How important are labs in engineering coursework?

College Majors Engineering Majors
21

<p>Lab reports blow but data analysis is admittedly awesome.</p>

22

<p>So then, isn’t it more accurate to say that labs are more like the cheese on the pizza? Essential. If it doesn’t have cheese it’s just crusty bread.</p>

23

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<p>I can’t believe they still sell these. Boy does that bring back memories - it was a great calculator, and once you figure out RPN, it is so much more efficient. I don’t actually use calculators much at work - that’s what spreadsheets are for. It took me a really long time to un-learn RPN and use a “normal” calculator years later when I would help my daughter with math homework.</p>

24

<p>Labs like general chem, bio, and physics are pretty basic/useless in my opinion. You won’t learn any useful techniques, they’re more just for supplementing the course material, and it’s usually pretty simple stuff…</p>

<p>Higher level labs are obviously more important and you can actually gain useful technical skills. Orgo and ChemE courses, for example, but you certainly won’t be able to skip these.</p>

25

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It’s more like a topping. 90% of them you will be fine without.</p>

26

<p>Labs aren’t necessary. There are engineering jobs everywhere.</p>

27

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At least through these labs, I’ll become comfortable with my university’s labs. I’ll be able to get a lab job and through that who knows what I’ll continue to do. </p>

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Clearly. The only reason I’m able to skip the general physics and chemistry labs are because of my AP scores.</p>

28

<p>If they allow you to skip maybe it is probably because you don’t need it. My chem and physics labs were a big waste of time</p>

29

<p>All I learned in labs was that nothing works the way the textbooks say.</p>

30

<p>For most students who are not tinkerers on their own, labs provide a good dose of experience doing simple things by hand, before tackling more difficult course projects, capstones, and the like.</p>

<p>If you know what a 6N6 is, obviously you can sleep thru intro digital design lab :slight_smile: otherwise doing complex projects without knowing, say, to wire wrap or breadboard something becomes a lot harder. </p>

<p>Basic science labs are a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy intended to pad schedules and tuition, but given the test-driven nature of phys/chem type classes I would gladly trade the hassle of a lab and its work with the grade the lab contributes to the overall class so…</p>