<p>Ok im going to be starting college in the fall and I'm thinking about going in as a computer science major. I know CS isn't really engineering but its probably just as hard. What kind of advice do you guys have for freshmen who are thinking about doing engineering?</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>get out while you still can</p>
<p>Make sure you love it, otherwise it won’t be worth it. If you hate it after ~2 semesters, you should probably switch out.</p>
<p>instead of working 7 days a week, work extra hard Sunday-Thursday and take Friday night and Saturday off to refill the energy in the brain cells and have some social fun.</p>
<p>Although I would say make sure that you really enjoy the classes, unfortunately many of the courses taken the first two years are only in preparation for the more meaty Junior and Senior year courses in your major and therefore could be a little “dry”.</p>
<p>I believe it’s possible to tell if someone will enjoy engineering with some certainty just based off first year classes. If you do not enjoy the problem solving aspect of chemistry, physics, etc. you probably won’t like engineering. Sure, it might get better with classes you are more interested in, but it’s ultimately more of the same - just more focused.</p>
<p>really really look into what type of engineering you are thinking of going into and make sure it is what you want to do. Talk to upperclassmen, professors, working engineers if you can, anyone who has experience basically. Ask them what kinds of classes you take and what they teach you, what do you do as a -blank-engineer in the industry, look at the kinds of research professors at your school do and ask them what they do. You will be putting so much time into your major make sure it is what you think you really want to do.</p>
<p>I just finished my first year as an engineering major and all I have to say is don’t take it too seriously unless you have horrible time management/prioritizing skills. Otherwise, enjoy being a freshman!! You’ll meet so many new people and have a great time. Make sure that, since the first two years are the easiest, you get close to a 4.0. I have an internship this summer and if I wouldn’t have had a 3.9, I doubt I would’ve gotten an internship as a freshman.
I know you said you’re majoring in CS, but try finding out more about electrical engineering or computer science engineering (not sure if your school has that major!) Any eng degree is valuable and totally worth it - if you enjoy it 
good luck and remember to party hard!</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Go to class, it will make studying for classes easier as time goes along</p></li>
<li><p>Make friends with everyone on your dorm floor, and especially your RA, he/she will save you one day.</p></li>
<li><p>Like stated above, do your best to get a 4.0, I got a 3.97 and got a co-op after my freshman year.</p></li>
<li><p>Above all, have fun, it’ll be an whole new experience for you</p></li>
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<p>I’m not an engineer but I have several friends who are and I’ve heard the advice they gave to other students and this is what they had to stay:</p>
<p>1.) STUDY, STUDY, STUDY and then STUDY SOME MORE! Engineering is no walk in the park and even people who do put in the time and effort struggle with the material and sometimes have to drop classes so take a look at how well you handle math/science subjects and study accordingly.</p>
<p>2.) Take time out for yourself and your social life but don’t party it up. You will be stressed out as hell (at least some people are) so you need to relax your mind and give it some down time.</p>
<p>3.) Forget about watching your favroite TV shows and stuff, academics should be numero uno (# 1) for you because as an engineering major you can’t goof up because even if you switch your major your GPA will haunt you.</p>
<p>4.) If at anytime you feel like you aren’t enjoying engineering as a major and the classes you’re taking, talk to an adviser/friends/professor/parents and seriously consider doing something else.</p>
<p>5.) Relax and don’t fret all the time, stress to a certain point is good but too much will kick your arse. Engineering requires thinking with a cool head and if you have a lot going on you won’t be able to concentrate (kinda’ obvious)</p>
<p>***BIG POINT –> Make a ton of friends and get a study group going for every class if you can. Studying with other students who are serious about their academics will make you study just as hard. Get to know your professors and classmates because you never know when you might need their help.</p>
<p>Study with other people. It makes it easier to learn and usually easier to keep focused if you’re the easily distracted type.</p>
<p>Do stuff other than engineering. Play some intramural sports or something. Join some group you like. You have time to, and you’ll make friends outside of engineering, which is very important. Your GPA is far from being everything.</p>
<p>You’ll have to study a lot, but if you find yourself consistently having to stay in on Friday and Saturday nights to study you need to re-examine your time management skills. Yeah, there might be a week here or there where you’ve got three tests the next week, a project and a paper due and you can’t go out and have fun, but if it’s happening a lot there’s a problem. You NEED to unwind or you’ll end up losing it.</p>
<p>GET. INTERNSHIPS. Or if you plan on grad school GET. INTERNSHIPS. and do research. You should be able to find research to do after or during freshman year when it’s a little harder to get an internship, but having at least one is really important, especially if grad school doesn’t pan out/you change your mind.</p>
<p>Here’s the best advice I can give: It’s probably harder than you think, but it’s probably not as bad as you fear. You will be tested, and you will have to accept some level of failure. You’re not going to get a 4.0. You’re going to have to work to get a 3.5. That’s ok, because everyone else is in the same boat. Just do your best and don’t forget to live your life.</p>
<p>1.) I agree 100% that study groups are VITAL!! I’m a senior in Mechanical Engineering and I’d say without my the study groups we’ve had I would not have come this far with engineering. Just a side note too, but my friends are in Aerospace Engineering, so even though our classes are completely different, it helps to have someone look at a problem without any specific background knowledge to help try to solve the problem. Feed off of each other for motivation.</p>
<p>2.) Don’t study too hard though. Try to have fun, because college won’t last for the rest of your life. Get involved on campus with different organizations (engineering and non-engineering related) join the Greek system, basically anything to set yourself apart from the guy sitting next to you. </p>
<p>3.) Apply for internships. As you may not get any, going to career fairs are beneficial in every way. Network with people as much as possible whether it be professionals, professors, or classmates. </p>
<p>***I’ve always been told be professionals that they would rather take someone with a 3.4 who is active on campus, has internships, volunteers, etc… over a 4.0 book worm who does nothing but study.</p>
<p>Just dont overload your classes. If you arent capable of taking 5 engineering classes per semester then dont do it. You CAN go to summer school</p>
<ol>
<li>Study/do homework sets in groups.</li>
<li>Get involved in something related to your major, outside of the classroom (e.g. club, research, student job).</li>
<li>Don’t be so quick to dismiss co-ops that are during the school year (Fall or Spring). Once you “get in” with a lot of engineering companies, they are more than welcome to have you back (contingent upon you performing well obviously).</li>
<li>Learn how to manage stress well, and don’t sweat the small stuff. Can’t get a problem? Got a bad test grade? Don’t linger on things that can be offset by other things.</li>
<li>If you don’t have a summer internship, and you can afford to do so, take summer classes (this applies to every available summer).</li>
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