I will be majoring in engineering, and most likely at a school such as Illinois or Purdue or Wisconsin. These are are all highly ranked engineering universities. Does the academic load/homework play a significant enough factor in daily life to where I A LOT less free time?
With more lab and project based courses, engineering majors tend to require a greater time commitment than other majors.
Just reduce your course load if you feel overwhelmed. 17-18 hours of hardcore math and science classes a semester sounds miserable. I’d also question if I was “truly” learning the material. If you still want to graduate on time think about taking summer classes for your freshman and sophomore years (Dedicate your junior and senior to internships, might be able to knock some easy gen-ed, online class out during this time as well). A lot of the courses build on one another, so learning the material of a previous class well, will only make the next class easier.
Also, I don’t think anyone will look down upon you for taking 5 years instead of 4 to obtain an engineering degree. (Some schools even design degree plans this way)
However, taking more than eight semesters will cost more. If you think that you will want to take a lighter course load each semester, budget for nine or ten semesters (and remember that scholarships and financial aid often run out after eight semesters).