<p>I have a friend who was accepted engineering but is facing tough financial times. Graduating in 3 years would save him another year's worth of fees. He's really smart so difficulty is not a problem as long as it's not a completely ridiculous courseload. He'll have the AP credits as well. </p>
<p>Is it possible for an engineer major (maybe mechanical, civil, or electrical) to graduate in 3 years? Is the scheduling reasonably possible? Has anyone ever done it?</p>
<p>LOL, I have never heard ppl do it in 3 yrs. There’s 4 yrs, and then there’s 5yrs.</p>
<p>There is only man who has ever done that…</p>
<p>and that man is Chuck Norris. </p>
<p>Your friend is not Chuck Norris.</p>
<p>Possible? Yes. Smart? No.</p>
<p>Girl I know did ChemE in 3 years. Her GPA went down horribly during the 3rd year. She was able to get a job/internship because of her connections. She took some online classes at Santa Clara university with her internship. She tells me she misses school now. She’s a big outlier. </p>
<p>You’ll learn that 3 upper division engineering classes are tough enough, 4 will make your life miserable, 5 isn’t fun, it’s torture. She was taking at least 5 classes a quarter and she hated her life junior/senior year. </p>
<p>Usually a lot of AP credits don’t matter, you have to take classes in your major requirements and there is only so much you can skip.</p>
<p>Average is 4.5 years I think for engineering? I remember, Hicks was a jerk to me and told me to quit chemical engineering in my last quarter of junior year cause I couldn’t solve my own theoretical question. I never did quit and I still think he’s a jerk but I thank him for teaching me a lot. </p>
<p>Engineering isn’t about how smart you are, it’s about how smart your peers are. You’re in constant competition with them, the professor ways know more than you, and the professor will use that to his/her advantage to distinguish the above average, the average and the below average.</p>
<p>Even the “smart” kids complain and hate it at times.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/684611-engineers-love-complain.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/684611-engineers-love-complain.html</a></p>
<p>BoelterHall is an engineer and can probably give you more feedback. I graduated already and am working and don’t post much but I figured drop by once in a while.</p>
<p>Hope this response helps.</p>
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<p>I like this question because it’s asked by so many students in their first year, or before. There are many points and arguments to present here. In short, you may think it’s crazy, but this is possible. It will depend on your major, your IQ, and heavily upon your work ethic & motivation.</p>
<p>In my opinion, the bottom line is your values and opportunity cost. Do you feel that sucking it up, taking more classes than your peers, spending more hours in class, studying, doing problem sets, LIVING THE COLLEGE EXPERIENCE … will outweigh the amount of money you will save for one year ($0-$50,000)?</p>
<p>If you answer yes, then pursue the 3 year plan. If not, stay additional quarters. I cannot answer that for you, but most people would answer no (the most popular supporting reason is in CAPS).</p>
<p>First, graduating in 3 years is possible. Many people say it’s not possible, but it is. Whether one recommends it is a different story. I know history majors who were done in 2 years + 1 quarter, and engineers at UCB who finished in 3. In engineering, even with AP units, graduating in 3 years will require at least one quarter with at least 5 courses. Tell us how many and which one he/she will have. 5 courses is pretty heavy. 6 engineering is very miserable and is borderline of insanity. 7 is nearly impossible.</p>
<p>Within UCLA Engineering, I know a few electrical engineering students who will graduate in 3+1quarter, and they have taken 1-3 summer school sessions. They have taken 4 courses a quarter, and 5 courses a quarter once (5th course was an easy GE). Of course, there is a tradeoff between taking the summer sessions and doing an internship/doing research, but that is also another story. They have good grades (3.5+), but they also work hard and are intelligent. It’s true that they don’t have too many free hours in the week, but they are comfortable with it. They aren’t antisocial though.</p>
<p>Mechanical and aerospace engineers can graduate in 3 years if they wish to, but not too many do. I could have graduated in 3, but I would have to take 5 and 6 my last two quarters. It’s doable, but I don’t have the rush. I would probably complain a lot those quarters about my workload. 6 MAE courses would mean my life would be going to class, coming back to study, do homework, read, eat, sleep, and repeat. Doable, but not too exciting.</p>
<p>Chemicals are different. There’s always ~one student each year, from what I’m told, who wants to get out in 3. This student would take ~28 units sometime during his/her freshman year (it’s not as bad as you think it is, but it’s all study, no play). I don’t know what woud happen, maybe the succession rate is 50%. Some people may end up how TB54 explained the girl as, or some people may become successful while doing 3 years and want to get moving with life. ChE one of the hardest to get out in less than 4 years for ChE, because of their course structure.</p>
<p>I’m not very familiar with Civil, but from their curriculum, I think it could be a 3+1 or 3+2 major since it looks flexible. As for CS or CSE, you can ask MadeInChina. Not sure about materials either.</p>
<p>As TB54 mentioned, the current average time for the average engineering major to obtain the B.S is 4+1quarter. However, I think that if the SEAS committee is able to come up with the revised course curriculum designed for the 4 year plan, it should be doable for the average student in that amount of time (comfortably). The 5 year excuse shouldn’t be valid anymore, unless a student has taken quarter(s) off due to emergency, study abroad, change of majors, drafted to military or illness. Staying longer than 4 years is a more valid excuse for dinosaur students (TB54 :rolleyes:), when they had 2-3 more classes in their curriculum, which has now been shaved off for most if not all majors. In my opinion, if you stay longer than 5 years without any good reason (laziness doesn’t count, and neither is “can’t get into a class”), then I am sorry but I have to bluntly say that you fail in life. The longest someone has stayed as a UCLA undergraduate that I know of is 6 years. </p>
<p>Anyways, those who want to get out in 3 years need to know that they will do it early on. It’s difficult to work it out if you decide to do this past your second year. (in terms of planning).</p>
<p>In summary, the question to ask yourself is “Is the money worth the trade for the college experience?” In college experience, I mean the dorm life, developing friendships, relationships, joining student organizations, finding and exploiting interests, etc. From what I hear, life after college is all downhill. Ask TB54 to verify.</p>
<p>PM me if you have more questions. I hope I wasn’t on any side of the “argument” because I am not either in support or favor of your friend’s 3 years decision.</p>
<p>yes you can, but it takes a lot of careful planning and a LOT of hard work, that might or might not be worth it in the end… i know a few who have gone through it though…</p>
<p>Dinosaur students:
Rawr, I am a dinosaur going extinct, rawr rawr? I wonder how I taste cooked (medium rare served with foie gras in a bechamel sauce) and raw (dinosaur cevice). </p>
<p>Life after college:
Life downhill after college? Besides the cougar hunting, massive amounts of drinking, debauchery running rampant, life does goes a bit downhill after college. You’re no longer with people your age, expect to relocate to some place you’re not familiar with for your job, you have to travel to different offices in different cities, it’s the typical young adult phase. You’ll ask yourself at times, what the heck am I doing? It’s called the quarter-life crisis, it’s like your puberty phase, except you apply it to your twenties. </p>
<p>Challenge:
As for competition, you have students from top public schools in California (Lowell, Monta Vista, Arcadia, San Marino, Whitney Gretchen, Saratoga, Troy, etc) and top private schools all in your major. Expect competition, it makes life more interesting. If you’re not from a top public school or top private school, it will make your life way more difficult. I personally think these schools “culture” their student to compete against one another and challenge them. You will be surprised at the drop out rate for engineering, get use to it.</p>
<p>Money:
If your friend seriously has a money issue, get him to stay the extra year or quarter and apply for internships (3 chances, F-Sop, Sop-J, J-Sen). Assuming your friend isn’t out of state, chances are he’ll negate the cost of the last year with the salary he’s getting from work experience. Not only does work experience help, opens up more possibilities.</p>
<p>Yo… Don’t let him down… Of course you can. I am currently a ME major and this is my second year in college… I will be done in 3 years and right now my GPA is a 3.78 hopefully it stays above 3.8 when i graduate… You will need to take 6 courses to get rid of the basics and well maybe some summer will help as well… so yea… and well I dont think its hard. Its just to focus and stuff…</p>
<p>I think your friend should spend non-study time on scholarship apps and stay the full 4 years. Over a few months they can probably find enough money for the extra year, maybe more. Work experience is also very versatile, some campus jobs even let you study during downtime.</p>
<p>It is possible, but your GPA may not be as high. I have a friend who could have graduated this year. Actually he still might if this petition for a minor doesn’t go through. He basically told the max units every quarter and took summer sessions every year (and he took all summer sessions with 3 classes a session)</p>
<p>Within the Class of 2010 Mechanical Engineering, I don’t know anybody who finished in 3 years. There were a few who finished a quarter early … the remaining students who planned to finish in 3 years ended up doing an exchange program or taking it light the 4th year (or doing a minor). </p>
<p>Personally I would agree with sid3000, if money is a problem, spend your time applying for scholarships. I don’t think rushing the undergrad experience is worth it, both for academic and social reasons.</p>
<p>Yes it’s very possible. One thing I wish I’d known is that I could easily petition classes taken in a community college before college for GE’s or other lower division requirements. If you take full advantage of that and take 4 classes a quarter (completely doable) along with summer school, it’s not too difficult.</p>
<p>I’m on track to graduate in 3 and 1/3 years as a CS&E major (8 classes and 1 lab left after this quarter). I skipped out on 1 lab and 6 classes thanks to CC/AP credits before college. I didn’t take any summer classes at UCLA or at CC in between the years I was at UCLA, otherwise I would’ve graduated in 3 years. Lastly I take an average of 4 classes per quarter. The most I’ve ever taken in 1 quarter is this quarter with 4 classes and 1 lab.</p>
<p>So yes it is definitely possible and one doesn’t need to take 5 or more classes a quarter.</p>
<p>My friend was able to finish EECS at Berkeley in 3 years while sleeping 10+ hours each night. Genius.</p>
<p>^hahhahahah</p>
<p>THAT IS ONE HUNDRED PERCENT TRUE…EVERY COLLEGE LOGO SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH THIS</p>
<p>RPICTON U ARE THE BEST DUDE…I GOT AN EASY FILM CLASS BECAUSE OF U…THANK U…U ARE GOD!!!</p>
