<p>Hey guys, I'm going to be enrolling at UCSB for this fall as an electrical engineer and was wondering what it would be like. I know I'm going to have to work my butt off and I won't have a lot of free time, but I'm okay with that, as long as I have SOME time for sleeping, extracurriculars, and the occasional partying. How are the professors? The classes? The general environment? Are there research opportunities for freshmen? When should I apply for scholarships? Any tips to offer? Thanks!</p>
<p>I’m EE.
The more time you spend learning (actually learning and investing time to understand) the basics in like ECE 2ABC, or any class really, will make your future classes much easier. Don’t JUST do the homework. </p>
<p>One thing to remember is that you should befriend professors (i.e. go to office hours and do research) so you can ask for Letters of Rec.</p>
<p>Despite all this hard work, your career will be determined by internships, part-time jobs and other experiences. The coursework is just the bare minimum.</p>
<p>Partying loses it’s magic as you mature and realize that it just takes away from time to study and get **** done. That said, I still find it fun to take a night off to drink. Intramural sports are legit too.</p>
<p>I echo the advice above, that just doing the homework isn’t enough. You need to understand the material. A rule of thumb, BTW, is that you will spend 3 hours outside of class for every hour in class. Some classes are easier, some may take more, but if you’re finishing in 3 hours a week you’re probably not doing enough. </p>
<p>For most of your math/science/technical classes you can find a “Problem-Solver” book for them. Probably the best $20 you’ll ever spend! These are thick workbooks with hundreds of solved problems on each topic you’ll cover in class. After reading your textbook you open to the right chapter and then try to solve problems with the solution covered. If you get one wrong the book has the complete steps to get to the answer; read it over until you understand it, then cover the solution and repeat it until you get it right. Once you’ve done this the homework should come without too much trouble since you’ve really mastered the material.</p>
<p>2 links you might find useful are [On</a> Becoming a Math Whiz: My Advice to a New MIT Student](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2011/04/28/on-becoming-a-math-whiz-my-advice-to-a-new-mit-student/]On”>On Becoming a Math Whiz: My Advice to a New MIT Student - Cal Newport) and [How</a> to Ace Calculus: The Art of Doing Well in Technical Courses](<a href=“http://calnewport.com/blog/2008/11/14/how-to-ace-calculus-the-art-of-doing-well-in-technical-courses/]How”>How to Ace Calculus: The Art of Doing Well in Technical Courses - Cal Newport)</p>
<p>Nationwide about 2/3rds of those that start as EE majors don’t finish. I think the main reason is not lack of ability, its lack of the willingness to do what it takes to succeed. I should also point out that what engineers actually do in their day-to-day working life is not much like school, so I’d strongly recommend getting a sense of what the job is like early on so that you can switch if it isn’t a fit for you.</p>
<p>Thank you, both of you, that was some great advice! @mikemac thank you for those links! A few more questions:</p>
<p>Speaking of internships and research, what are some good opportunities for freshmen to do either? I’ve been looking into them, and it seems like most of them are for upper division students only. </p>
<p>Are there good leadership opportunities? If so, will I have the time to partake in a few?</p>
<p>How much time per week will I be able to take my mind off of academics and still have a solid GPA?</p>
<p>I want to have a good game plan early on so I don’t screw up somehow in the end, like I did in high school haha.</p>
<p>@blingdoop hey thanks for replying in my thread about cell phone coverage. coincidentally, i’m an EE major too.</p>
<p>@keltix and @mikemac thanks a lot for the great tips</p>
<p>its not easy to get involved in research per se your frosh year, but there is plenty you can do to participate. There are often student projects where they are building something like a high-mileage car, a robot, etc. to enter in student contests. Owning a piece of one of these projects is valuable experience that looks great on a resume, and gives networking opportunities; companies send reps to the contests and are often looking to collect resumes from participants. See also <a href=“http://www.research.ucsb.edu/undergrad/index.shtml[/url]”>http://www.research.ucsb.edu/undergrad/index.shtml</a> </p>
<p>As to hours per week I can’t put a solid number on it for you; maybe you have aptitudes you don’t know about yet and it takes less time than most people, or maybe you have to work a bit harder than most people. The 3 hours per week rule of thumb is a starting point, but only a starting point. The most important thing I can tell you want to make it happen, then it will. 2 links about this are [E=mc2</a> (and a lot of hard work) - National - theage.com.au](<a href=“http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/how-to-be-a-genius/2006/10/13/1160246332748.html]E=mc2”>E=mc2 (and a lot of hard work)) and <a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/magazine/07wwln_freak.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/07/magazine/07wwln_freak.html</a> </p>
<p>Like I said before, though, I think most people that give up on engineering could have made it thru, they just decided it wasn’t worth it. UCSB can be especially trying in this respect because not only is there the wonderful setting, all around you there will be people seemingly on vacation 9 weeks of the quarter while you’re going to the library or a lab. Everyone has their own tipping point, but going out on a limb here I’d say that if you’re already worried about it taking too much time perhaps subconciously you are already questioning your committment?</p>
<p>I’m not questioning my commitment. I have a strong passion for engineering, and I’ve had one since I was a kid. Giving up is definitely not an option for me haha. I just want to prepare myself for college, since high school has been a breeze (besides calc). I am going to take chem1 and math1 in a cc to get ahead of the game.</p>
<p>Anyways, thank you again for those links! I definitely want to take part in some hands on stuff, they all sound so interesting! </p>
<p>Sent from my MB855 using CC</p>
<p>By taking the Chem and Math classes this summer are you planning on signing up for the next quarter of them when you start in the Fall? Many people do this, but something to consider is the effect on your schedule. Intro Chem and Math are required for many majors so there are many class periods available for the standard A/B/C 3-quarter sequence. On the other hand fewer students enter with AP or summer credit for part of the series, so there is usually just 1 class (with several discussion times) offered for off-quarter students. The Schedule of Classes for prior quarters is online; you can look at Fall 2011 and see what was offered, which should be similar to what will be available this Fall. </p>
<p>I’m not saying this is a strong reason not to take them this summer, but its worth thinking about. An alternative would be to take classes that would help satisfy your breadth requirements but is not part of a year-long sequence.</p>
<p>One other book I’d recommend you read this summer is “What Smart Students Know”. Written by a co-founder of the Princeton Review prep service, it aims to explain how to study for different classes, how to take tests effectively, etc. You can also find lots of info online such as at [University</a> of St. Thomas : Academic Support Center](<a href=“http://www.stthomas.edu/academicsupport/studyLinks/default.html]University”>http://www.stthomas.edu/academicsupport/studyLinks/default.html) Don’t be surprised by a few rough moments; many college students are in the same boat, among the top students in their HS without having to work too hard. That, I can promise you, will change.</p>
<p>Best of luck to you in your studies!</p>
<p>Oh I did not take that into consideration, thank you for that information! But suppose I take a math or chem class in a cc and I can’t move to the next level in ucsb. I could still take other classes that is required for my major/university right? It’s not like I wasted my time or anything, is it? </p>
<p>And yes, I know I will be in for a shock, and I’m going to do everything I can this summer to make it easier for me to handle.</p>
<p>Thanks for helping me through this process!</p>
<p>Sent from my MB855 using CC</p>
<p>
Not sure what you mean here. Are you asking what happens if UCSB doesn’t give you credit for one quarter of math or chem equivalent to the UCSB class? Or if you mean you can’t fit the next class in the series into your schedule your 1st quarter?</p>
<p>In any event, it doesn’t really matter since I’m not a real expert on the process. But what I will say is I suggest picking classes that give you not just vanilla unit credit towards the 180 or so you need to graduate, but that also satisfy some requirement you need to meet such as breadth requirements or are part of a sequence you need to complete.</p>
<p>as a CS major (not EE), i agree with all of the above. i would just like to add that it’s really easy to pull off a B in your first year courses with minimal studying. getting an A (what really matters) is what is really hard; maybe a good 30% can pull off a 3.5 their first quarter, but it’s hard after that…most people end up with around a 3.3 each quarter, getting a 3.8 is top 10%…</p>
<p>so it’s not as hard as people are making it out to be, but it’s hard to be truly high achieving, especially with all the distractions of having so much freedom in college</p>
<p>@mikemac I totally misunderstood what you had said earlier, but I understand now haha. That makes much more sense.</p>
<p>@siglio21 That is what I’ve heard as well. I will be aiming for that 10% 
I don’t get distracted easily, so I guess that is a plus for me. </p>
<p>On a kind of different note, where is the best place to study on a regular basis? Library, dorm room, etc…or is it based on personal study habits?
How often are the office hours? I hear these are really important to go to.
Is it worthwhile to join the Engineering Student Council for leadership experience?</p>
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realize UCSB students were mostly in the top 20% of HS students…so we’re really talking top 2% effort here; it’s really hard unless you have a strong intuition with the material…i would aim for a 3.5 personally</p>
<p>
library, by far. if you can find a more secluded place, though, (arts library, open conference room, etc), it would be best</p>
<p>How difficult is it to study just in your room? I understand that this depends on the room mate, but, in general?
And are Scholars floors/wings really more quiet and focused?</p>
<p>EDIT: Oh, and is there a UCSB Engineering shirt? I saw a dark blue one with gold lettering which looked very, very nice. The gray one… not so much… I want a shirt… x]</p>
<p>I was in the Scholars floor @ FT…it wasn’t any more scholarly than normal.</p>
<p>@siglio Oh, awesome, I’ll keep that in mind. Hopefully my passion will overpower the difficulty. What are the “weeder” classes that I will take in the beginning? I’m going to guess it’s physics 1…is it?</p>
<p>can EE sign up to do the 5 year program for a masters in material science?</p>
<p>Yes, but I’ve heard you have to be diligent in your studies throughout your years.</p>
<p>Check out this [page[/url</a>] and this [url="engineering.ucsb.edu/current<em>undergraduates/pdf/5yr</em>Bro_10.pdf]PDF](<a href=“http://my.sa.ucsb.edu/catalog/Current/CollegesDepartments/coe/Five-Year.aspx"]page[/url”>UC Santa Barbara General Catalog - Five-Year B.S./M.S. Degree Programs) for more information about the 5 Year B.S./M.S. programs.</p>
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<p>to be honest, no one tries to weed you out. if the content is too hard for you, then there is likely gonna be a huge curve (or some sort of grade adjustment) for the entire class. you don’t get weeded out…either you can handle it or you can’t; for example if youve taken AP chem (and did well), then chem 1abc should be easy; but if you haven’t i can be kind of a pain and highly discouraging.</p>
<p>the “departments try to kick bad students out earlier” belief is nonsensical. the more students a department has, the more money that department gets from the state. the rigor comes not from the desire to be prestigious, but simply from ideas about what you should be taught to do well so that you can succeed in future classes. gen chem/basic physics/intro to bio/circuits/diff eqs and vector calc/OOP, the “hard” LD classes, are the same in most colleges around the country, perhaps with the exception of fast track programs like at MIT and caltech. a chem 101 class at your local CC is the same as a chem 1 class at berkeley or harvard…</p>
<p>I have not taken AP chem, but I found regular chem easy! If I don’t take it in a CC this summer I’m going to take the online MIT course so that I know what to expect. </p>
<p>And that makes much more sense. Engineering just seems to be more unforgiving to students who can’t handle it. Thank you for explaining this!</p>
<p>How is the competition? I don’t think it’s as cut throat as Cal, where I’ve heard that people don’t help each other to strive for that A. Does this happen at UCSB? And cheating…I’ve heard some people say it is rampant while others say it is almost nonexistent.</p>