Is this a good class? Valuable? How much time do you have to dedicate to this class compared to....other MAE electives and 415/435.

It is a design class - and I imagine myself working in manufacturing - but I figure it would be valuable to further study the design side of things.

10/17/2007 11:06:30 PM

I thought it was a pretty interesting class when I took it last spring. The work consists of a design problem due every week. They are all pretty open ended, so it really helps develop some creative thinking and exercises a lot of what you've learned and forgotten from previous MAE courses. If you need the elective, it's not a bad class to take. Some of the weekly problems can get sort of involved, but we had two weeks for each problem - one problem overlapped the previous problem so that there was one due each week. Depending on how quickly you can figure out how to solve the problem, the time needed to devote to this class each week varies. I would always procrastinate and do the work the day/night before it was due, but I don't recommend doing that. It's not bad if you can spread it out.

10/18/2007 5:45:16 AM

^How much group work is there? Anything based on MATLAB or EES or Maple?

I was pretty disappointed to find out manufacturing is only during fall (what I wanted) and this one during spring. Tryin to figure out if I wanna take this or 442 with Klang (hard to beat).

10/19/2007 1:22:19 AM

I took both 442 and 495z last spring. 495z had assignments on a more regular basis, but I'm not sure if one class had more work than the other. All of the design problems in 495z are turned in on an individual basis, but Dr. Z encourages students to work together on all of the assignments. There were no tests or final exams in either class last spring, but I don't know if it will stay that way this spring or not.

10/19/2007 5:44:31 AM

it lists as 0 credit hours, so does it count for an mae elective?

10/19/2007 10:51:27 AM

495z was a 3 hour mae technical elective last spring. Maybe the 0 hours thing is a glitch?

10/19/2007 11:04:36 AM

spoke w/ Tran, he seems to think its a mistake

10/19/2007 11:20:09 AM

you realize with 442 it's not just Klang right?

10/19/2007 2:43:26 PM

^you realize 442 is a waste, right?


Worst elective, imo. No depth on any subject except for the damned traction control and ABS bullshit... which seemed to be a regurgitation from previous classes and examples (my experience). I enjoyed a very small number of the lectures. not recommended by me.

Take 403, it's totally useful, in depth, and not too difficult.

10/19/2007 2:52:47 PM

^Yeah, thats why I don't want to take it.

I wanted to take either 407 and 403 . . . but i've already taken 2 tech electives and i think i'll be busy enough next semester with 412, 416, and a lit. So I was gonna register for jsut 407 but it was full this morning and I got 4th on the waitlist . Not really interested in 421 or 442 for that matter and don't think I want 495z . . . so i'm stuck in 403. This wouldn't be bad except all my classes (403, 412, 416, ENG 208) will be on T,H . Gonna be hella hard to get motivated on MWF to do work.



who is better for 412. Corson or Terry?

[Edited on October 19, 2007 at 3:22 PM. Reason : ]

10/19/2007 3:11:34 PM

terry is a real nice guy, real straight forward and willing to help. no experience with corson but terry speaks well of him

10/19/2007 5:34:14 PM

In corson's class now. Awesome guy, real friendly. Did all the homeworks assigned and the test was pretty easy for me, so if you did the hws you should be golden. The project is the same for all the teachers except for a few minor details, and not hard, just time-consuming when ya get crackin. Be careful on the formatting on his tests though, he basically raped me on that, but gave some points back later. Heard Terry and Clements are not bad either.

403 with gould wasn't bad and he let you opt out of the final too if you were happy with your grade.

So basically 495z has a problem due weekly for the entire semester, and everything is based on that? How was Zorowski?

[Edited on October 19, 2007 at 5:59 PM. Reason : .]

10/19/2007 5:55:11 PM

what is the department's obsession with all the good senior level classes being on TH?

T,H
416 with Ngaile, Klang, Ram
435 with Buckner
403 with Gould
412 with Corson, Terry
415 with Tran

MW
407 with Boles
442
495z with ZOROWSKI
435 with Ro

MWF
416 with Leach
415 with Dow

and wtf, I think all except one of the senior classes are after 12. Shit, it's nice to not have to be to class at 8 AM, but I don't want to be in class till 6.

[Edited on October 19, 2007 at 6:22 PM. Reason : ]

10/19/2007 6:12:34 PM

yeah my schedule is heavily T H,
I hope I can handle 412, 442, 416, 495z, and 435 and graduate

10/19/2007 6:37:32 PM

shit, I thought i was bad with 416 and 412 in the same semester. I def wouldn't want to throw 435 in there as well let alone 2 additional tech electives. Good luck with that, you're gonna need it.

10/19/2007 10:20:21 PM

^^You're either on crack, or one of those genius guys who never needs to study and knocks out hw in 1 hr.

10/19/2007 11:40:51 PM

I'm probably gonna have to take 3 tech electives, 416, and ENG 331 to graduate next semester

anyone have experience with 407?? Out of 407, 442, 403, and 495z what would be the one I want to skip?

10/20/2007 12:53:05 PM

you should def drop 407 so that I can get in. I'm at the top of the waitlist.

10/20/2007 1:50:44 PM

Can't help you, I didn't even make the waitlist for 407!!

although from talking to a few ppl, 407 seems like the hardest so I don't think I'll try and add it

10/20/2007 9:26:14 PM

Dr. Zorowski is pretty easy going. Last spring, the only grades we had were from the weekly assignments. He's very helpful and receptive to questions about the problems, so as long as you start before the night before, you should have plenty of time to get the problems figured out.

10/22/2007 12:07:57 AM

think i'll get dbagged cause im on the wait list for klangs 416. id much rather work 7-2 everyday than go to one of those early sections, i got the last waitlist spot #5. his 416/442 means nothing before 3 all week

[Edited on October 22, 2007 at 2:17 AM. Reason : .]

10/22/2007 2:15:59 AM

I really enjoyed 495z....it was a class that he gave you a real world problem...usually one he had to solve...the homework does take awhile so try not to start on it the night before...I know some people who took 442 and those other electives it was alot of work where they didn't really learn or retain anything...

this is just one opinion...I think I got a B average on the HW and ended up with an A...

10/22/2007 3:57:59 PM