football

what is it like for you? as a student with a sweet parties attended: math classes taken ratio approaching 100:1, I can't help but feel like a slacker. maybe a little guilty. Do you all do it because you love it? Do some students do it solely because they want to have a so-called "real" major and don't know what else to take?

jessiehl

Yep. Bad reason to do it, IMO.

I love what I do. Note that I'm an odd case here. I was a science major (neuro & cog sci) who took engineering classes voluntarily, on the side, and then got a job in and entered grad school in what might be the most science-y engineering field (computer science). I still use my undergrad knowledge, though, since I'm an AI/neural computing sort.

At my undergrad school, life really sucked if you didn't love what you did, regardless of major, because it was hard. People are remarkably good at making time for fun, though.

mydegisunacred

People start engineering because they like science and math, and want to design/invent things. Then they see how it sucks. Design projects are not only not fun due to the many restrictions and the difficulty of working in a team, they are more work than anything else. The science you learn isn't interesting like physics, chemistry, or biology in high school, it's practical and calculation based. They ease this by complaining profusely. Others profess superioritiy over other majors. At the end of the day it feels good when everything goes smoothly, and I guess the feeling of accomplishment keeps us going.

ken285

Definitely agree. Your team members on semester projects will impact how much you enjoy your classes more than any other factor. Fortunately, I had some pretty good teammates throughout my studies. I know others who were at each others throats by the end of the semester. Not sure what you mean by "restrictions" though.

That's more opinion than anything else. I like the practical engineering courses more than the theoretical courses in the pure sciences.

It's all about the final product. When it's all done and built, you can look at it and know you had a part in designing it. As corny as that sounds, it's true.

mydegisunacred

Even at college level, you still have people who feel no shame in leaving the entire burden of a project on their group member's shoulder.

By restrictions, I mean the constraints put on a design project, which although teaching practicality can take away some fun from a project. I.E. a 10 dollar limit on a mousetrap car will extinguish most of the cooler ideas.