Daniel Lamar

March 19th, 2021

General Education Reflection

With engineering being such a technically driven major, engineers can lose sight of how
important general education classes are in setting them up to become successful, innovative engineers.
As an engineering student myself, I use the experience and knowledge I gained in my general
education classes nearly every day. The most impactful general elective courses I completed while at
ISU were cognitive psychology and leadership styles and strategies in a diverse society. Cognitive
psychology taught me one of the most important and applicable lessons a college student could learn:
how to learn. If I am honest, I did not know how to learn new material well coming into college.
Naturally, I always practiced the same study habits I learned as a high school student which worked
well for the first few years of college, but then I began my electrical engineering courses and those
same study habits proved insufficient. I now had to review and apply the math I learned from my first
two years of college in homework, labs, and nearly every assignment I was given all while learning
more in-depth mathematical concepts that would be essential to my success as an engineering student.
In my eyes, this was a whole new educational obstacle, and I had no idea how to overcome it.
However, after learning about cognitive psychology, how my brain learns and applies information, and
developing study strategies based on this educational-redeeming knowledge, I finally effective study
habits. Cognitive psychology essentially equipped me with the tools needed to strategically overcome
any engineering obstacle I faced as a student. I now have a whole arsenal of tools to use when I need to
either solve technical problems or find new, innovative approaches to technical issues. Aside from
growing my technical engineering abilities, my general education courses have also influenced how I
approach leadership as an engineer.

When leadership skills are applied to engineering groups are more successful, projects are more
innovative, tests are more thorough, and the list goes on. Amazing things happen where leaders are
present. My leadership class made this reality clear as we explored what defines a leader, who they are,
what they do, what they do not do, how they interact with their followers, and more. Upon taking this
class I realized how essential it is for me to seek leadership in all areas of life, especially in a world
where there is so much division between peers. The unifying, challenging qualities of a leader are
needed everywhere in engineering. These qualities allow for success and innovation and strong
relationships and so much more. These qualities are also available to everyone. Once I realized this, I
began assuming a role of leadership over my education, my group work, and my relationships with my
classmates. Leading as a student has made me and those around me more successful because it forces
us to take our group’s success and failure personally and therefore promotes an environment that
cultivates collective growth and success despite personal differences among group members. The skills
I learned from my leadership class have certainly benefited me as a student and will surely help me
succeed in my future career.