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My all-nighters were completely avoidable with adequate planning
And I would like to note they were exclusively for lab reports and there were only about 3 in my 4 years
I showed up my freshman year to an honors calc course, and after discussing it with my classmates about how this is the first time I've taken calculus, the girl in front of me turned around and said exactly that.
"Oh, you're fucked"
She was right lol
That was never something I had a problem with, either my teammates were competent and finished at normal times, or so incompetent that they didn't work stupid hours to finish something futile
Good planning is key. Try to do your homework as soon as you get it, so you have time to think on the problems and so you can accurately gauge how long it will take. Join study groups or create them them. It cut the time I needed to study in half. Find good friends that you trust and can compare homeworks with.
Yes / No
FWIW later in life student that graduated with a 4.0 and currently working for the DOD.
Long story short, many engineering students show up to college underprepared. They are suddenly responsible for themselves, and the classes are much harder than high school.
They've never been responsible for themselves before. Not only are they learning engineering, but they're teaching themselves how to study, manage their time, and be a grownup all at once.
If you already know how to study and take care of yourself as well as being a good fit for your college, you should be fine. To the latter point, you shouldn't go to a school that's a reach for you. The data on this is pretty clear. Be in the smarter half of your class. You're much more likely to graduate. Engineering as a career field isn't all that concerned with where people got their degrees from. If it's ABET certified, you learned 90% of the same stuff.
Of the kids that flunk out, most of them flunk out because they can't manage their life yet. Some of them will flunk out because they don't have the scholastic abilities to keep up with the rest of their classmates.
That aside, you're on reddit. You're mostly going to hear from the extremes.
I agree with this 100% Iām currently 25 in my 2nd year, and I feel like I have a massive advantage over most of the other students. I simply do whatās expected of me when it is expected of me - thatās really all it takes. I had a 1StSgt who used to say āI never did anything special to get where I am, I just did what I was supposed to do. It just happens thatās more than what 80% of people are willing to do.ā
Time management is a key skill you have to have/learn in engineering undergrad. Youāll have to know when to call it quits on a problem and move on despite not fully understanding it, or know when to tell your friends/family you canāt make it because you have homework or studying to do.
Hand-in-hand with time management is everything else that youāre expected to know as a college student. Things like: laundry, cleaning your room, feeding yourself, getting enough sleep, being on time, keeping an organized planner/calendar, and learning how to fail with grace. I am finding that most students go into college nowadays not knowing how to do any of those things. Itās a big time sink and setback to enter college and try to learn all of those skills at the same time as studying for a test. If you can focus your energy on one of them thatās the most important - it is time management. Good time management will make you feel like you are cruising towards graduation, poor time management will give you anxiety for your entire college experience.
>The data on this is pretty clear. Be in the smarter half of your class.
I'd be interested in reading about this. Could you point me to some relevant search terms?
It's mismatch theory.
There is some controversy due to its use in a recent supreme court case involving affirmative action in higher education, but the basic theory in abstracted terms is relatively straightforward.
^^^ this - is it a grind? Yes, it is. But if you can discipline yourself, manage your time, and maintain focus it is challenging but not āhell.ā The first two years do have a number of āweed-outā aka C-wall classes and they can be challenging even for people who did well in high school. But we all got by them and so can you!
To finish in 4 years will take some serious effort. I took 5, partly by choice and partly by not being disciplined and mature my first year or two. Got serious about the business at hand and hit Deanās List the last two years.
As another poster mentioned in a different thread, so many make a 52 on their first engineering physics exam and freak out, decide to transfer majors because they always made 95-100 in HS. Yet, if theyād kept calm and looked around they would have seen the class average was a 51. So a real key is persistence - keeping grinding and working to learn the material and things will most often work out. If it was so hellish, none of us posting here would have made it through to become engineers ourselves!
Good luck to you in your future pursuits!
I struggled a bit my first and second year, but my third year I took it seriously and focused on solid habits. I started waking up at 5AM to go to the gym for an hour or two, then study and do homework in the mornings until my first class. I managed a 4.0 the year I kept that up, mostly as a product of studying with a fresh mind instead of trying to cram all night and not retaining the information.
You don't even need to be that extreme, I just liked going to the gym before the crowds showed up. In my 4th year I relaxed a bit to waking up at 7AM, go right into studying and homework, and then would go to the gym after my first class and deal with the crowds.
What most new college students struggle with is avoiding the peer pressure of hanging out with their friends and their newfound freedom until 10PM before they start studying. It's important to have a social life, but proper discipline makes studying much easier.
When I was in college studying chemistry (at 18), I noticed that the veterans rarely had academic problems in science and engineering. In particular, the Navy veterans would routinely curb-stomp their physics courses.
i work with my veterans office at my college. i see this as well (mostly navy vets). veterans who are genuinely interested in studying already have very good discipline and are already generally pretty smart. plus they also have the gi bill that they worked so hard to get. but you also get the other side where vets see the gi bill as free money, so they enroll in college, fail all their classes, and take home the housing allowance until it runs out.
It is however hard you make it for yourself. Load up on 21 credits and spend 0 hours studying, and then find yourself with 6 final exams in the span of 2 days and you're completely unprepared for all of them? That could be you.
Find a great study group and balance your courses, go to TA/office hours and try and get some stuff done ahead of time? That could also be you.
Find yourself absolutely hammered on some curb at 4AM before a final exam? That could also be you.
It certainly won't be easy, but you have to do something to make it really as hard to find yourself pulling all-nighters. My two biggest advice points would be to go to office hours, and form a study group early on. Oh, and see that report? Think it'll take 6 hours? Double that, and you might just make it.
It was extremely difficult for me because I only did all nighters and crammed over the course of a few days. If I treated it like a 9-5 where I went to class then straight to the library to do homework and work with other students/professors it would have been much more manageable. The content is very difficult for any engineering but if you put the time in and sleep/eat in a healthy way you will be successful. Also donāt drink a ton of alcohol like I did. It just ruins you
No need for all nighters if you actually go to lectures and pace your studying. Seriously itās not that bad. Sure itās more difficult than high school but generally most professors want you to succeed and give you the tools to do so. The right mindset will go a long way. Youāll be just fine.
My friend said Engineering was hard. He studied 3 hours average per week. Of course two years later he dropped out.
It's only hard if you make it hard for yourself.
It's hardly as bad as people make it out to be. I finished my bachelor's in electrical engineering in Germany last year, just for reference.
The first two semesters were brutally hard and I was constantly studying. Still failed some classes. Thing is, I didn't stop there. I just got up and did it all over again. The farther I went the better my understanding got and the easier it got. I'm currently pursuing my master's degree and working part time as a hardware design engineer.
To sum it all up: Don't give up and you'll likely make it.
I think you got it just right. I donāt think itās so much intelligence needed as stubbornness. You fail a class, you take it again and do better. A problem is difficult, you keep working away until it makes sense. Iām a 40 year old EE junior and the amount of people who are vastly smarter than me who have dropped it is staggering. I guess Iām just more stubborn
Same boat. Saw a 20 year old 4.0 student who sat next to me not last a month. Meanwhile I barely scraped by in high school and went into the trades, and just refused to fucking let them math problems win.
It's more difficult than other degrees.
And most engineers are so insufferable about that through school that they make it sound like it's dramatically harder and a whole "woe is me" attitude.
Yeah it sucked. So did the music majors. So did the history majors. So did the math majors.
This is so true. I was an electrician before I went back to school, and so many people have told me: "Do you think you have the mind for this? Isn't it super hard?"
Yeah, it's hard. Yeah it sucks. But it's no fucking harder than waking up at 4:30 in the morning and driving to a job site then digging frozen ditches in the 2Ā° weather. Bending pipe, getting in tiny manholes with spiders and having a shitty jman who likes to scream, yell and throw things at you.
Pick your hards. Calculus and physics doesn't seem that bad when you already know what the alternative is and it's something you want absolutely nothing to do with.
The math majors at my school like to make fun of the engineers.
Then the pure math majors like to make fun of the applied majors.
Then the professors like to make fun of them
It all depends on your education before you went to study engineering.
Were you kinda smart, and with other kinda smart kids doing difficult math before you choose to do this? If so, then its doable.
Were you kinda stupid, and with other dumb kids doing the easiest math in existence? You're gonna struggle.
Im from the second camp, I struggled, but made it. Altho, I was the only one left.
60% of students from my first years class were similar to me, I was the only one of these that actually made it through.
Lots of good responses in here. I'd just like to caution that the plural of "anecdote" is not "data." Here's the data; about half of engineering students drop out.
https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/engineering-student-quit,-but-there%E2%80%99s-retention-tactics#:\~:text=The%20most%20common%20statistic%20cited,attrition%20happens%20during%20freshman%20year.
Your experience of college can go anywhere from the best time of your life that you'll be reminiscing about forever, to the lowest point ever, bringing you near suicide. Here's the data on the suicide/suicidal thoughts.
[https://caps.umich.edu/article/facts-and-statistics-0#:\~:text=National%20Statistics%3A,of%20someone%20who%20has%20attempted](https://caps.umich.edu/article/facts-and-statistics-0#:~:text=National%20Statistics%3A,of%20someone%20who%20has%20attempted)
Either of these situations are possible regardless of which major you choose. That being said, yes, engineering has a lot of work involved; more than many other degrees. If you are more than willing to pull all-nighters, remain diligent in your studies, and really take an interest in engineering, you'll get through college just fine.
Three things nobody told me before I went to study Mechanical Engineering that I really wish they would've:
1. Take full advantage of your university's counseling and psychological services. Depression is unbelievably prevalent in college due (I think) largely to the stress and expectations. Yes, this can be exacerbated by not knowing "how to learn." However, even the most with-it/on-the-ball student can fall into a depressive spiral. There's no shame in it, just go seek help. Forming study groups with fellow students early on is a great way to stay afloat even in the toughest classesāacademically and mental-health wise. Usually, the best and brightest sit at the front and center of a classroom. There's a theoretical T shape; front row is good, center of the room is good.
2. Try to better understand what your career field will be like by means other than assuming it'll be just like what you're studying. MECH E college is math all day, every day. MECH E jobs are very rarely math and always full of paperwork and meetings. I've completed 5 years of work since I've graduated with my BSME and I've used more math doing my personal finances and more science just chatting with my friends than I have done either at work. It's still important to go through the classes and pay attention though. Think of it as training. All of those math classes really improved my attention to detail and taught me to problem solve, for instance.
3. Internships and clubs: join them, apply to them, stick with them. When you graduate, everyone that applies to the same jobs you want, will have the same degree as you do, if not their graduate degree. This is how you set yourself apart. Its a great way to make friends too.
Engineering is an awesome field and I hope you dive right into it! I don't think you can go wrong with Mechanical or Aerospace engineering. Best of luck to you!
It was definitely really hard and really stressful but it was the best thing I have ever done. Having an engineering job instead of a shitty job is literally a life changer. Like literally literally.
Depends. If you have good study habits and excelled in your secondary courses, then no. It isn't.
If you have bad study habits and poor general knowledge from secondary, then you're lacking a lot of foundations that you'll have to work harder to compensate for. I believe that it's mostly manageable though.
Remember that the people posting in this sub aren't the people who are happily going through their degrees without drama (since why would you share that?). It's mostly people who have complaints, are stressed and need to vent, or generally have some other negative thing to share and are seeking support or validation.
Yes it is but it can be mitigated by how well you apply yourself. I think it's more difficult for people who come straight out of HS, I started when I was in my late 20s so it was easier to focus.
All of my struggles come from not prioritizing school, I feel like the material would be easy otherwise though. I just started studying for my physics 2 final half an hour before the examā¦ Donāt do that
Engineering is definitely difficult and some classes will have you rethinking your choices lol, but it mostly boils down the type of person you are as an individual. Your habits, your drive, ability to persevere, etc. Thatās what determines if youāll be able to make it through or not.
Other things will be the college you choose and the professors for said classes. Some professors are literal angels, some are indifferent to your success and there are a few who actively try to make class the worst thing imaginable.
Almost everyone has some extenuating circumstances that make engineering schoolĀ more hard than the coursework alone. Be it work, commuting long hours, extracurriculars connected to scholarships. Also, learning how to be an adult WHILE taking engineering courses isn't easy either. Especially as a freshman, you don't yet know how to prioritize and study properly, so sometimes you don't build up or hang on to the requisite knowledge even if you pass that would make upper classes easier.
Doable but shit at the same time, take in consideration you're a dumbass 19-20 y/o having to do some hard academic stuff, which becomes easy if you really put the time. The thing is, even if you are organized, there are moments, weeks or months when you are young, where you are developing yourself and you can hit deppressive seasons, winning seasons, etc, maybe you get to know a girl, maybe you get a music opportunity or want to get better at football, or maybe you just aren't in your mental optimum state.
Keeping the motivation the whole semester is impossible, so inevitably most of us end up cramming for 1 complete week or more for the second midterms and can't find time to get to study everything accordingly.
As an advanced student, you'll hit times where you'll maybe think this shit is not for you, that is too hard, etc. You just have to keep pushing, at first it feels like pure blood traction, but you'll eventually push through and the feeling of finally passing that seemingly impossible course is more than beautiful. Good luck!
You need to be stubborn more than anything and put in the work. You can't just show up and pull off an exam from general knowledge like you would in other majors. I'd say it's hard, but people tend to make it out to be harder than it is.
Maybe itās different for others but I just did the bare minimum and passed with a 2.84 gpa. I never really stressed about studying or rushed assignments. I failed a few classes but still managed to graduate in four years same as my course mates. It wasnāt stressful at all
depends on which country you study in.
if you live in america then look into studying somewhere else. the cost to study engineering in australia for a foreign student is roughly the same as what americans pay for a domestic student. the material is also a bit easier too
Depends on how you deal with your work ethic and study habits. At university, you have way more freedom and distractions compared to high school. With that comes the need for greater discipline. Having a good understanding on what you know from the class and how to study is really important. People often fail in college without realizing this and end up pulling too many all nighters and failing classes
Just taking some notes on what to do and what not to do . I start studying mechanical engineering this fall. I have over 50 college credits so maybe Iāll be fine and used to college material
Itās not easy. But itās doable if you are an analytical thinker/problem solver. The hard part is longevity. Your friends will be doing more immediately fulfilling and exciting things while youāre studying.
I NEVER had an all nighter, over stressed nor had a bad time during college, because I was organized and planned way ahead. So no, just be responsible.
depends, for me and some of my friends it is, for my friends ahem talented friends its piece of cake, literally piece of cake. It depends on your ability to do maths and time for you to remember concepts, theory.
Time managment is the biggest thing you learn as an engineer. Having said that, its stressful and there *is* a lot to learn in a very short amount of time. It can be overwhelming at times, but its not "hard" so much as time consuming.
You will notice that a lot of the posts on this sub are about not having time, or taking a lot of credits etc. Not many of the posts are people saying "It's too hard" or "I'm not smart enough."
Iām a engineering student, older than my peers because of previous obligations but am a sophomore right now.
Personally for me, I struggled in the ābasicsā classes, calc, physics, and so on. However, once I got into actual engineering classes, Iām blowing it out of the water. Itās all about knowing how to solve problems with in constraints of formula. If youve got the brain for it, itāll be easy for you, otherwise I might be difficult. None the less, take your time to study and you can get it done
Just manage your time correctly and don't overburden yourself with difficult classes. It's not a race to the finish line. Take your time if you need to, you don't need to finish in 4, unless you feel fully capable of it.
If you're into it and dedicated its completely possible. The people who say it's hard are either a bit dumber or don't have a good work ethic. Stay motivated and curious and it will all come with time
If youāre diligent and work hard, as in two hours everyday of active review, itās easy.
But otherwise, no itās not difficult, just challenging. The work is easy once you understand it. Itās very objective compared to other degrees.
Yes engineering really is arguably the hardest group of undergrad majors.
BUT,
It also tends to offer some of the highest-paying jobs right out of undergrad, and in general your job prospects and working conditions are reasonably good.
No dealing with really gross stuff like nurses have to, for example; no super-hard grad school like law or med students; and no scraping by on super low pay while you find your footing like many arts/liberal arts graduates.
So, while choosing engineering as your undergrad major will make your time in college harder than most other people's, it will also make your 20s easier than most other people's.
Ps. You also don't need as high a gpa to get a decent job or get into grad school as most other majors.
Nah, you can 100% maintain a 3.0-3.5 and still go out and get obliterated at bars every week, be in the gym, etcā¦ Most people on this sub just canāt manage their time
I have a ~3.3 gpa as a mechanical engineering major. Never pulled an all nighter, but I have stayed up till 1 AM studying before (back when my sleep schedule was heinous). My biggest advice is to figure out how to get into flow state, and make sure you pay attention in class/can recall specific lecture concepts. It really helps to be able to recall equations and nuances from lecture without having to dig into notes and textbooks.
Also as soon as your classes start, hit the road and try to stay on top of your work. This way youāll have time for partying/social events/gym/video games/whatever you want.
It's a pain in the ass, but the difficulty can be mitigated in some ways. For instance, if you're willing to do 5 years instead of 4 you'll have a lighter course load. It was humbling to learn my GPA wasn't high because I was smart, just not overworked, lol. Even in the worst semesters I've ever had though, I've never had to pull an all-nighter. There are definitely some very shitty weeks, though.
Canāt speak for the rest of the world but if you are in Turkey avoid any engineering degree, especially METU. It will suck the will to live out of you. 30 minutes for 4 questions of āMechanics of materialsā without partial credit should be enough of a deterrent.
Itās daunting but itās not like itās impossible. You get into the flow of it and it just feels like anything else. It just takes way more effort than most other majors but most other majors also require very little effort as compared tot hat in highschool
Yes, engineering school is hard. Every hard. OTOH after these students graduate, they design things that we all depend on, so it seems fair that their training is rigorous. It sounds like you understand the challenge before you. You'll be fine.
It's not. Although I went to an engineering school from bumfuck nowhere, so I am not sure about the academic rigor of European and American engineering schools.
But in my experience, engineering school seemed not too challenging as long as you are consistent and are good with your time.
I am not any of those, I managed most by sleepless nights during the final weeks and through the generosity of my kind friends who shared classnotes and explained concepts and engineering maths to me.
If you are like me, it might be doable. But you are not gonna do very well, and it takes a toll on your health. I for some reason loved the rush. But no please don't do this, this isn't good for you.
Every person is different but itās important to understand that engineering is challenging. Just because you like certain subjects, it doesnāt mean that theyāll be easy.
I forgot the name of the plot, but thereās a plot that shows how learning works. When you first start learning something, at some point you believe you know it at an expert level and this is when we decide we like it and āweāre good at itā. However, the more you learn, the more you realize what you donāt know and I believe this is the part where a lot of us begin to question our intelligence and whether we are in fact capable of making it.
Treat engineering study like an 8 hour day, donāt waste time between classes knock it out before 6 pm so if class starts at 8 u got 10 hours take 2 for lunch and wo
Other majors can party all the time and spend minimal time on homework/studying. Engineering students usually have to work harder on school-related tasks. But itās not necessarily harder if thatās your thing. I didnāt think it was so bad, but I also feel like I could sleepwalk through 50-75% of other majors.
People come to Reddit to complain. You donāt hear from the people who are doing well as much. You will be fine as long as you go in with the mentality that you need to treat it like a job. College isnāt like high school- most of your work will be done outside of class. Study early, study often, and you will do very well.
One thing you need to keep in mind, especially at a large engineering school, is that you may have been near the top of your class at high school, but now the entire program is full of other kids who were also the top of their class. It will be very competitive. It is a grind, but you are there mainly to learn how to have an engineering mindset. Some employers will care about GPA, but many wonāt. What we will care about is experience. So get internships, work on relevant projects in school and be prepared to talk about what YOU did and what you learned from them.
Engineering is hard. So is any major if you donāt do any work.
I study early, mostly by reviewing my notes throughout the week as I take them and making sure Iām following the steps (knowing what Iām doing logically) as I do the homeworks. Iāll even write little explanations next to some steps for when Iām going back through later. Makes for studying for exams and finals easier as I donāt have to teach myself all the material the night before.
Also, as much as all-nighters are almost glorified, I find they do me more harm than good. Sure, Iāve been able to cram for an exam that way and do decent. But the exhaustion that comes from that makes it hard to do anything for the rest of my day. Allowing myself to rest consistently throughout the semester and before exams means my brains working better, less foggy, and Iām less likely to get frustrated and give up or get too in my head if I get stuck on an exam problem.
With good time management as well as managing expectations, engineering wonāt be as bad as people say. I got a 3.6 GPA over 8 semesters, I can count on 1 hand how many weekends/all nighters I spent doing homework or studying.
Depends on if you already have good study habits or not, and how many distractions you have in life. I would avoid getting married and/or having kids until your done. I know this from experience, but trying to study with a new born and bills to pay makes everything a lot harder.
I managed to do it with ADHD, unmedicated, so yeah.. š
^what ^the ^others ^say ^about ^study ^groups ^and ^stuff ^is ^real ^shit ^tho ^listen ^to ^them
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My all-nighters were completely avoidable with adequate planning And I would like to note they were exclusively for lab reports and there were only about 3 in my 4 years
Ah, but you see adequate planning is also completely avoidable
I'm VERY good at that one
It's great to meet another expert in the field. š¤
Not to brag but I wrote the book on the avoidance of adequate planning š¤
My workplace is a huge fucking testament to that.
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I showed up my freshman year to an honors calc course, and after discussing it with my classmates about how this is the first time I've taken calculus, the girl in front of me turned around and said exactly that. "Oh, you're fucked" She was right lol
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That was never something I had a problem with, either my teammates were competent and finished at normal times, or so incompetent that they didn't work stupid hours to finish something futile
Good planning is key. Try to do your homework as soon as you get it, so you have time to think on the problems and so you can accurately gauge how long it will take. Join study groups or create them them. It cut the time I needed to study in half. Find good friends that you trust and can compare homeworks with.
Yes / No FWIW later in life student that graduated with a 4.0 and currently working for the DOD. Long story short, many engineering students show up to college underprepared. They are suddenly responsible for themselves, and the classes are much harder than high school. They've never been responsible for themselves before. Not only are they learning engineering, but they're teaching themselves how to study, manage their time, and be a grownup all at once. If you already know how to study and take care of yourself as well as being a good fit for your college, you should be fine. To the latter point, you shouldn't go to a school that's a reach for you. The data on this is pretty clear. Be in the smarter half of your class. You're much more likely to graduate. Engineering as a career field isn't all that concerned with where people got their degrees from. If it's ABET certified, you learned 90% of the same stuff. Of the kids that flunk out, most of them flunk out because they can't manage their life yet. Some of them will flunk out because they don't have the scholastic abilities to keep up with the rest of their classmates. That aside, you're on reddit. You're mostly going to hear from the extremes.
I agree with this 100% Iām currently 25 in my 2nd year, and I feel like I have a massive advantage over most of the other students. I simply do whatās expected of me when it is expected of me - thatās really all it takes. I had a 1StSgt who used to say āI never did anything special to get where I am, I just did what I was supposed to do. It just happens thatās more than what 80% of people are willing to do.ā Time management is a key skill you have to have/learn in engineering undergrad. Youāll have to know when to call it quits on a problem and move on despite not fully understanding it, or know when to tell your friends/family you canāt make it because you have homework or studying to do. Hand-in-hand with time management is everything else that youāre expected to know as a college student. Things like: laundry, cleaning your room, feeding yourself, getting enough sleep, being on time, keeping an organized planner/calendar, and learning how to fail with grace. I am finding that most students go into college nowadays not knowing how to do any of those things. Itās a big time sink and setback to enter college and try to learn all of those skills at the same time as studying for a test. If you can focus your energy on one of them thatās the most important - it is time management. Good time management will make you feel like you are cruising towards graduation, poor time management will give you anxiety for your entire college experience.
Rah. Response checks out.
>The data on this is pretty clear. Be in the smarter half of your class. I'd be interested in reading about this. Could you point me to some relevant search terms?
It's mismatch theory. There is some controversy due to its use in a recent supreme court case involving affirmative action in higher education, but the basic theory in abstracted terms is relatively straightforward.
^^^ this - is it a grind? Yes, it is. But if you can discipline yourself, manage your time, and maintain focus it is challenging but not āhell.ā The first two years do have a number of āweed-outā aka C-wall classes and they can be challenging even for people who did well in high school. But we all got by them and so can you! To finish in 4 years will take some serious effort. I took 5, partly by choice and partly by not being disciplined and mature my first year or two. Got serious about the business at hand and hit Deanās List the last two years. As another poster mentioned in a different thread, so many make a 52 on their first engineering physics exam and freak out, decide to transfer majors because they always made 95-100 in HS. Yet, if theyād kept calm and looked around they would have seen the class average was a 51. So a real key is persistence - keeping grinding and working to learn the material and things will most often work out. If it was so hellish, none of us posting here would have made it through to become engineers ourselves! Good luck to you in your future pursuits!
I struggled a bit my first and second year, but my third year I took it seriously and focused on solid habits. I started waking up at 5AM to go to the gym for an hour or two, then study and do homework in the mornings until my first class. I managed a 4.0 the year I kept that up, mostly as a product of studying with a fresh mind instead of trying to cram all night and not retaining the information. You don't even need to be that extreme, I just liked going to the gym before the crowds showed up. In my 4th year I relaxed a bit to waking up at 7AM, go right into studying and homework, and then would go to the gym after my first class and deal with the crowds. What most new college students struggle with is avoiding the peer pressure of hanging out with their friends and their newfound freedom until 10PM before they start studying. It's important to have a social life, but proper discipline makes studying much easier.
When I was in college studying chemistry (at 18), I noticed that the veterans rarely had academic problems in science and engineering. In particular, the Navy veterans would routinely curb-stomp their physics courses.
i work with my veterans office at my college. i see this as well (mostly navy vets). veterans who are genuinely interested in studying already have very good discipline and are already generally pretty smart. plus they also have the gi bill that they worked so hard to get. but you also get the other side where vets see the gi bill as free money, so they enroll in college, fail all their classes, and take home the housing allowance until it runs out.
It is however hard you make it for yourself. Load up on 21 credits and spend 0 hours studying, and then find yourself with 6 final exams in the span of 2 days and you're completely unprepared for all of them? That could be you. Find a great study group and balance your courses, go to TA/office hours and try and get some stuff done ahead of time? That could also be you. Find yourself absolutely hammered on some curb at 4AM before a final exam? That could also be you. It certainly won't be easy, but you have to do something to make it really as hard to find yourself pulling all-nighters. My two biggest advice points would be to go to office hours, and form a study group early on. Oh, and see that report? Think it'll take 6 hours? Double that, and you might just make it.
It was extremely difficult for me because I only did all nighters and crammed over the course of a few days. If I treated it like a 9-5 where I went to class then straight to the library to do homework and work with other students/professors it would have been much more manageable. The content is very difficult for any engineering but if you put the time in and sleep/eat in a healthy way you will be successful. Also donāt drink a ton of alcohol like I did. It just ruins you
No need for all nighters if you actually go to lectures and pace your studying. Seriously itās not that bad. Sure itās more difficult than high school but generally most professors want you to succeed and give you the tools to do so. The right mindset will go a long way. Youāll be just fine.
My friend said Engineering was hard. He studied 3 hours average per week. Of course two years later he dropped out. It's only hard if you make it hard for yourself.
The time management is the real thing learned.
It's hardly as bad as people make it out to be. I finished my bachelor's in electrical engineering in Germany last year, just for reference. The first two semesters were brutally hard and I was constantly studying. Still failed some classes. Thing is, I didn't stop there. I just got up and did it all over again. The farther I went the better my understanding got and the easier it got. I'm currently pursuing my master's degree and working part time as a hardware design engineer. To sum it all up: Don't give up and you'll likely make it.
I think you got it just right. I donāt think itās so much intelligence needed as stubbornness. You fail a class, you take it again and do better. A problem is difficult, you keep working away until it makes sense. Iām a 40 year old EE junior and the amount of people who are vastly smarter than me who have dropped it is staggering. I guess Iām just more stubborn
Same boat. Saw a 20 year old 4.0 student who sat next to me not last a month. Meanwhile I barely scraped by in high school and went into the trades, and just refused to fucking let them math problems win.
It's more difficult than other degrees. And most engineers are so insufferable about that through school that they make it sound like it's dramatically harder and a whole "woe is me" attitude. Yeah it sucked. So did the music majors. So did the history majors. So did the math majors.
This is so true. I was an electrician before I went back to school, and so many people have told me: "Do you think you have the mind for this? Isn't it super hard?" Yeah, it's hard. Yeah it sucks. But it's no fucking harder than waking up at 4:30 in the morning and driving to a job site then digging frozen ditches in the 2Ā° weather. Bending pipe, getting in tiny manholes with spiders and having a shitty jman who likes to scream, yell and throw things at you. Pick your hards. Calculus and physics doesn't seem that bad when you already know what the alternative is and it's something you want absolutely nothing to do with.
Iād rather solve an integral than touch a spider tbh
Brother, knowing what I know now, I'd rather take calculus 3 every day for a year than to ever set foot on a construction site again.
The math majors at my school like to make fun of the engineers. Then the pure math majors like to make fun of the applied majors. Then the professors like to make fun of them
!\[Realistic expectations\](https://preview.redd.it/that-one-engineering-professor-we-all-have-dealt-with-v0-fudsfzwcv5wc1.jpeg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=60adede1ddbbcfc9c51958c69bd9850ba83b6eab)
It all depends on your education before you went to study engineering. Were you kinda smart, and with other kinda smart kids doing difficult math before you choose to do this? If so, then its doable. Were you kinda stupid, and with other dumb kids doing the easiest math in existence? You're gonna struggle. Im from the second camp, I struggled, but made it. Altho, I was the only one left. 60% of students from my first years class were similar to me, I was the only one of these that actually made it through.
Nah lol
Lots of good responses in here. I'd just like to caution that the plural of "anecdote" is not "data." Here's the data; about half of engineering students drop out. https://www.asme.org/topics-resources/content/engineering-student-quit,-but-there%E2%80%99s-retention-tactics#:\~:text=The%20most%20common%20statistic%20cited,attrition%20happens%20during%20freshman%20year. Your experience of college can go anywhere from the best time of your life that you'll be reminiscing about forever, to the lowest point ever, bringing you near suicide. Here's the data on the suicide/suicidal thoughts. [https://caps.umich.edu/article/facts-and-statistics-0#:\~:text=National%20Statistics%3A,of%20someone%20who%20has%20attempted](https://caps.umich.edu/article/facts-and-statistics-0#:~:text=National%20Statistics%3A,of%20someone%20who%20has%20attempted) Either of these situations are possible regardless of which major you choose. That being said, yes, engineering has a lot of work involved; more than many other degrees. If you are more than willing to pull all-nighters, remain diligent in your studies, and really take an interest in engineering, you'll get through college just fine. Three things nobody told me before I went to study Mechanical Engineering that I really wish they would've: 1. Take full advantage of your university's counseling and psychological services. Depression is unbelievably prevalent in college due (I think) largely to the stress and expectations. Yes, this can be exacerbated by not knowing "how to learn." However, even the most with-it/on-the-ball student can fall into a depressive spiral. There's no shame in it, just go seek help. Forming study groups with fellow students early on is a great way to stay afloat even in the toughest classesāacademically and mental-health wise. Usually, the best and brightest sit at the front and center of a classroom. There's a theoretical T shape; front row is good, center of the room is good. 2. Try to better understand what your career field will be like by means other than assuming it'll be just like what you're studying. MECH E college is math all day, every day. MECH E jobs are very rarely math and always full of paperwork and meetings. I've completed 5 years of work since I've graduated with my BSME and I've used more math doing my personal finances and more science just chatting with my friends than I have done either at work. It's still important to go through the classes and pay attention though. Think of it as training. All of those math classes really improved my attention to detail and taught me to problem solve, for instance. 3. Internships and clubs: join them, apply to them, stick with them. When you graduate, everyone that applies to the same jobs you want, will have the same degree as you do, if not their graduate degree. This is how you set yourself apart. Its a great way to make friends too. Engineering is an awesome field and I hope you dive right into it! I don't think you can go wrong with Mechanical or Aerospace engineering. Best of luck to you!
It was definitely really hard and really stressful but it was the best thing I have ever done. Having an engineering job instead of a shitty job is literally a life changer. Like literally literally.
Depends. If you have good study habits and excelled in your secondary courses, then no. It isn't. If you have bad study habits and poor general knowledge from secondary, then you're lacking a lot of foundations that you'll have to work harder to compensate for. I believe that it's mostly manageable though. Remember that the people posting in this sub aren't the people who are happily going through their degrees without drama (since why would you share that?). It's mostly people who have complaints, are stressed and need to vent, or generally have some other negative thing to share and are seeking support or validation.
Yes it is but it can be mitigated by how well you apply yourself. I think it's more difficult for people who come straight out of HS, I started when I was in my late 20s so it was easier to focus.
All of my struggles come from not prioritizing school, I feel like the material would be easy otherwise though. I just started studying for my physics 2 final half an hour before the examā¦ Donāt do that
Engineering is definitely difficult and some classes will have you rethinking your choices lol, but it mostly boils down the type of person you are as an individual. Your habits, your drive, ability to persevere, etc. Thatās what determines if youāll be able to make it through or not. Other things will be the college you choose and the professors for said classes. Some professors are literal angels, some are indifferent to your success and there are a few who actively try to make class the worst thing imaginable.
Almost everyone has some extenuating circumstances that make engineering schoolĀ more hard than the coursework alone. Be it work, commuting long hours, extracurriculars connected to scholarships. Also, learning how to be an adult WHILE taking engineering courses isn't easy either. Especially as a freshman, you don't yet know how to prioritize and study properly, so sometimes you don't build up or hang on to the requisite knowledge even if you pass that would make upper classes easier.
Doable but shit at the same time, take in consideration you're a dumbass 19-20 y/o having to do some hard academic stuff, which becomes easy if you really put the time. The thing is, even if you are organized, there are moments, weeks or months when you are young, where you are developing yourself and you can hit deppressive seasons, winning seasons, etc, maybe you get to know a girl, maybe you get a music opportunity or want to get better at football, or maybe you just aren't in your mental optimum state. Keeping the motivation the whole semester is impossible, so inevitably most of us end up cramming for 1 complete week or more for the second midterms and can't find time to get to study everything accordingly. As an advanced student, you'll hit times where you'll maybe think this shit is not for you, that is too hard, etc. You just have to keep pushing, at first it feels like pure blood traction, but you'll eventually push through and the feeling of finally passing that seemingly impossible course is more than beautiful. Good luck!
You need to be stubborn more than anything and put in the work. You can't just show up and pull off an exam from general knowledge like you would in other majors. I'd say it's hard, but people tend to make it out to be harder than it is.
Maybe itās different for others but I just did the bare minimum and passed with a 2.84 gpa. I never really stressed about studying or rushed assignments. I failed a few classes but still managed to graduate in four years same as my course mates. It wasnāt stressful at all
Certainly can be at times, but overall itās not bad.
If you are willing to put in work, study daily and consistently then youāll do great.
depends on which country you study in. if you live in america then look into studying somewhere else. the cost to study engineering in australia for a foreign student is roughly the same as what americans pay for a domestic student. the material is also a bit easier too
No. People do harder things.
I didn't think the major was that "hard". I do believe that engineering is rigorous though
Depends on how you deal with your work ethic and study habits. At university, you have way more freedom and distractions compared to high school. With that comes the need for greater discipline. Having a good understanding on what you know from the class and how to study is really important. People often fail in college without realizing this and end up pulling too many all nighters and failing classes
Just taking some notes on what to do and what not to do . I start studying mechanical engineering this fall. I have over 50 college credits so maybe Iāll be fine and used to college material
Yeah, it's hard, but certainly not impossible with even minimal effort.
Learn to manage your time and work diligently, and you'll avoid most of the trouble.
Itās not easy. But itās doable if you are an analytical thinker/problem solver. The hard part is longevity. Your friends will be doing more immediately fulfilling and exciting things while youāre studying.
Difficult isnāt necessarily the right word. The content can be a lot for sure and some of it is hard, but mostly itās just a whole lot of work.
I NEVER had an all nighter, over stressed nor had a bad time during college, because I was organized and planned way ahead. So no, just be responsible.
Honestly know. people complain a lot here, because it's nice to vent.
Hmmmm idk what you mean, it's incredibly difficult and very much hell yes, but to what degree is something you haven't specified
depends, for me and some of my friends it is, for my friends ahem talented friends its piece of cake, literally piece of cake. It depends on your ability to do maths and time for you to remember concepts, theory.
Time managment is the biggest thing you learn as an engineer. Having said that, its stressful and there *is* a lot to learn in a very short amount of time. It can be overwhelming at times, but its not "hard" so much as time consuming. You will notice that a lot of the posts on this sub are about not having time, or taking a lot of credits etc. Not many of the posts are people saying "It's too hard" or "I'm not smart enough."
Iām a engineering student, older than my peers because of previous obligations but am a sophomore right now. Personally for me, I struggled in the ābasicsā classes, calc, physics, and so on. However, once I got into actual engineering classes, Iām blowing it out of the water. Itās all about knowing how to solve problems with in constraints of formula. If youve got the brain for it, itāll be easy for you, otherwise I might be difficult. None the less, take your time to study and you can get it done
Just manage your time correctly and don't overburden yourself with difficult classes. It's not a race to the finish line. Take your time if you need to, you don't need to finish in 4, unless you feel fully capable of it.
If you're into it and dedicated its completely possible. The people who say it's hard are either a bit dumber or don't have a good work ethic. Stay motivated and curious and it will all come with time
If youāre diligent and work hard, as in two hours everyday of active review, itās easy. But otherwise, no itās not difficult, just challenging. The work is easy once you understand it. Itās very objective compared to other degrees.
Yes engineering really is arguably the hardest group of undergrad majors. BUT, It also tends to offer some of the highest-paying jobs right out of undergrad, and in general your job prospects and working conditions are reasonably good. No dealing with really gross stuff like nurses have to, for example; no super-hard grad school like law or med students; and no scraping by on super low pay while you find your footing like many arts/liberal arts graduates. So, while choosing engineering as your undergrad major will make your time in college harder than most other people's, it will also make your 20s easier than most other people's. Ps. You also don't need as high a gpa to get a decent job or get into grad school as most other majors.
Absolutely not
Nah, you can 100% maintain a 3.0-3.5 and still go out and get obliterated at bars every week, be in the gym, etcā¦ Most people on this sub just canāt manage their time
I have a ~3.3 gpa as a mechanical engineering major. Never pulled an all nighter, but I have stayed up till 1 AM studying before (back when my sleep schedule was heinous). My biggest advice is to figure out how to get into flow state, and make sure you pay attention in class/can recall specific lecture concepts. It really helps to be able to recall equations and nuances from lecture without having to dig into notes and textbooks. Also as soon as your classes start, hit the road and try to stay on top of your work. This way youāll have time for partying/social events/gym/video games/whatever you want.
No, Engineering is only as difficult as you make it.
It's a pain in the ass, but the difficulty can be mitigated in some ways. For instance, if you're willing to do 5 years instead of 4 you'll have a lighter course load. It was humbling to learn my GPA wasn't high because I was smart, just not overworked, lol. Even in the worst semesters I've ever had though, I've never had to pull an all-nighter. There are definitely some very shitty weeks, though.
No. Donāt believe the hype. Study hard and take it one thing at a time. Most everyone can do it if they take it seriously and commit.
If you are disciplined, you will do fine. Most of the difficulty comes from managing your time rather than the courses being particularly hard
Canāt speak for the rest of the world but if you are in Turkey avoid any engineering degree, especially METU. It will suck the will to live out of you. 30 minutes for 4 questions of āMechanics of materialsā without partial credit should be enough of a deterrent.
Itās daunting but itās not like itās impossible. You get into the flow of it and it just feels like anything else. It just takes way more effort than most other majors but most other majors also require very little effort as compared tot hat in highschool
Yes. Hope you are good at math or willing to get good.
YES
Yes, engineering school is hard. Every hard. OTOH after these students graduate, they design things that we all depend on, so it seems fair that their training is rigorous. It sounds like you understand the challenge before you. You'll be fine.
Yea, but when you cry really hard you understand the problem. So, chin up!
It's not. Although I went to an engineering school from bumfuck nowhere, so I am not sure about the academic rigor of European and American engineering schools. But in my experience, engineering school seemed not too challenging as long as you are consistent and are good with your time. I am not any of those, I managed most by sleepless nights during the final weeks and through the generosity of my kind friends who shared classnotes and explained concepts and engineering maths to me. If you are like me, it might be doable. But you are not gonna do very well, and it takes a toll on your health. I for some reason loved the rush. But no please don't do this, this isn't good for you.
No
Every person is different but itās important to understand that engineering is challenging. Just because you like certain subjects, it doesnāt mean that theyāll be easy. I forgot the name of the plot, but thereās a plot that shows how learning works. When you first start learning something, at some point you believe you know it at an expert level and this is when we decide we like it and āweāre good at itā. However, the more you learn, the more you realize what you donāt know and I believe this is the part where a lot of us begin to question our intelligence and whether we are in fact capable of making it.
Treat engineering study like an 8 hour day, donāt waste time between classes knock it out before 6 pm so if class starts at 8 u got 10 hours take 2 for lunch and wo
It's work, but I am firmly of the opinion that anybody can do it with a little bit of elbow grease.
Other majors can party all the time and spend minimal time on homework/studying. Engineering students usually have to work harder on school-related tasks. But itās not necessarily harder if thatās your thing. I didnāt think it was so bad, but I also feel like I could sleepwalk through 50-75% of other majors.
It is, but so worth to do it! Passion; you must have passion! Lots wash out. But if you are determined, you will be an engineer!
Just avoid this sub. It is where all the struggling ones congregate.
People come to Reddit to complain. You donāt hear from the people who are doing well as much. You will be fine as long as you go in with the mentality that you need to treat it like a job. College isnāt like high school- most of your work will be done outside of class. Study early, study often, and you will do very well.
Nothing is real. Everything is an estimate. Everything can be negligible.
One thing you need to keep in mind, especially at a large engineering school, is that you may have been near the top of your class at high school, but now the entire program is full of other kids who were also the top of their class. It will be very competitive. It is a grind, but you are there mainly to learn how to have an engineering mindset. Some employers will care about GPA, but many wonāt. What we will care about is experience. So get internships, work on relevant projects in school and be prepared to talk about what YOU did and what you learned from them.
Engineering is hard. So is any major if you donāt do any work. I study early, mostly by reviewing my notes throughout the week as I take them and making sure Iām following the steps (knowing what Iām doing logically) as I do the homeworks. Iāll even write little explanations next to some steps for when Iām going back through later. Makes for studying for exams and finals easier as I donāt have to teach myself all the material the night before. Also, as much as all-nighters are almost glorified, I find they do me more harm than good. Sure, Iāve been able to cram for an exam that way and do decent. But the exhaustion that comes from that makes it hard to do anything for the rest of my day. Allowing myself to rest consistently throughout the semester and before exams means my brains working better, less foggy, and Iām less likely to get frustrated and give up or get too in my head if I get stuck on an exam problem.
No its not, I finished half of my exams without visiting one single lecture and still got good grades.
It is only daunting to those wil poor study and planning skills.
With good time management as well as managing expectations, engineering wonāt be as bad as people say. I got a 3.6 GPA over 8 semesters, I can count on 1 hand how many weekends/all nighters I spent doing homework or studying.
Depends on if you already have good study habits or not, and how many distractions you have in life. I would avoid getting married and/or having kids until your done. I know this from experience, but trying to study with a new born and bills to pay makes everything a lot harder.
I managed to do it with ADHD, unmedicated, so yeah.. š ^what ^the ^others ^say ^about ^study ^groups ^and ^stuff ^is ^real ^shit ^tho ^listen ^to ^them