the Engineering First curriculum, insight from current students or alumni

nugraddad
Fri, 16 May 2014 21:56:14 +0000

Congratulations on getting into NU McCormick - Get ready to work hard and have fun!

Engineering First is a great program IMHO. I have had 2 kids go through it, and I was really impressed by the kids presentations. I don’t know all the details - I’m only a parent - but here’s what I think happens: You get randomly assigned to a group of 3 - 4 other future engineers, and the project is always to assist a handicapped person or organization that works with handicapped people, with the goal to make their life better through engineering. Your group will interview your clients, put together ideas, then create - or “engineer” - something that will help the client.

There is a big demonstration/show at the end of the term - maybe terms - where all projects are on display and the groups get a chance to present to a panel of judges. My last kid, who is a ChemE had an EE and MechE, in his group, and they all did a heck of a job. As far as I know, NU is the only E school that allows frosh to actually do projects like this, and though I might be a little biased - my wife and I were very impressed with all the projects we saw.

BTW - - No, you don’t need to do any extra “prep” - you did the prep with what you did to get admitted to NU. So, be ready to hit the ground running and make friends with your new group. And remember - you wouldn’t be there if you couldn’t do the work, so contribute what you can, and have some fun doing it.Good Luck!