^ print that shit out and tape it to your wall, oh yeah, and once again, if you're instructor is Moody Chu, get the hell out of there...

"OR I KICK YOU!!!!!"

7/2/2008 3:00:24 AM

And if you no do your homework, YOU DIE!!!!!!

If I come up on you later after you pass my class and I ask you what is fundamental theory of calculus and you no know the answer, I KILL YOU! YOU DIE!!!

7/2/2008 3:19:41 AM

Quote :

"it depends on your area, but real engineering is typically behind a desk"

Define designer. And from what I have seen in just a few years, the best of the best engineers I have met all have field experience. The worst engineers (but ones who think they are invincible and always right) are the ones without field experience

obviously I do sit in front of a computer most of the time, but I do get sent out to factories and job sites and stuff too and I know I will have a full time field assignment sometime in the next few years.

[Edited on July 2, 2008 at 7:56 AM. Reason : ]

7/2/2008 7:46:45 AM

Quote :

"dont do engineering unless you like to sit at a desk for 8 hours a day once you graduate."

Quote :

"it depends on your area, but real engineering is typically behind a desk"

you're only going to sit behind a desk if you want to sit behind a desk....or you are too complacent to change. there are plenty of engineering jobs (in all concentrations) that are not stagnent. all you have to do is look around and ask.

the people that complain are the ones who won't do anything to change their position.



[Edited on July 2, 2008 at 8:48 AM. Reason : d]

7/2/2008 8:47:25 AM

dont make pot head friends or hang around pot head friends.


about 3/4 of them have either dropped out or are in a major that doesnt require to you to go to college.... slacker majors like PRT

7/2/2008 2:27:34 PM

Quote :

"Define designer. And from what I have seen in just a few years, the best of the best engineers I have met all have field experience. The worst engineers (but ones who think they are invincible and always right) are the ones without field experience"

oh, i never tried to claim otherwise, but design--developing a plan for a product or system--is the sine qua non of engineering and by-and-large happens from behind a desk or computer screen

7/2/2008 2:53:31 PM

ok thats what I figured you were talking about. Thats how I would view it, but the company I am at refers to "Designers" as CAD and 3D modelers.

And I agree that the majority of it happens behind a desk. But I cant tell you how many times just since I've worked here that something worked out mathematically, or on paper, etc. But doesnt work out quite right in the field. A lot of things can be learned by actually spending time in the manufacturing facility looking at the design process of equipment, or on site when they are installing the equipment or anything else you designed. They make (or "strongly encourage") our engineers to be open to take a 6 to 12 month field assignment working in construction support on one of our job sites within our first 3-5 years out of school. I'm definitely looking forward to it

7/2/2008 3:10:23 PM

i enjoyed moody chu's calc 3 class

7/2/2008 7:50:55 PM

engineering in school is cool. engineering in the real world is boring, unless you work for nasa, boeing, or something sweet like that.

7/2/2008 9:54:14 PM

um how about the exact opposite. engineering in school was boring. mostly examples that dont have a lot of merit in relation to the real world because the scope of the problem is so small. its plug and go with equations 90% of the time.

Engineering in the real world however is so much more fun.

7/2/2008 11:40:15 PM

I had a lot more fun with the engineering internships I had because they were all in the field. Way more exciting than learning something out of a textbook in-class.

TBH, though, I consider anything where I get paid to work to be more exciting than school, because there's more reward for me than slaving to death on a homework assignment so that I can keep my grade above a B+ (not to mention I'm paying for school and not getting paid ).

7/2/2008 11:42:04 PM

that too. and so much of school was just doing a set of problems to get them done. a lot of times (besides Boles and a few others) the problems didnt relate or build upon themselves either. school was good for nothing other than building some concepts and learning some formulas I use in real life. I guess time management too.

7/2/2008 11:46:49 PM

Quote :

"i enjoyed moody chu's calc 3 class"

I mean, he was an entertaining guy, and it was the only 8:05 that I never fell asleep in, but every single test was about tricking the hell out of you when I took him. Also we had class MTWHF instead of having one day off, which sucked.

7/3/2008 8:19:50 AM

Quote :

"engineering in school is cool. engineering in the real world is boring, unless you work for nasa, boeing, or something sweet like that."

ive always thought the opposite. school was kind of dry because it was just learning concepts and theories. real work is cool because you actually produce something.

i guess my job is "something sweet like that"

7/3/2008 9:17:31 AM

Quote :

"engineering in school is cool. engineering in the real world is boring, unless you work for nasa, boeing, or something sweet like that."

Haha, I was about to say "Hell no man, my job is awesome" but then I finished reading the sentence.

7/3/2008 9:17:57 AM

^^^same here. he kill you if you don't know the fundamental theory of calculus, right?

7/3/2008 1:11:58 PM

I keer you if you no know.

7/3/2008 2:09:21 PM

no matter what, plan to take your FE, you never know when you might miss out on a job opportunity at some point because you are not a PE or could not become one as easily as another candidate.

7/3/2008 2:53:46 PM

school was always a challenge. Work isn't always that case. Sometimes you are, other times you are bored. I guess I like school. I wouldn't mind being a professor, but thats a little too much school for me.

7/3/2008 7:12:40 PM

Quote :

"spend your remaining years in an apartment, cherishing your friendships and appreciating the fact that you don't have to wipe piss off the seat every time you take a dump."

hahaha 10/10

7/4/2008 11:04:44 AM

My advice is to never miss class. Even if you don't focus or don't take great notes, a lot of the information you'll just take in through hearing it. It will be tempting to just not show up to a boring class, but it's very easy to get behind and then suddenly you're staring at a 70 (or lower) on a midterm, and have to work your ass off to get a decent grade in the class.

7/4/2008 3:52:25 PM

^In most engineering classes I took, a 70 was a good grade.

7/4/2008 6:08:04 PM

a 70 is not a good grade.

7/5/2008 2:52:12 PM

^when the class average on a midterm is 60ish, a 70 looks pretty darn good

7/5/2008 3:18:53 PM

^ when the class average was a 40ish, a 70 is a good grade.

7/5/2008 4:58:25 PM

wait to buy books.

7/6/2008 1:16:03 AM

change your major to something useful

7/7/2008 12:21:33 AM

like math?

cause if that's what you meant, then I second that.

[Edited on July 7, 2008 at 12:32 AM. Reason : ]

7/7/2008 12:31:51 AM

Goddammit. Where were those lists when I was a freshman???

7/7/2008 1:08:40 AM

^^^ math is useful.... for attaining an engineering degree.

7/8/2008 12:36:20 AM

^^ They were on TWW when I was a freshman, to some extent.

The only trick is that you don't know you need a list of what to do when you're a freshman. I was under the impression that most of the school-type stuff I mentioned (like the limits for grad school, what you should do if you want to go on after undergrad, what you gotta do if you want to do research, etc) would be presented to us in a department orientation session or something, but we don't have anything of the sort! It's lame.

7/8/2008 3:00:12 AM

Quote :

"Tips for an incoming engineering freshman"

change majors now.

7/8/2008 8:14:40 PM

Nah, don't change majors. The US needs more engineers these days. All the old people are going to retire and then there will be a bunch of positions that need to be filled.

Depending on your engineering major it can be a lot of work, or it can be a metric fuck ton of work. Pick whatever interests you and roll with it, as the benefits of having such a degree cannot be denied (job security (depending on major), good benefits, good pay, interesting work environment, the fun side effect of getting the shit sued out of you if you fail).

7/9/2008 12:51:56 AM

^
True I just wasn't so happy when I heard about the 5 year half-life engineers have. Which is one of the main reasons I decided to come in as an Econ major rather than Aeronautics, not to mention the difficult wrestling with calculus I had the first time in high school. Beasted it in college though.

7/9/2008 1:14:57 AM

Here's some of my own advice, for what it's worth:

Work as hard as you can to get high grades your first year here (really easy to do, since all of your classes the first year are easy enough, and most likely a review of what you've already seen in high school). This will start you off with a very high GPA. Afterward, do what you can to maintain that GPA. It's much easier to start off with a fantastic GPA and then keep it from slipping down than it is to start off with a shitty GPA and try to ratchet it back up.

If you plan on having any sort of fun or going to lots of parties and stuff, do it while you're a freshman or sophomore. By about your junior year (not always, but definitely by your senior year), you'll be too busy and will probably be spending many a night cramming at the library or doing something along those lines. Have fun and make friends while the workload isn't suffocating.

To add to the above, don't be a cave troll. Get to know your suite/dorm/hallway/whatever mates. Take the time to get to know some of the people in your classes, especially the people who will be in the same classes as you throughout your major. You're all in the same boat, so it's nice to get to know one another and to have people with whom you can relate and sympathize.

I'm still a virgin at 24 and I don't know the first thing about getting women, so don't look for any advice like that here. In fact, I'll tell you the exact opposite; don't bother worrying about it. Don't let the prospect of getting some ass distract you from your studies or other goals in life. Don't worry about what everybody else is doing, focus only on what you have to do to get through your college career successfully. If the only thing you're worried about in college is getting laid, you've come to college for all the wrong reasons. I doubt this is the case for you, seeing as you are doing engineering.

FIND YOURSELF AN INTERNSHIP OR A CO-OP AS SOON AS YOU CAN. Don't focus on graduating within 4-5 years, the only purpose of school is for you to learn the basic theory and jargon for your field. I discovered all too late that employers don't give two shits about whether or not you have a college degree (I'm not saying you don't need a college degree, I'm saying that they basically expect you to have one. Don't make the mistake I did and think that a college degree somehow makes you special when interviewing for a job). It's not necessarily how much you know, it's what relevant experience you have. Internships and co-ops are your best friend in this regard. Take your time working for an actual company; you'll learn a lot of useful things that you won't learn in a university, like what the latest and most relevant tools are in your field.

If you're eating on campus, eat at Clark. It's cafeteria food, but compared to Fountain it's great cafeteria food. The Wolf Den also has acceptable good eats. If you want something off campus, Cookout is always pretty good.

Under no circumstances should you ever do ~20 shots of vodka in the span of 2 hours or less. Drinking and getting drunk is overrated anyway. If you're doing something that necessitates that you must get drunk afterward to relax, you're doing something wrong imo.

There might be more, but this is all I can come up with atm.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 6:28 AM. Reason : better wording]

7/9/2008 6:24:30 AM

Quote :

"FIND YOURSELF AN INTERNSHIP OR A CO-OP AS SOON AS YOU CAN."

yes. apply to as many places as you possibly can after your freshman year. it's a lot harder to get an internship, especially a good one, but if you do get one you'll be the belle of the job fair for the next two summers, as far as intern-seekers go.

7/9/2008 6:47:06 AM

^^ lots of good points

7/9/2008 7:44:17 AM

Counselling Center.

You don't have your parents to talk to as often, and possibly your best friends from high school aren't around anymore.

ANYTHING that is a problem in your life can be managed and improved through counselling. Oversleeping, drinking, not drinking, girls, workload, money ... these people can really help. You're not a crazy for wanting to have a blank slate (and a smart, insightful one at that) to bounce things off of.

I went because I was a notorious class-skipper and dug ridiculous academic holes and almost failed out. They were part of my "rehabilitation" where I proved I could make a 3.whatever in a semester and go to class and I was required to go once a week. Went every Friday afternoon and after the semester they filled out forms and retroactively dropped a semester to keep me in. I graduated and have a great job.

But it also helped me get over a bad-ending relationship, confront some shit with my parents, be a better friend, and was just the best way to wind down a week.

--------------------------------------

This goes along with "the university is an amazing resource." EVERYTHING is there for you if you want it. Woodworking, WKNC, theater, a great gym, book clubs, political clubs, whatever. State's social network isn't greek-dominated or even douchebag-gel-head-stool-pigeons-dominated like some colleges. It is just a great place to be, but you'll have to put in more effort at having whatever experience you want than you will at some places because of geography and diversity of the student body.

Also, stay in a dorm for at least 2 years.

7/9/2008 11:18:11 AM

anddd sign up to have me as your E115 TA!!

7/9/2008 11:40:54 AM

^ don't do that, test out instead.

Quote :

"douchebag-gel-head-stool-pigeons"

stool pigeons? what?

7/9/2008 11:44:45 AM

snitches get stitches

7/9/2008 12:54:35 PM

^^ sorry, that was a bad way of generalizing people who go to packed, loud, crappy bars like stool pigeons and pop collars and wear visors inside and etc etc

ALSO:
don't generalize people. Raleigh is diverse!

7/9/2008 1:05:31 PM

Another thing I thought of:

If you decide you don't like your major, don't be afraid to switch. I decided that I hated my first major, but I didn't realize it (or perhaps I didn't admit it to myself) until I had about a semester or two left, so I decided that there was no point in switching so close to the end. I really should have, as doing another major sooner would have saved me several headaches. You don't have to be completely in love with what you're doing, but if you start to think that it isn't for you, don't just sit it out and wait for it all to blow over. Find out what else interests you enough to earn a degree in and go for it. Just don't pussy out completely and go into CHASS.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 4:50 PM. Reason : better wording]

7/9/2008 4:49:14 PM

^agreed. many freshmen come in to engineering thinking it's going to be just like high school drafting courses they took or shop stuff...and it's not just that. there are a TON of pre-req courses you have to take and will probably hate, so it will be a year before you probably even have a major-related course to know what you want to do. stick with it if you can, but it will be pretty obvious after your first semester here whether you have the dedication to do a major this intense.

7/9/2008 5:15:09 PM

if i could redo my whole college experience knowing what i know know i coulda graduated 3 years ago in my prefered major

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 5:16 PM. Reason : .]

7/9/2008 5:16:21 PM

no you couldn't.

you'd still be here.

7/9/2008 5:34:26 PM

no i'd definitely have graduated like 3 years ago

7/9/2008 6:06:03 PM

no you wouldnt have.

you'd still be here hitting on gays at 3 am, whining about how you should be done with your degree.





[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 7:09 PM. Reason : ]

7/9/2008 6:41:37 PM

Quote :

"Just don't pussy out completely and go into CHASS."

Don't listen to this shit. GET WHATEVER DEGREE YOU WANT.

7/9/2008 11:32:39 PM

exactly...just don't bitch about how you can't make any money after you graduate with your BA in africana studies

7/9/2008 11:43:39 PM