UC Engineering

[elmo909]

When I was looking at the competitve averages here (http://www.ucalgary.ca/admissions/fall_2004_2003_averages.html), I was wondering is a first year student considered a transfer student when switching to mechanical, chemical, whatever? What kind of grades do you need to get into second year?

[Vanish3d]

are u in UofC eng right now but want to switch to a diff type?

[elmo909]

Originally posted by Vanish3d
are u in UofC eng right now but want to switch to a diff type?
no im going into first year next year, and im looking at these gpas and they seem fairly high.

[tulit]

So you're in University right now doing something else but want to switch into engineering?

If those GPA's seem high, you're likely going to have problems making it through the program unfortunately...

[Fobby]

For Engineering, it doesn't matter what you are registered in for the first year, it means nothing. When first year is almost over, you rank the department that you want to go into most and the least. Then base on your GPA, you might get into your first choice or the 2nd or the 3rd..

[Skyline_Addict]

you're being very vague in your explanation as to what you're doing right now. so are you a first year university student, studying in another field as of right now? you seem be using the term "first year" and "second year" rather loosely. give a better explanation of yourself, and it'll be easier to help you.
also, engineering requires you to take certain courses to transfer in.

[t-im]

Originally posted by tulit
So you're in University right now doing something else but want to switch into engineering?

If those GPA's seem high, you're likely going to have problems making it through the program unfortunately...


that's soooo harsh..but sooo true

[Vanish3d]

if you are going in from highschool then you look at the 1st year gpa you have listed. if you are going in from a diff major then you use the transfer gpa. And yes, they are stupidly high, which is why most engineering students at mount royal who are trying to transfer are having so much trouble. You need ATLEAST a 3.0 to even have a chance in getting in.

as far as that comment above, its true to an extent. you cant do well if you are an idiot. If you do your work and study hard, you'd do fine. i'm almost done my 2nd yr.

[elmo909]

well, I want to take oil and gas engineering. I'm in grade 12 right now sorry about the misunderstanding. From looking at that website it says I need a 3.73 in my first year, which I don't think is an easy average to get.

[Aleks]

Don't let these guys scare you man. If you're going in from hi school just make sure your grade 12 avg is hi enough to get in. Once you're in you're set. When I went through it you needed 2.0 GPA to get into Chem department in first year. Oil and Gas was like 2.4 or something. Maybe things have changed. If you can get 2.8-3.0 in your first year of eng. I am sure you can pick any dept you want. The reason they set the TRANSFER Gpa so hi is because they don't want people getting an easy ride in from a college and preference will be given to students already at university. Hope that clears some of it up. Good luck and Great choice :thumbsup:

[elmo909]

thanks for the help. I was just wondering if those GPA's were for transfer studnets (say a college to university) or first year engineering to second year. I'm fairly certian my high school average will be enough unless something goes VERY wrong.

[FiveFreshFish]

Keep in mind those figures are for 2003 and 2004. Things can change a lot by the time you are preparing to enter your department of choice in 2006.

Just look at the differences between the admission requirements from the previous year. What was a high requirement one year can be a lot lower the next; Software Engineering went from a 3.70 to a 2.60.

Just concentrate on getting into your first year and passing all your first semester courses. Then worry about what department you want to get into. You may find something else that appeals to you more by the time you've had a taste of the courses.

[kaput]

.

[nekoi]

From the lecture we had this year on the entering grade for first year engineering students into their second year is not that high. As long as you get above 3.0 and finish all your courses, you are pretty much set to get into any major. Of course, the GPA is higher for biomedical minor and possibly oil and gas(it doesn't have much spot, but you never know how many people want to get in). I heard that computer engineering uesd to be insanely hard to get into a couple years ago, but now it is way at the bottom.

[camby]

Don't worry too much about grades. Chances are if you aren't a total slacker you'll be good after 1st year. However, if you're a total dumbass, then you're probably out of luck no matter how hard you work.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by elmo909
thanks for the help. I was just wondering if those GPA's were for transfer studnets (say a college to university) or first year engineering to second year. I'm fairly certian my high school average will be enough unless something goes VERY wrong.

Those GPA's are for transfer (college) students. They are lower if you're already at the university. If you want to get into engg go to university rite away, no point doing it otherwise.

[Skyline_Addict]

in a sense of relativity as for as grade percentage points go and the ease of courses, getting in from high school is generally easier to do. but you're still a young man, 17 or 18 at the oldest. make sure this is what you want to do. engg requires long hours of work - you will almost have no social life. the course content can be very dry and bland, no matter who you are...so you definetely have to like it. just make sure you're able to understand that this will do great sacrafice to your social life and is not something that most people just breeze through in 4 years. it may take you more than 4 years, you may not even finish and in the rare case it might take less (that would require 6 courses a semester plus spring and summer courses...). it is not rare to see people having to repeat courses and it is even less rare to see people dropping out or transferring. not trying to scare you, it's just the plain old truth. i'm not sure what the drop out rate is after 1st year, but from my understanding it is around half.

[Aleks]

Yes it is tough and you need to work for it. I didn't want to sacrifice my social life as much so I did mine in 5 years plus 1 year of internship (nice and relaxing) which helped me land a good job after I was done. Make sure you take internship it increases your chances of getting a job when you graduate tenfold!

[elmo909]

Originally posted by Skyline_Addict
in a sense of relativity as for as grade percentage points go and the ease of courses, getting in from high school is generally easier to do. but you're still a young man, 17 or 18 at the oldest. make sure this is what you want to do. engg requires long hours of work - you will almost have no social life. the course content can be very dry and bland, no matter who you are...so you definetely have to like it. just make sure you're able to understand that this will do great sacrafice to your social life and is not something that most people just breeze through in 4 years. it may take you more than 4 years, you may not even finish and in the rare case it might take less (that would require 6 courses a semester plus spring and summer courses...). it is not rare to see people having to repeat courses and it is even less rare to see people dropping out or transferring. not trying to scare you, it's just the plain old truth. i'm not sure what the drop out rate is after 1st year, but from my understanding it is around half.
Thanks for the information. I'm starting to get an idea of how much work it will be and I'll survive. I'm just wondering if it is possible to extend the degree to 5 years instead of 4 under normal circumstances (ie not failing anything).

[bspot]

Originally posted by FiveFreshFish
Just look at the differences between the admission requirements from the previous year. What was a high requirement one year can be a lot lower the next; Software Engineering went from a 3.70 to a 2.60.

And because of that, my degree now looks like shit :(

[Aleks]

Yes it is. Just take less courses per semester and you'll take longer to finish. You don't need to fail to take 5 years trust me haha

[sml]

I don't know anyone who volunteer to do a 5yr program. You just don't choose to split up your courses so that you can relax your way through a 4yr program in 5yrs. This is besides the fact that you probably cannot do that either. The worst case scenerio is you fail a mandatory course, then you'll have to retake it next year, but then all your subsequent courses that requires the prereq course that you failed will also be delayed, then you will have no choice but to do the program in 5yrs. But like I said, it doesn't help you any and noone wants to do that. Graduate asap and max out your earning potential instead of paying an extra yr of tuition is my recommendation. If you're gonna play, go all outs and play hard! If you're gonna work, work hard and get it over with!

[Aleks]

I actually did that. I took 5 years to finish. I withdrew from one course and took 4 and 4 every other semester. I did it so I could work through school. With my studies and part time job I couldn't do both and take 5 + 6. Some people can I couldn't. My parents didn't pay for any of my school so that's why I had to have a job and earn my tuition that way. Internship helped out a lot to in 4th year!

[heinz256]

hey aleks how much did u make in internship?

[Aleks]

Originally posted by heinz256
hey aleks how much did u make in internship?

Check your PM

[Tux10]

You can take 5 years to finish your degree ( I did that ) but make sure you take the full 11 courses the first year and do good on them, because in assessing which department you go into in engineering, they will look at if you completed all the first year requirements and take that into consideration when placing you in your first second and third choice...

Your actual GPA doesn't really matter much in Engineering, its your GPA relative to everyone else that is competing to get into the same program as you that really makes the difference. If everyone who signs up for Oil and Gas gets a 2.5 and you get a 2.6, then you have a higher chance of getting in.

Oh, may I suggest going to Civil? No competition when going into that department but Civil has the most jobs out of all the departments now (as you will see if you check out the job postings and compare), but hard to say what the demand will be 5 years from now.

[Aleks]

Originally posted by Tux10
You can take 5 years to finish your degree ( I did that ) but make sure you take the full 11 courses the first year and do good on them, because in assessing which department you go into in engineering, they will look at if you completed all the first year requirements and take that into consideration when placing you in your first second and third choice...
.

That is very true. Thats how i did it too.

[kaput]

.

[heinz256]

Got a question here. I hear people who have finished taking computer engineering have problems finding jobs since the demand for them is small. Would this still be the case in the next couple years?

[szw]

Originally posted by sml
The worst case scenerio is you fail a mandatory course, then you'll have to retake it next year, but then all your subsequent courses that requires the prereq course that you failed will also be delayed, then you will have no choice but to do the program in 5yrs.
Sounds....so....familiar.....:whipped: :whipped: :whipped:

[Fobby]

Originally posted by heinz256
Got a question here. I hear people who have finished taking computer engineering have problems finding jobs since the demand for them is small. Would this still be the case in the next couple years?

Don't go into computer engineering. It's a BIG waste of time. Well.. not a waste of time, but it's not the best engineering degree you can take because it's still so new.

[camby]

Choose to do what you enjoy the most. Don't worry if they say the demand for whatever is small or what not. Who knows what it'll be like down the road. Besides with all the development in other countries, who says their aren't any jobs there. Coupled with the fact that old engineers do need to retire some time and I'm sure the younger generation do not mind working 40+ hours a week. I doubt a 40+ year old engineer with a family will be doing that.

I really don't see a problem with trying to finish an engineering degree in 5 years instead of 4. I mean, if you do internship, its another year. True you can be earning money. Its much easier however to not have to take 6 classes each semester. Taking 6 core engineering classes is tough especially for those who have part time jobs as well.

[CSMRX7]

Just my perspective.

A little background. I am in the oil and gas industry with a true Petroleum Engineering Degree from a US University. I am involved in the 4th yrs Design Project and am involved in hiring engineers.

1. I would highly recomend that anyone really wnating to be in oil and gas obtain a Petroleum degree. If you have to stay at a Canadian school U of A has a much better reputation in industry.
2. US schools do have a better reputation and if you can afford it the education is much better, and you will be rewarder when you enter the work force.
3. Don't slack off in your engineering program whatever it may be. As an employer seeing poor GPA's, and/or failed classes translates into what an employer sees as a potentially poor employee.
4. Don't get discourage by the first year. The classes are dry and boring but this is the background you need berfore you can get into the fun stuff!!!!

[no_joke]

^^^^^^^^^
Okay please elaborate on point 3. Because I keep hearing mixed messages about the "value" of your GPA. I've never heard of people being hired on GPA alone and I've also heard of people with 2.0 getting the same job as a 4.0 student.

I'm just curious about your point of view because it seems that you're pretty knowledgable about this.

[FiveFreshFish]

A high GPA only gets you more interviews. That said, the more interviews you have, the better chance of getting the job you want.

GPA alone does not guarantee a job; it's your interview skills that land the job. When you get some experience, any subsequent employer will be looking more at your work history rather than your GPA. Of course, your interview skills will be just as important then.

All things being equal, it's better to have a high GPA and no failed classes on the transcript.

[CSMRX7]

Your first job out of school GPA does matter. It gets you in the door. There is no way I would have gotten my job with a 2.0. Also when hiring either a Co-op or a Full Time grad with little to know experience GPA is almost all an employer has to go on.

The top employers, who have a lot of choices will weed out applicants based on GPA. Now the entire hiring process is not based on GPA but it does make a good first impression, and employers will be more open to you with better marks.

[heinz256]

Originally posted by Fobby


Don't go into computer engineering. It's a BIG waste of time. Well.. not a waste of time, but it's not the best engineering degree you can take because it's still so new.

Can you elaborate on that? How does comp. engg compare to the other ones?

[Fobby]

Computer Engg... you take software and CPSC courses, but not enough compares to the Software Engg... you take circuits and hardware coureses, but not enough compares to the Electrical. you are stuck in between the two field, while everyone is going after the same job.

[V6-BoI]

Originally posted by Fobby
Computer Engg... you take software and CPSC courses, but not enough compares to the Software Engg... you take circuits and hardware coureses, but not enough compares to the Electrical. you are stuck in between the two field, while everyone is going after the same job.

I like to say that computer engineers are versatile. They can do the jobs of both software and electrical... at least that's what I keep on saying to myself.

[rinny]

how do GPA's work...is there any way to put a percentage to a certain GPA? like does 2.7=73% or sumthin? i dont know...

[t-im]

A+

4.00

Outstanding

A
4.00
Excellent—superior performance, showing comprehensive understanding of subject matter.

A-
3.70

B+
3.30

B
3.00
Good — clearly above average performance with knowledge of subject matter generally complete.

B-
2.70

C+
2.30

C
2.00
Satisfactory — basic understanding of the subject matter.

C-
1.70
Receipt of a grade point average of 1.70 may not be sufficient for promotion or graduation. (See individual undergraduate faculty regulations.)

*D+
1.30

*D
1.00
Minimal pass — marginal performance; generally insufficient preparation for subsequent courses in the same subject.

F
0
Fail — unsatisfactory performance or failure to meet course requirements.

it all depends on the prof how they want to calculate your grade

[Fobby]

Originally posted by V6-BoI


I like to say that computer engineers are versatile. They can do the jobs of both software and electrical... at least that's what I keep on saying to myself.

that's what I keep telling myself too....... to make myself feel better.. yep.. seriously.

[Seanith]

Originally posted by CSMRX7

3. Don't slack off in your engineering program whatever it may be. As an employer seeing poor GPA's, and/or failed classes translates into what an employer sees as a potentially poor employee.


What about when a student shows great improvement as the years go by? Will someone still be judged heavily on their first year, when anyone who has taken engineering knows how poorly many do in their first year of the program?

[CSMRX7]

Doing well all the way through is always going to appear better. But all of us who went through an engineering program understand what first year is like. I barely scraped by first year myself (too much drinking and skiing). Afterwards I consitantly kept my GPA over a 3.5 and got the job of my choice. So a few mistakes are understandable, but you have to understand that the better your grades the better choices you will have in internships and full time employment.

[V6-BoI]

It sucks how grades are emphasized so much. I bust my ass in engg, but my grades don't reflect shit. I just can't write tests, they ALWAYS fuck me over

[Fobby]

same here.

but my understand about grades. Another important factor is consistency. if your grades are not roughly the same thru out,it usually means something fishy is going on.