<p>I recently started thinking about majoring in mechanical engineering. However I am somewhat worried about how the work load may affect my social life. I'm not trying to be lazy here. I actually had a few personal issues and had to start college late. I had to take some refresher classes because I did no sort of math or science while I was away from school. Anyway my personal problem had me socially isolated for a very long time. I didn't actually have much social interaction for years other than occasional outings and it led to me having a lot of hangups. Things have gotten better now and I have gotten rid of most of my problems but I'm worried that if I do major in mechanical engineering that I end up being isolated again. </p>
<p>I was really excited about finding something I wanted to do and understood that I would always have to give up time to study. But I have read a lot about engineering majors spending more time than most studying the material and that worries me. I have a serious hangup about isolating myself like that again and I'm worried that I could run into health problems. I feel strongly about majoring in mechanical engineering but I'm not sure if I can do something that would put me into a similar situation again. </p>
<p>I don't mean to complain but those years were terrible and just the thought of going through something like that again worries me. I'm not really sure what to do. I want to major in mechanical engineering but the social issue is giving me pause. It may seem like a trivial thing to most but I feel like I "wasted" a lot of my life being alone and I don't know if I can handle much of that again. Yeah I'm only 23 but I reckon these years are just as valuable as the ones when I turn 33... </p>
<p>I could really use some advice on how I should decide what to do.</p>
<p>We do spend more time studying than most, but it’s generally not unmanageable. It will probably take more effort than you’re used to, and you might have to cut a few things out of your day. As long as you’re taking a normal course load, though, you won’t feel isolated because you’re short on time.</p>
<p>It will depend on a lot of factors - What school you go to; Which classes you’re taking during each semester; The number of classes you’re taking each semester; How well you grasp the material; etc.</p>
<p>You don’t have to be isolated. Try to take 4 classes per semester, once you get into the more advanced courses especially. Some people try to push it to the limit (literally) and they [usually] spend all of their time studying and not getting the best grades.</p>
<p>If establishing new friendships is not the issue and you already have a large network of friends and your isolation is due to other issues, then no academic program should come in the way of that. People that study incessantly in engineering programs have usually put themselves in that situation. Some people are overachievers. Some study very inefficiently and must study more for the same outcome as others. Some have taken on ridiculous course loads, usually these are people that would rather get isolated by school anyways. Just look at your program and see what kind of ratio of pure engineering courses to non-engineering courses you take. Try to balance this around that ratio each semester. Just because there may be a plan showing you what you need to take and when does not mean you have to follow it. If you understand the pre-reqs correctly you can alter this to your needs. I’ve been able to obtain a 50:50 ratio of engineering to non-engineering classes (given my non-engineering classes have mostly consisted of physics, chemistry, and math). And I was able to do that by electing to add an extra semester to my undergraduate career. Depending on the program, you may need to take a higher ratio of engineering courses. You should never come upon a semester where you have to take nothing but engineering classes (I know people that have done this, some had good reasons, many more had no reason at all). </p>
<p>If you’re starting out fresh with a blank slate then I can not stress enough trying to build a solid foundation for at least your first 4 semesters. Courses will only get more difficult. If it’s easy to get an A in a class, don’t take a C out of pure laziness. Because while that’s a luxury other majors may have, its not a luxury engineers have. You will have far too many difficult classes bringing down your GPA. Build a solid foundation in these first 2 years and you will not need to stress out about making Cs and Bs in your junior and senior level courses. Some course will require a small amount of effort to move from a C to a B. The same course may require double the amount of effort to get from a B to an A. If you can afford to do so, don’t kill yourself trying to make that jump, because not every class is like that. If you just go at your own pace there will always be time for a social life, even if it means taking an extra year to graduate.</p>
<p>It depends on too much to really tell you. If you have a habit of falling into a state of depression, that will hurt you. If you just can’t grasp calculus and physics, you will flail around hopelessly and have no chance of getting anything better than a C in most of your classes. If you work efficiently, you can cut down on most time sinks in engineering (study groups, tutor sessions etc). Your mileage will vary greatly, but almost all problems are rooted in a weak understanding of the fundamentals (calculus, physics, statics+dynamics in your case).</p>