Welcome to FOR 285We shall discuss the contract

between us.

Military, nontraditional, or transfer student?

• Forestry clubs (“RSOs”) are fantastic• Get involved with things you [might] really enjoy

During lectures, take notes

• You look odd when you just sit there and stare at me

• Kidding! (Not really kidding)

During Discussions, Speak Up!

• All of us are responsible for avoiding the STP problem

• Same Ten People talking over and over

• Ask questions

Why doing well matters

• Student loans are like Justin Bieber

• They won’t go away no matter how much you wish they would

• Get your money’s worth!

http://i.imgur.com/Tacdk.jpg

These days, no excuse for lost files

• Dropbox, Spideroak, BitTorrent Sync• Skydrive, iCloud• Thumb drive• USB, eSATA drive• Network-attached storage (NAS)• Gmail, Outlook• Google Drive• Ask the NSA for a copy

I Want To Be This Guy:

Don’t waste your classmates’ time and money with your late assignments. In the Real World, late = “don’t bother turning it in.”

Intern Intern Intern Intern Intern

• The job market is strong and competitive

• Employers don’t owe you anything

• Now is the time to begin out-competing your peers

My old students ask me for suggestions on whom to hire

• Be that person!

• To recommend you, I have to be able to identify you

• That’s tough in a fifty person (or online!) class

• So, stand out

Get to know your profs

• This is how you get connected with research projects, internships, and summer work

• Current research: lasers, infrared detectors, robotics, trail construction, custom sensors, smartphone apps

• Recent student internships and summer positions: Alaska, Wyoming, Missouri, etc.

Recommendation letters

• Your spot in this class is, by itself, not enough contact for me to provide you a meaningful recommendation letter.

• These letters take time—a request to me two days before the application deadline is probably going to be gently rejected.

Visit during office hours

• I survived crushed 9 years of college and graduate school

• Professors have connections

• Learn how we think [and write exams!]

• I hire students that I know & trust, not others

Skipping class is your call

• You are an adult

• “Not going to class is like renting a hotel room and sleeping on the street”

• Despite the creative and heartfelt excuses they receive, employers just fire people who don’t show up–work ethic is easy to spot.

And THIS drives me nuts

Also, I want to be this guy:

But am unable to, when

Worried about your grade?

• Talk with me about a fun extra credit project involving research, some form of forest recreation, etc.

• Talk with me early in the semester; after midterms is far too late

We’ll do a lot to avoid

Your profs can usually

tell, despite

your ninja skills

I do my best to avoid this…

…But this is on you:

If this First World Problem sounds familiar:

• Learn about the Pomodoro Technique

• Form a study group—get to know people

• Learn how to make a study guide:– Condense a chapter/lecture into one dense page

with the important information

University education is costly…

…And hard. Don’t make it harder

We’re going to do some work via teams because

Study groups get you ahead in this class. However everything you turn in must be your own work

This really happens.

Am I nice when it happens?

No (it’d encourage the wrong behavior)

Study throughout the semester.

I REALLY LIKE IT WHEN YOU USE A COMPUTER TO TAKE NOTES…

…But facebooking in class rapidly gets you way behind

We will avoid this:

And we will avoid this:

And we will even avoid this:

…IF YOU OPEN YOUR MOUTH AND THOUGHTFULLY CONTRIBUTE TO CLASS DISCUSSIONS

For freshmen, this is not high school

• Sometimes, assignments will be announced only once.

• This is a short class session; outside study/assignment/project time is expected.

Academic dishonesty is grounds for smiting

The forestry department is awesome

• …Because Patti and Rae are rockstars

• Be awesome to them

You may be able to save money

• Getting the international version of textbooks

• Getting the textbook through interlibrary loan