<p>Do schools expect you to know all about engines and how to put them together?
Is it bad if i have never worked with cars or machines, but would like to be a mechanical engineer?</p>
<p>Absolutely not.
The only skills required are the math and science skills.</p>
<p>Seconding. Some of your classmates might know something about engines and whatnot, but it's not going to help them in any spectacular ways. No worries.</p>
<p>Are there any mechanical engineering classes that are taught through labs without any books?</p>
<p>For with vs. without books, it really depends upon the professor. That's pretty true for most classes/fields in college, incidentally.</p>
<p>And yeah, most engineering majors have lab courses of some type, and some of those are either with or without lectures. It really depends.</p>
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Do schools expect you to know all about engines and how to put them together?
Is it bad if i have never worked with cars or machines, but would like to be a mechanical engineer?
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Engines? I don't even know what a wrench was until last week, and I did fine during my first year as a M.E. major.</p>
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Engines? I don't even know what a wrench was until last week, and I did fine during my first year as a M.E. major.
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<p>LOL.........</p>
<p>I think you are confusing Mechanical Engineering with Engineering Technology.Mechanical Engineering is mostly Physics and Math the first two years-that is why many students can go to pre-medicine schools.</p>
<p>one of the dissapointments of my life is when I discovered, after going through a competitive mechanical engineering program, that at the end, I cannot fix my own car. At the time when I was in school, I knew how the theory works for engines, refrigerators, and how to solve problems using calculus. The curriculum I went through was practical and theory based, however I think theory really dominates, therefore, I was doing a ton of math problems basically. </p>
<p>Now, 5 years later, I hardly remember any of the specifics I learned in college, but i've acquired a very important skill through engineering, that is learning how to learn and how to get answers from scratch, those skills have served me well in my consulting career. </p>
<p>Don't worry about it, unless ... if you want to be a mechanic.</p>
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one of the dissapointments of my life is when I discovered, after going through a competitive mechanical engineering program, that at the end, I cannot fix my own car.
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<p>I am similarly depressed that I cannot construct my own parking garage. =(</p>
<p>If I take Physics and Calculus in High School would I be fairly well prepared for the first year of Mechanical Engineering?</p>
<p>Yes, you'll be fine.
(Might want to try for AP Phys C and AP BC Calc, if they're offered... it might knock off a course or two that you'd have to take your freshman year.)</p>
<p>Okay, thank you for your assistance.</p>
<p>To OP: all the answers you have currently received are quite correct. Your first years of school, and in fact your entire ME program, will be much more heavily oriented toward applied math and science than "practical" mechanical knowledge. However, a question you should ask yourself (I am wondering here as well) is why you want to be an ME if you've displayed no real interest in mechanical things or machinery up to this point. Eventually as a working engineer you will need to be involved with practical mechanical issues, since no engineering employer is really interested in math/science for its own sake.</p>
<p>I am sure I would enjoy learning how to assemble cars and other machines. What I was saying is that I have not had the opportunity to do so. I was worried that hands on experience with actual engines and machines would be expected of new students.</p>
<p>I'd say you'd be more expected to have had experience with Legos, Tinkertoys, and K'Nex. Anything above that is probably considered a bonus.</p>
<p>I'd recommend trying to take a woodshop/metalshop class as soon as possible, though. At my school, those classes were reserved for MechE, art, and architecture majors, and they were in pretty high demand. I had wanted to take one, since knowing those sorts of things are good skills for life, but unfortunately I couldn't.</p>
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I am sure I would enjoy learning how to assemble cars and other machines. What I was saying is that I have not had the opportunity to do so. I was worried that hands on experience with actual engines and machines would be expected of new students.
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<p>It's not expected, but it is very helpful if you know SOME. That's because if you don't know anything, you probably won't have the initiative to join some mechanical project clubs. But you're fine if you don't join these clubs; they're for your interest in learning.</p>
<p>I was in the same position as you, started ME and didn't know how any engines work, or simple mechanisms.</p>
<p>A basic pre-knowledge, special interest or specialization in a mechanical device or category can help you in courses .. not a whole lot of advantage, and not necessary though.</p>
<p>For example, in CAD, you may be asked to create an isometric view of anything. If someone was interested in a motorcycle and knew how everything works and all the components, then he/she will ace that assignment. Otherwise, you can still apply the theory and still get the same result (if you had no experience), but it will just take longer.</p>
<p>Prior knowledge needed?</p>
<p>Absolutely not--you will learn it all through your course work.</p>
<p>I am not a hands-on person.. can I still ace ME?</p>
<p>I dont think you really have to make anything except for an intro design project, and a senior design project. Most everything is theoretical</p>