Is it possible to have fun in college AND become an engineer?

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Getting a 3.5 in any engineering program is impressive and all your extra-curriculars helped you get into a good grad school. I think the lesson is you shouldn't spend 6 hours a day studying for an A when you can get an A/B studying 1 hour a day.

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<p>Hmmm ... so you felt you could gauge your level of preparedness for all of your engineering classes - you knew how much effort was required for a particular grade? It wasn't that way for me. I had to sometimes put in an extreme amount of effort to get at least a B. For example, there were some classes where the grades were B- centered, even lower. But aside from that, I tended to pass through stages</a> of learning on the way to understanding engineering subjects.</p>

<p>Have you read the thread on how one learns? how much is retained? What do you think of that?</p>

<p>As an aside, there are some students who feel they must excel, such as these Korean</a> students. Quite eye-opening. Of course, some people who are so driven get burned out, depressed, etc.</p>

<p>simply put, the answer is no unless you like school work.</p>

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Really? What's your major? All engineers at my school take quantum and thermo their junior year.

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<p>I'm in Materials Science & Engineering. We pretty much take two semesters of required thermo during sophomore year, then I took an additional semester in the physics department my junior year. Most of my friends in MSE took quantum their junior year, but I had to take it as soon as possible so I could take some upper levels I was interested in for my physics minor.</p>

<p>This question is so broad and there are too many variables. </p>

<p>The many anecdotal examples in this thread don't apply, just because Michael Phelps can win every competition doesn't mean everyone can.</p>

<p>It will obviously depend on your school, semester load, professors, your level of intuition, work hours, time management</p>

<p>+1 to elpajuo. You can't say everyone can go out several times a week, seeing as how it depends on too many factors.</p>

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The many anecdotal examples in this thread don't apply, just because Michael Phelps can win every competition doesn't mean everyone can.

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<p>I'm not Michael Phelps, though. Never have been.</p>

<p>I really should have been an English major. If I hadn't blown out my wrists, I would have likely been a piano performance major. That's where all my dinky high school trophies and medals and ribbons came from, not math or science. I was far better at languages than I ever was at math or science, but I <em>liked</em> engineering, and I <em>loved</em> the idea of designing buildings. So I figured out what I needed to do in order to succeed at them-- ask questions, take good notes, and make sure I understood material before moving on to the next (though occasionally, that was a lost cause).</p>

<p>I'm not naturally brilliant at this stuff, though, and never have been. I just use the time I have to work effectively.</p>

<p>Don't be fooled by what you see outside. There's a lot of engineers studying their asses off that you will probably never see because... they're not outside! Just go with the 1 free day per week. Hell, you could do friday afternoons AND saturday nights if you commit to studying saturday mornings and sundays.</p>

<p>Look, the point is, do whatever works for you. Plenty of engineers have lives. Those who care to have a life outside of engineering ultimately end up being able to do so.</p>

<p>Nobody can prescribe what you ought to do, and nobody can say for sure how many hours you need to spend studying every day, or how many scant hours you can spend doing something aside from brushing up on your understanding of proofs from differential equations. Just know that if you don't break yourself to get an A and settle for a B sometimes, you're not going to have your career ruined. In fact, in a lot of cases, the rewards outweigh the slight lowering of your GPA.</p>

<p>All work and no play makes for a person I don't really want to spend forty hours a week with, anyhow. On an interview, a potential boss asked, "What are you interested in?" so I answered with my research interests, and he cut me off mid-word. "No," he snapped, "what do you do? What do you do that's actually interesting?" (Seismic disaster research isn't interesting?? Okay...) "I sing and play jazz piano in my own band, and we play coffee houses on weekends," I said. He smiled and said, "Thank you. Good." I got the job. I don't think I would have if I hadn't had a good answer to that question.</p>

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The many anecdotal examples in this thread don't apply, just because Michael Phelps can win every competition doesn't mean everyone can.

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<p>The reverse is also true then. Not everyone is overwhelmed by the workload. Not everyone hates their life. Not everyone hates what they're studying and working on. </p>

<p>There are some of each type of student out there, so either lifestyle is possible. It's just up to you to make it happen.</p>

<p>what aibarr said</p>

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Hell, you could do friday afternoons AND saturday nights if you commit to studying saturday mornings and sundays.

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<p>Where the heck is this coming from?</p>

<p>man..all that studying and hard work...is it really worth it? </p>

<p>i heard its pretty hard to make over 90k unless you have like 10 years experience</p>

<p>azndude not everyone does their job purely to make money. Most people do engineering because they enjoy what they do. To anyone who graduates with an engineering degree it's worth it. They enjoy their jobs and make good money. Not many professions really boast a higher paycheck unless they are a doctor or lawyer in which they also require more school and have more stressful jobs.</p>

<p>I get the feeling that many people on this thread have never actually had a job, especially one that they hate. You soon realize that there are other things in life than money by which you measure whether something is "really worth it."</p>

<p>I have seen people who have "lives" ended up changing their major to businees or IE. I should have been a leisure studies major.</p>

<p>No. No it's not. Is that what you wanted to hear? You want to spend 40K to have fun? Why even go to college? Hire a couple of strippers and head to Cancun.</p>

<p>Finding a way to pack in downtime is essential, if you don't want to live those 3 or 4 years being a miserable, stressed-out sod. You'll be able to retain all that stuff you learn a lot better if you take the time to unwind and have your mind engaged in something other than your school work (or hell, even nothing at all); it'll keep your blood pressure down and you won't be as antsy.</p>

<p>I work 60-70 hours a week, 6 days a week, as a mech. on an airfield. I'm taking part-time classes, working on specialization certifications (like FAA A&P), and doing my regular duties. If I didn't go and shoot my guns on weekends, float down the local river/lake, or camp out at the Sequoias with no cares on my mind, I'd probably have lost it. </p>

<p>It's not a question of 'is it possible', it's a NECESSITY to have fun; your mental (& physical) health will thank you greatly for it.</p>

<p>I find a lot of people waste the majority of their time. If you cut the ******** and study when your supposed to, you save your self hours every week. Those freed up hours can then become either free time to enjoy something, or sit around and do nothing if you choose</p>

<p>You don't do it because of the money. You go into engineering because you like it. And in the end it's worth it.<br>
1. Set aside everything in your life and study like crazy for 4+ years. You'll be rewarded once you graduate. Trust me.<br>
2. If you're smart, you don't really have to study that hard to get 3.0+. That would get you a good job in engineering and it will not be less than 45k. </p>

<p>I know at least 3 people with perfect 4.0 GPA during the time I was an undergrad in EE (1 was my TA, 1 went to grad school in MIT and one took a job not related to engineering at all for the money).</p>

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2. If you're smart, you don't really have to study that hard to get 3.0+. That would get you a good job in engineering and it will not be less than 45k.

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<p>This is one of those things that's dependent upon the school, professors, other students, and so forth, but IME, it is very risky to assume that someone's natural abilities are going to carry one through an engineering program. It's especially true if it's a competitive engineering program. I know several people who thought they didn't have to study hard; could catch up after falling behind; could cram for exams - these people got hosed, sometimes pretty badly. I'm not saying one should never take out some time for oneself, but it's necessary to make an honest assessment of the amount of time it takes to cover material, prepare for exams, etc.</p>

<p>I don't know anyone who does not have to study, take notes in class, do homework even if its optional, and make just about every class and can still get a 3.0+ gpa.</p>