How is college life for a Mechanical Engineer?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Answer whichever you like or just describe your experience overall…

  1. How much do you sleep? (average hours)
  2. How is your social life?
  3. How stressed are you on average (1-10)
  4. Why are you stressed…is it the class material/ the projects & work assigned/ the studying ?
  5. What is the hardest class you’ve taken as an ME? and why?
  6. How tough are the Physics and Calc courses?
  7. Did you use any AP credits?
  8. On average, how much do you study (hours) ?
  9. Do you regret your major/ wish you would’ve gone with an easier one?
  10. What are your average grades or GPA ?
  11. Toughest year and why?
  12. YOUR advice to future MEs would be…
  13. what would be the ideal freshman schedule for an ME?
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@rasofia, Physics and Calculus are just the tip of the difficulty iceberg in an engineering curriculum, anywhere. They are foundational concepts too, so it’s very important that you actually understand them. Most of your future classes will build on them.

As @boneh3ad said in a different thread, it’s possible to play hard and study hard, but it will be far more difficult than your friends in business or biology will be facing. Again, engineering is difficult, no matter where you go.

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Haha, it feels weird being the “last poster” on several consecutive threads.

These answers will vary wildly depending on the school you go to, your schedule, your work ethic, and your aptitude.

  1. How much do you sleep? (average hours)

Ideal: 8
Me: 6-7

  1. How is your social life?

Ideal: very good, socialize to find friends, maybe romantic partners, and professional contacts, engineering societies, clubs, classes, etc.

Me: LOL

  1. How stressed are you on average (1-10)

Ideal: 5, or enough to get you excited and keep you on your toes, but not more. Just don’t cram and keep things in perspective.

Me: 8

  1. Why are you stressed…is it the class material/ the projects & work assigned/ the studying ?

I procrastinate more than I should.

  1. What is the hardest class you’ve taken as an ME? and why?

Partial differential equations for obvious reasons, but that wasn’t required. Of the required classes, it’s probably been ordinary differential equations or intro to engineering designs, but mainly because I procrastinated like a stupid idiot (the latter in particular is actually an easy class). In terms of real, non-procrastinating difficulty, it’s probably been electronics or thermodynamics, mainly due to arbitrary differences in curves and more in-depth content matter.

  1. How tough are the Physics and Calc courses?

I AP’d out of Calc I and II but general consensus is that I is easy, II is a weed-out. Calc III I found easy because I already took it in high school.

I thought the physics classes were really easy, but I took IB physics and studied for the AP exam.

  1. Did you use any AP credits?

Specifically for engineering classes I AP’s out of Calc I/II and Physics I.

  1. On average, how much do you study (hours) ?

Like five hours a week, but I have been terrible with my work ethic, and I’m also good enough to not-fail with this. The average engineering student studies like 25-30 IIRC, google it if you’re not sure.

  1. Do you regret your major/ wish you would’ve gone with an easier one?

I like engineering, but I’m not sure if mechanical was the best option - on the one hand, it’s easier and I’m particularly good with mechanics, on the other hand, electrical/chemical pay better. I also think comp sci is a better career choice, personal interests notwithstanding, if you think you’re a good coder, but not necessarily a better major since you can self-learn it.

  1. What are your average grades or GPA ?

Not telling!

  1. Toughest year and why?

Freshman year for maturity reasons.

  1. YOUR advice to future MEs would be…
  1. Please, please have a good work ethic.
  2. Try to get a social life.
  3. Be proactive in finding internships, etc.
  4. Diversify your skillset, but not too much.
  1. what would be the ideal freshman schedule for an ME?

This really depends on which AP credits you come in with. I’d say don’t take more than 15 credits because you won’t be used to university coursework.

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What is this “life” that you speak of?

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@RMIBstudent You have no idea how much I appreciate your response. Thank you so much.

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I’m a non-traditional student (I’m about to graduate at 34), but I’m going to answer your questions anyway. Hopefully they help…

  1. How much do you sleep? (average hours)
    7-8 hours most nights. Things can get a bit hairy around finals week or if a big project is due, but not always.

  2. How is your social life?
    It’s decent. I don’t have much time M-F, but that’s also because I work full-time while attending school full-time. That said, every Friday night is date night with the wife, we often spend time with friends on Saturday nights, and normally I have a full Saturday or Sunday to do things until the last few weeks of the semester.

  3. How stressed are you on average (1-10)
    First 25% of engineering: 7
    Middle 50%: 4-5
    Last 25%: 7-9

  4. Why are you stressed…is it the class material/ the projects & work assigned/ the studying ?
    The initial wave of math and balancing a new life priority are tough, but manageable. The middle bit you start to feel like a pro. The last bit for me is stressful because I want to continue my strong grades, but nearly every class has labs and/or projects in addition to regular work. Oh…and I want to graduate, haha

  5. What is the hardest class you’ve taken as an ME? and why?
    Calc II was a pain…but that’s not really an ME course. Fluid Dynamics was a TON of work, but I enjoyed the class despite it being difficult.

  6. How tough are the Physics and Calc courses?
    I didn’t find Physics very difficult if I studied. Calc I was pretty easy, II was a bear, and III was sort of like the victory lap (not that it was a breeze, but in comparison to the previous class…)

  7. Did you use any AP credits?
    I went back to school at 28, so no…

  8. On average, how much do you study (hours) ?
    This really depends on the semester. I typically took 12 credits per semester and would study/do homework 10-20 hours per week. Some semesters I was able to skate in the 5-10 hour range, other semesters were much higher (I’m putting 30 hours/week into my senior design project alone currently)

  9. Do you regret your major/ wish you would’ve gone with an easier one?
    I’m already working in my preferred industry making more money than almost any other undergraduate major right out of school. It’s difficult, and that’s what I like about it. In my current job, I’m expected to figure things out, material nor answers are spoon fed. And that’s why I picked this field in the first place…

  10. What are your average grades or GPA ?
    My overall and major GPAs are both 3.72

  11. Toughest year and why?
    Senior year: classes ramp up in difficulty and the amount of work, while it’s tough to stay motivated sometimes.

  12. YOUR advice to future MEs would be…
    Pay attention in your early classes, you’re building the base for the second half of your program. Ask questions, get involved, let it grow on you. If you find yourself working out problems in your head while you’re on a bus or walking down a hall, you know you picked the right field. When you think you’re stuck, walk away for 5 minutes and come back. You’ll be amazed at how often a slight break or change or perspective helps.

  13. what would be the ideal freshman schedule for an ME?
    I was in a little different situation, but you definitely want to get started on your math and science prerequisites as quickly as possible. My school even spells out a sample schedule from freshmen to senior year to keep you on track. You probably want to get into Calc I and II as soon as possible, perhaps a math/science elective, Physics, maybe an intro CAD or programming class, and a few general electives. Try and spread those out throughout your college career. You’ll appreciate the semesters when you can lean on something easy like History 101 rather than taking 3-5 upper level ME classes.

Good Luck!!

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@Dino81 Wow, that was EXTREMELY helpful!!! Thank you soooooo much!! I really appreciate your advice. I wish you all the best in your Engineering career and your life. Your family must be so proud of you for going back and continuing your education. That’s awesome!! You did it.

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@Dino81

What kind of job do you do that allows you to work while going to school full-time?

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@StevenToCollege

I worked in IT for the majority of the time. It was a give and take relationship. Sometimes they were really flexible with me as far as adjusting my schedule, other times I would have to work nights or weekends to make it work or cover gaps for them. To be honest, I fell into a great situation with a pretty big company. Through all of my work experiences, I’ve found it’s your direct manager that makes the difference.

One other way I made it work…I took community college classes the first 2.5 of 6 years, which were almost all at night. Some of my 200 and 300 level classes at university were tougher to schedule, but most of my 400 level classes were in the evening as well. By doing my best to alleviate conflicts, I found my employer was more willing to let me work earlier or later here and there.

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@Dino81

Thank you for sharing your experiences with me. I really admire a person like yourself. I remember when I went to Berkeley decades ago, I met a 30+ years old classmate who came back to school after years of working experiences. He studied hard and really treasured the chance that he got at Berkeley. Unlike me, I simply took it for granted.

I came across your posts because my son is currently a freshman at Berkeley pursing mechanical engineering. He is also thinking about dual major in ME/EECS and is wondering if the combo will give him the advantage over just ME or EECS. Do you have any suggestion?

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A dual degree like that is highly unlikely to be helpful. Employers usually have an opening on a team that requires a certain set of skills, generally falling entirely or almost entirely under one branch of engineering. In other words, they may be looking for a mechanical engineer or they may be looking for an electrical engineer, but rarely would they be looking for the same person to do both.

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At my school ME is an incredibly tough curriculum. Junior year is especially difficult. Expect to have very little free time if you want to do well (3.5+). Make ME friends because if your friends are different majors, by the time you hit junior year they will not understand why you can never do anything with them. Stress level 10 if you couldn’t tell yet.