<p>Hello ya'll!</p>
<p>So someone told me that his friend is a freshman at A&M- College Station studying PetE and he have no social life what so ever... Is it true?
Have anyone of you guys experienced this studying a different major? Is it mostly for the first year since it takes time to settle in? Will the classes get harder?</p>
<p>It’s not true for any engineering major. That friend probably just doesn’t know how to properly manage his time yet. Considering he’s a freshman, he should have plenty of free time.</p>
<p>Yes the classes get harder. This is college after all.</p>
<p>I just finished my first year in Nuclear Engineering. And at A&M all engineers take nearly identical schedules their freshman year. So all freshman engineers will have the same load depending on number of hours they are taking. </p>
<p>Not having any social life is not entirely true. Depends on the aptitude of the student, his/her learning process, NUMBER of hours taking that semester. </p>
<p>Some weeks/weekends when you have a test or a project due freshman year, you will not have a life. But other weeks you can have some time to relax, I would say about every other week the two switch. I am also entering my second year, but am advanced and have taken some upper level courses. And classes do get harder. What I suggest is make friends with people in your classes, work on homework and study for tests with them. You will still be working but it will be much more enjoyable than doing it alone.</p>
<p>Time management is key, do not waste much time. Eat with friends, enjoy a movie every so often, and when you do
have free time take advantage of it. Please let me know if you have any other questions, would love to help.</p>
<p>My son, in a different engineering department, would not say that he has had no social life, but I guess it would be fair to say that his social life is somewhat limited. He thoroughly enjoys his time there, even though he’s busy. He takes a huge course load each semester, and his grades are important to him, so yes, his social life has not been front and center for the past few years. But it’s certainly been good enough!</p>
<p>Just as RadHealth suggested, my son spends lots of time collaborating with other engineering students and has made good friends in the process. He goes to the gym 5 days a week with friends. A group of his friends will often get together to watch games on someone’s TV while finishing up their homework. He meets a small group of friends for dinner almost every night (typically on campus). And he goes out a few times each weekend – for lunch, or for dinner, or to a park, or to a club for a few beers, or to a movie. He’s very involved in a particular extracurricular activity and has friends in that group, as well as various engagements to attend with the group. He also spends a good deal of time with his girlfriend each week.</p>
<p>He’s very happy at A&M. But there’s no doubt that, for the vast majority of people, if you want to put out a great product (=great grades), academically, as an engineering student at A&M, there are going to be some limits on your social life, even if you’re very bright and even if you’re very good at managing your time.</p>
<p>And I would agree with the others here – the classes get harder and/or more demanding over time, and the workloads increase, not decrease. </p>
<p>But this kind of lifestyle can be fun and rewarding! Zero social life for 4 years would not be a good or healthy thing. But I think it’s possible for most people to have a (possibly somewhat limited) social life AND do well in school. </p>
<p>My guess is that this friend of a friend may have faced some academic challenges in his freshman year that he never had to face before, and that caught him off guard and possibly scared or frustrated him … or, like the others here have said, he simply hasn’t yet learned proper time-management skills (possibly because he’s never had to face academic challenges before) … or, he simply doesn’t find the work rewarding enough to compensate for the sacrifices … or, he’s simply not the best match for an engineering degree, whether that’s academically or emotionally/socially.</p>
<p>The good news is that he’s still new at this. LOTS of freshmen take time to understand their own priorities and make appropriate adjustments. LOTS of freshmen take time to learn proper time-management skills, especially if they never felt the need to use those skills in high school. And LOTS of freshmen get scared and/or frustrated when they discover that college is harder and more time-consuming than they originally expected. So, it’s all normal, normal.</p>
<p>There are resources available at A&M to help him with the academics so that he can feel more free to socialize. Or he may prefer to, and find the wherewithal to, help himself, just by making his mind up to readjust his priorities, put his nose to the grindstone most hours of most days, and redefine what it means to have a social life. It’s all a matter of priorities, and if he really wants that engineering degree, he can feel in control by making a conscious choice to put work ahead of play during most times of the week.</p>
<p>And if he discovers that he’s not the best match for an engineering degree, well then, he still “wins!” That’s part of what college is all about – finding yourself, and where you belong, and what you most enjoy, and where your skills serve you best. </p>
<p>So, if you’re considering an engineering degree at A&M, Ramish, please don’t worry. It’s hard. But if you want it, it will be worth it to you. And if you end up discovering that you don’t want it, that should be okay, too! Most college educators know that discovering what you want to do and what you can do in life is one of the most important aspects of the college experience! </p>
<p>Best of luck to you! If this is something you really want, and if you are accepted by the Dwight School, then chances are very good that it’s something you CAN do! … with a social life! 
Wishing you the best! :)</p>