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<p>The last thing I would describe SSOE as is competitive. It is <em>extremely collaborative</em>. Loads of study groups, homework groups, working together in the computer labs, email chains, etc. I never felt like I didn’t have a friend in any of my classes whom I could turn to and get help from (even true at the graduate level, I made friends with a classmate simply because I missed a class and emailed him asking for the notes, now we’re pretty good friends). </p>
<p>As for how hard it is, that depends on your strengths (physics vs. math vs. chem for example), the type of class you take (UHC vs. non), and major. Personally, mechanics isn’t my strong suit, so I always found my MechE classes harder. However I liked chemistry and metallurgy, and really enjoyed my Materials Science classes and never found them difficult at all. </p>
<p>Work Load: Also depends on what you’re used to from high school initially. I went to a high workload high school, so my first year of engineering was a bit of a breeze for me, even with UHC classes. But if you’ve never had to self-discipline for work-life balance you will find it difficult. One thing I never let myself do was wait until the night before a HW assignment was due to start it. This is a key mistake I think many people make in college. In HS, generally you can get away with it because the HW is directly what you learned in class or examples from class etc. In college, especially SSOE, your homework may not have been directly covered in class, it could be based on theory you learned that you now need to apply, or something entirely new. Start early and go to office hours. In my entire undergrad career I never pulled an all-nighter because I didn’t procrastinate.</p>
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<p>You’re going to college to (theoretically) get a good education and secure a career for the future. What do you think the answer to your own question should be.</p>