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

<p>the engineering majors i've known who attended lehigh seemed to do their fair share of partying...</p>

<p>There's a VERY large continuum between "don't have to study that hard" and "maybe you can take a Saturday afternoon off," guys.</p>

<p>You have to study hard. You do not have to make studying your life.</p>

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

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<p>Not really--I know a few engineers who started out near 80-85k.</p>

<p>Anyway, Engineers study hard but they party pretty hard too.</p>

<p>Try northwestern mccormick. The engineering school is in north campus very close to many of the dorms, frats and athletic facilities and they have an interesting coop program. You can alternate semesters of academics with periods of work in your field. You get paid at 60 percent or more of what a starting engineer would get paid, live on campus (if you want), without taking those messy, time-consuming classes. </p>

<p>Walter</a> P. Murphy Cooperative Engineering Education Program - Northwestern University</p>

<p>Will you have time during the day as an engineering major? Would you be studying from the time you wake up to when you go to sleep, or would you have an hour or two to go workout or just hang out? I have no desire to party while at college, but I would like time to go rock climbing or workout during the day. Also, how is being a math or physics major compared to being an engineering major?</p>

<p>Yes you will have plenty of time during the day. I manage to work 15 hours or so during the week and still have free time. It's all about managing your time. Do your homework when you get it. When studying, actually study, don't waste time. Take good notes in class. </p>

<p>I would say a physics major is just as tough as being an engineering major perhaps even more so. The thing about being a math or physics major is you will almost have to get your masters or even PhD. Not many jobs out there for a bachelors in physics or math except maybe being a programmer or something.</p>

<p>@patchorang: Yea, the key here is time management. I did that very poorly at times and so had what I called "crunch" weeks where I wouldn't do much more than study... mostly just catch-up. Even so, its not hard to find a couple of hours during the day. </p>

<p>I would suggest trying to get early morning classes. That will force you to get up early (or atleast, it should) and you might be able to get done by 1 or 2 in the afternoon. The rest of the day is yours, and you don't want to do more than 6 hours of studying a day. You won't even need to if you actually study and not waste time on youtube or something.</p>

<p>I think undergrad physics will be "easier" in the sense that you won't have as much work load. But your individual classes may be tougher and of course the typical career path for a physicist is way more strenuous than that of an engineer.</p>

<p>If you have extra time from studying, you should be doing an internship or research anyways. If you consider studying, research and an internship fun, then you should be all set.</p>

<p>I asked my students this question the other day and they answered unanimously: no!</p>

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If you have extra time from studying, you should be doing an internship or research anyways. If you consider studying, research and an internship fun, then you should be all set.

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Well of course it won't be as fun as backpacking through Europe, but you should probably consider the work at least somewhat enjoyable. Otherwise, you're in the wrong field.</p>