Professors and Teacher Assistants(TAs) both have office hours, Generally you should go to the TA’s first, then the Professors. You should use office hours for the following reasons:
1. It will make you do your homework faster.
2. If you don’t understand a concept, they can explain it faster and better than google can(saving you time).
3. They have an idea of what the exams are like and can tell you where to focus your energy.
4. In some cases, they can give you previous exams/extra worksheets (This can be helpful if the professor give little homework and you want more material to study with).
5. They don’t get that many people during office hours and so there is a good chance you will get a free one on one tutoring session. Although this is dependent on the class and an how close you are to an exam or project deadline(days before exams can have lines out door if your unlucky).
6. You can make more connections with the people in your class as well as upperclassmen.
7. Seeking out help with the resources provided for you will allow you to practice being resourceful, which is an essential skill in the “real world”
In general, they will not tell you how to do your work so instead identify what you don’t understand and ask them about that, then apply that to the problem your having. Like jeopardy answer in the form of a question.

Having a resume is pretty important and you will need to submit one for an internship or a research opportunity. It’s a headache to make, but after you do it for the first time, all you need to do is update it now and then. Whether you are an incoming first-year student or a graduating senior, you can always polish up a resume for a potential employer!

Generally, if someone reads your resume, they should be able to figure out if you could do the job. If so, they will ask for an interview during which you will prove that you are a worthy candidate. CSE majors resumes are slightly different from from most majors in that the skills part of your resume will have far more content then the average resume(due to different coding languages and programs you will put in there). So don’t be afraid to list down the technical projects you have been working on, the work experiences you’ve had, and your involvements in extracurricular activities. Here’s the basic list of things your resume should have:

• Name, basic contact information
  • Like your email and cell phone number
• Your address.
  • It’s best to use this if your internship is near your home (Optional)
• School name, major, and graduating year
• Technical projects you’ve worked on
  • You should include personal ones as well. Employers love to see enthusiasm outside of the classroom!
• Research, internship, or TA positions
• Involvement in extracurricular activities
• GPA, especially useful if your GPA is above a 3.0 (Optional)
• Notable coursework (Optional)
• Skills (Optional)
• Interests (Optional)

The more relevant your resume is to the position you are applying to, the better. If you don’t really have any technical experience just yet, don’t worry! Just put what you have for now, and over the next four years, your resume will grow and you can replace your not-so-relevant experiences with your relevant ones.

Even if you placed everything above on your resume, it would probably be better to go to Career Services: http://www.buffalo.edu/career/resumes.html. I would also recommend you make an appointment with them when you have a draft of your resume ready. They are located in Capen Hall 259. They can really help you iron out the kinks in your resume and tell you where to look for internship/jobs. They are paid through your tuition so you might as well use them).

Another option is to attend a UBACM or a UBScientista resume workshop. The clubs usually have resume building workshops at least once a semester, so attend general student meetings and keep an eye out for an email from them for a date for their resume workshops.

University at Buffalo is considered a Research 1 university which means it does a lot of research compared to other schools. Since the school is big on research, it’s possible to do research starting freshman year.

This site lists most of the research opportunities available on campus: http://curca.buffalo.edu/. It’s a good start, and if you find anything you like then cool. Contact the professor via email, and tell them that you are interested in research (or ask if they are interested in having research assistant if they do not respond). Make sure to include a resume or list of experiences so far and to contact at least 3. Don’t worry about not having enough experience. It is not big deal, you do research to learn more about computer science and engineering. Not everyone goes into their major knowing everything. However this does mean that many of the research opportunities are simply not possible at your current level –most but not all, there are a number of professors who are willing to take in students that are just starting out. Don’t worry, you will not be creating that iron man suit but it’s good practice and gets you experience and contacts. I should also mention that funding is not available for freshmen but possible for students with proven research abilities.

Another option is joining nanosat, it’s the only lab that is run by students and makes small satellites that go into space. It’s by far the largest lab that has 100+ students and is in need of almost every engineering major there is. Most importantly they extremely accommodating to people with no experience and are willing to teach you from scratch. So it’s a great place to start as well.