Tips for University Freshman? (Engineering)

[The BMW Guy]

So I'm graduating high school this year and just got my email from the UofC admitting me into the Schulich School of Engineering. Enrollment date for classes is coming up fast May 25th.

If I keep my marks up I'm sure I'll get in no problem.

Now, I know right now I regret doing a lot of things in high school like studying hard my first few years, which have cost me a few good scholarships. And I know of a few good things that I did right, like take some courses in summer school versus throughout the year.

So I'm just wondering if you guys would have any tips for me so I have an advantage in university.
Things you did that worked out, things that didn't work out, and things that you wish you would've done.

This can be anything, from selecting certain courses at different times to sitting in a certain seat. Preferably get some Engineering students in here, I know there are a lot of you!

ALL TIPS WILL BE OF HELP

Thank you in advance!

[FiveFreshFish]

If you plan to drive to school, apply for Lot 12 ASAP. With any luck you may even get into Lot 14 before you graduate.

[dandia89]

sit in the front
don't be one of those annoying kids trying to be funny in class
don't be friends with the annoying kids who talk in class
realize most engineering kids are idiots
get alot of hookups ie past labs, past notes, past exams etc..
find a good group of people to sometimes study with and get help with assignments.

most importantly: pay attention in class, put all your effort into doing this even it means studying less so you can wake up early and be fresh to listen to lecture.

meet new people and go to tons of events, have fun. not everything is about grades.

[cjab]

Wasn't in Engg, but one thing I wish I would have done throughout school was prepare for classes beforehand. So read the chapters notes, or even just briefly go over them BEFORE class, it is a lot easier to comprehend the new material.

[slinkie]

when starting first year uni remember, life aint nothin but bitches & money

[1-Bar]

wow, eng...nice, savor your free time from now until school starts

From my experience, work the summer, pay off tuition...Student loans are a bitch when you're in the real world! But you might now have that issue looking at what field your going into

Oh yeah, goto class....its tempting not to since they don't call home to inform your parents that you skipped. You pay damm good money so go and learn!

[tch7]

1. Attend all classes, no matter how terrible the prof is.
2. STFU and listen.
3. Do assignments by yourself and don't leave them till the last minute. Ask for help if you get stuck on something, but when exam time comes around, it comes down to what you know and not what your friends know. Solution manuals are tempting, but do yourself a favour and stay away from them completely.
4. Fill up your class schedule. I took 6 courses every semester (7 last fall), and while it's a bitch, it kept me from getting distracted. It also meant that I completed my degree in 3.5 years, so while everybody back home just finished exams, I've been traveling since January.
5. Don't buy textbooks (unless assignments come directly out of them), especially during the first week or two.
6. Get plenty of sleep.

That's pretty much what I did and I'm graduating with distinction. I didn't put in abnormal amounts of effort, and for exams I only studied for about 3 hours the day before. If you pay attention and learn the material as it's presented, you shouldn't have to spend days studying for an exam. Of course, everybody is different, so what worked for me may not work for you.

The only course that gave me any trouble was ENGG 349 (Dynamics), which owes to me not following point #1 (and partially #3).

That said, take advantage of first year and focus on the non-academic parts of university.

[turbotrip]

dont buy any books brand new, buy used; and only buy the books which are absolutely crucial

[dandia89]

Originally posted by turbotrip
dont buy any books brand new, buy used; and only buy the books which are absolutely crucial

this is key for first year

amat 217/219 - don't get textbook, notes should be fine and assignments are plenty enough
engg 205 - depends on the prof, but most likely will need (get used)
engg 201 - don't bother, notes are perfectly fine
chem 209 - maybe just share with a friend to do practice problems before quizzes
math 211 - depends on prof, most likely shouldn't purchase
engg 251 - they change this course every year, but don't get any cd's or any textbooks for this. you will need a logbook and maybe some drawing sheets.
engg 233 - don't buy a book.. its programming you have the internet for resources and lecture slides
phys 259 - i would really recommend the textbook, its a solid book and teaches the course well(unlike most of the profs).
circuits(???) - i know they are pushing this course back to first year, but i wouldn't recommend buying the textbook since the course material is straight forward and you can just share the textbook with a friend.

[590221010]

Originally posted by tch7
1. Attend all classes, no matter how terrible the prof is.
2. STFU and listen.
3. Do assignments by yourself and don't leave them till the last minute. Ask for help if you get stuck on something, but when exam time comes around, it comes down to what you know and not what your friends know. Solution manuals are tempting, but do yourself a favour and stay away from them completely.
4. Fill up your class schedule. I took 6 courses every semester (7 last fall), and while it's a bitch, it kept me from getting distracted. It also meant that I completed my degree in 3.5 years, so while everybody back home just finished exams, I've been traveling since January.
5. Don't buy textbooks (unless assignments come directly out of them), especially during the first week or two.
6. Get plenty of sleep.

That's pretty much what I did and I'm graduating with distinction. I didn't put in abnormal amounts of effort, and for exams I only studied for about 3 hours the day before. If you pay attention and learn the material as it's presented, you shouldn't have to spend days studying for an exam. Of course, everybody is different, so what worked for me may not work for you.

The only course that gave me any trouble was ENGG 349 (Dynamics), which owes to me not following point #1 (and partially #3).

That said, take advantage of first year and focus on the non-academic parts of university.

I think you're in the minority when you say you can do 6-7 courses AND get plenty of sleep, damn. I can't even imagine doing 6-7 courses a term, especially in engg.

[ExtraSlow]

1) be prepared to find out you aren't as smart as you thought you were
2) be prepared to work harder than you did in high school
3) be organized. Lots of first year students don't keep track of assignments, then bitch when they don't hand them in on time. This puts you at a HUGE grade disadvantage, plus means you are always scrambling. Very stressful.
4) as above, buy used books only.
5) it's always better to take a W than an F in a course
6) do co-op, no exceptions.

As for the number of courses, try to do first year taking the "regular" number of courses, which I think is 11. After first year, you'll have a good handle on how you should handle the next years. I actually took fewer courses and ended up doing a full extra semester before graduating. That brought my marks up high enough that I got a pretty decent bursary, AND I had a great time because I wasn't so busy, AND I got an extra full 4 month summer vacation in which to go to NZ.
That really worked for me. Some guys can just plow through with a little extra effort. To each their own.

Also, there are lots of engineers on beyond, so feel free to post for advice here throughout your schooling and beyond (pun intended). Even though I'm an asshole, some of the guys are pretty decent and will answer you helpfully.

[Idratherbsidewayz]

The best advice I can give you is, don't quit.

It'll get really tough, you'll be overwhelmed, life will be unfair, but don't quit. The only course I failed in Engg (Linear Algebra), was entirely because I quit studying before the final, thinking I was fucked. EVERYONE was fucked, and it got curved almost 40%.

So:

1. Don't quit
2. The curve is your friend, stay with the class average
3. C's make degrees, and get you jobs.
4. If you can, do co-ops in the summer. This usually ends in a job when you graduate which should be your ultimate goal. The only way into the big O&G companies without a 99.9% average and a stringent entrance test is if you Co-oped with them.
5. 99% of things in University are useless in your job. Having said that, it's important to work through the problems and wrap your head around everything you learn. It's the ability to learn anything, be able to find any information, and a logical thought process, that makes you a good engineer.
6. You will fail things. Some courses are designed to be impossible with the time you have for them (don't sweat it with these, just stay with the class), or have genius profs that think everyone is just as smart. In a Phase Transformations class, one exam had the class average at: 23%. I got 47% and was 3rd best in the class. If you've never failed anything before, get your mind ready for this inevitability. Thank God theres a curve.
7. Enjoy your University life, don't spend Friday/Saturday nights studying unless you have exams or something crucial. Go out lots, meet lots of people, and have fun. Remember, always balance academics with fun. You'll need the time to unwind.
8. Don't quit!

EDIT: I forgot one of the most important things. SLEEP!! Get your 8 hours every night, especially before an exam. Cramming for Engineering is completely pointless (All you gain is stress, anxiety, tiredness, and fear). Most exams will require creative thought and will involve things you have never seen before. The only way to do well, is to be well rested with a fresh mind. I also never found it helpful to go to an exam early and wait with all the stresscases. Really threw me off my game. Most times, I would arrive 2 minutes before the exam started, get in line, sit down, and write. Keeps you really focused.

[arian_ma]

Man Engineering is not that difficult. Alright yeah, you'll probably get average to below average marks throughout your degree if you just DO all of the assignments, but at the same time the expectations are so much lower that you can get away with a lot.

I'd say work your ass off first year and keep your GPA above 3.0 no matter what it takes, 3.2 preferable, then when you get into the faculty you want your marks don't at ALL matter.

I got a job in a recession economy, and while my boss was looking at my transcript he said to me "wow so you didn't like this this and that class huh?" (all the classes I got a C- in) and I was like yeah, those were hard ones, and got hired anyway. They've all been there, they understand. Spend your time getting to know people in the business instead.

As my former boss said: "It's not what you know, it's who you know,"

Edit: Also, EVERYTHING the guy above me said,

[kertejud2]

-Go to class and listen. You never know when that little aside the prof tells will be the key to an exam question. And it depends on the prof and the room and numbers, but I know that they were always more willing to help me out when they knew I was in lecture all the time. And its easy to get into the habit of skipping and next thing you know, you've missed a few hours of lecture and the midterm is coming up. So don't be an idiot, just go to class.

-And of course simply going to class isn't enough, know what you have to do outside of the class and be sure to do it. Some classes are pretty much the mid-terms and the final. Others spread marks out with a whole bunch of assignments, but are often marks that are just being given away. Remember, little things can add up, so don't let them get away. It could mean the difference in a letter grade in the end.

-Also know what resources are there to help you out. Especially for classes where you'll have to write essays or do lab reports, if there are people who will proof read it and check citations, use them! They are there to notice the little things you can miss that could just be a mark or two, but that can translate to 5 or 10% on a report, and again, those little marks can add up. Generally the option courses you'll have to take will care more about structure and citation on these projects than content anyway so that's the key to getting the nice GPA boosting grades most people take the class for anyway.

-University is more than just academics. Be social, party, have fun. Just know when you need to put that aside and focus on why you're there. The partying wont be the same when you're asked to withdraw. There might only be a couple weekend nights a semester where you'll have to stay in, but just let it be then go twice as hard the next weekend. When it comes to these unpleasant times, try going to the library or other study areas rather than actually stay in. Being around other people studying makes it more bearable when you're in and your friends are out.

-My sister (a doctor) said the difference in our GPAs (she had a three-year cumulative 4.0, I didn't) was one hour of extra studying a day. Which was watching one less TV show. Or reviewing notes on an exercise bike or showing up to the bar an hour later. While she's an overachieving harlot she is right. It doesn't take much sacrifice to see a pleasurable difference in grades so keep that in mind. Of course this was in addition to regular studying and review you'd be expected to do to get a good mark in the class anyway.

I've never been in Engineering, but I know it can be cruel, but as the guy above me said, don't quit. I know a bunch of idiots who managed to get their rings simply because they were willing to grind it out.

[toyboy88]

The Den, September, first year girls = WIN!

[Aleks]

Originally posted by toyboy88
The Den, September, first year girls = WIN!

This

You need your fun time as well. University should be the best time of your life.

[Jlude]

Originally posted by toyboy88
The Den, September, first year girls = WIN!

Best advice so far!

[a social dsease]

Definitely do your own assignments and labs, copying may seem easier in the short term, but in the long term it'll fuck you.
Especially engg 233 (programming) -> do your own labs!!

If you can get past 1st yr you should be fine, but 4th yr was definitely a bitch.

[Rstar]

try not to get alcohol poisoning.

[sweeks]

http://www.abebooks.com/books/Textbooks/

will save you tons of cash on books