A+.
Aircraft Design
A mini FYP, says the professor. This module can be said to be the test of all the knowledge we have acquired as an aerospace engineering student over the past 3 years. Everything from structures to aerodynamics and propulsion have to been carefully considered in the process of designing an aircraft. The entire module is project based, with a final report submission and no final exams. Although a B/B+ is expected, I pray for a miracle and set the target grade as A-.
Operations Research
Operations Research is an interesting module with useful applications in the workplace. Optimisation is highly sought after as a way to reduce costs and wastage. The original plan was to study this whilst on exchange. However, the content being taught there was advanced optimisation with a pre-requisite knowledge on basic optimisation. Due to the mismatch in content and expectations, I decided to drop the module and study it back home instead.
I intend to allocate extra effort into mastering the skill of optimisation and hence I target A+ for Operations Research.
Final Year Project
The final year project spans the duration of two semesters. FYP serves as a opportunity for the student to apply the cumulative knowledge gained over the course of university education, whilst producing work that contributes to the progression of academia.
I may have taken up a project that happens to be considered as one of the toughest aspects of engineering. The module did give me repeated nightmares about failing when I was actively studying for it. Nevertheless, this is an interesting project, I’m sure there is much to be learnt throughout the process of undertaking the FYP.