How hard is engineering? (1 Viewer)

HappyGummie

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Hey guys! So I was tossing between doing commerce or civil engineering. I was considering engineering for quite a bit but then got a bit hesitant as I only did ext 1 maths (i'm not great at it or terrible at it... just missed out on an E4), also I didn't do HSC physics.... I heard that engineering has a high drop-out rate and most people did ext 2 maths so it's kind of scaring me, plus the whole me having not done any physics. I've heard scary tales on how you have to be at Uni for almost the whole week and how people study crazy hours for it?! Can someone please confirm these as myths or truths.... ahahha. Also I plan on studying at UNSW and also don't wish to do eng/com as it's 5.5 years... which will be a long time if I fail a course.
Thank you! :biggrin:
 

astroman

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There is heaps of help at uni, with discipline and regular practice you can learn the math and keep up in engineering.
 

turntaker

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I know someone who did electrical engo(which is one of the hardest) with only general math. Anything is possible.
 

HappyGummie

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That sounds great guys, but would having not done any HSC physics make me horribly confused and disadvantaged??
 

anomalousdecay

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Not doing Physics shouldn't put you at much of a disadvantage for Civil.

I'll ask you this. Is tertiary education meant to be straightforward and easy?
 

joshman94

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For first semester Civil you'll most likely take maths, physics, a general intro to engineering and a surveying class. You should have no trouble getting through this stuff with ext 1 maths. Contrary to what you think you'll likely find the first few weeks or the whole semester fairly easy as first semester is designed to sort of get everyone up to speed and it'll only pick up during the second half of the semester.

It's very easy to fall in to the trap of bad study habits during this time, which is the main thing you should focus on correcting in first semester. Even if you find the content easy, just opening your books for like an hour a day and writing some notes will set you up for success. Establishing good study habits is a must and the quicker you do this the easier your uni life will become. Try and make as many friends as you can, this is pretty important and it's easy when everyone is new. Having people that are going through the same thing you are makes everything so much easier as you'll be able to form study groups and get help with assignments in later years. Don't worry about not doing physics, you'd be surprised at how far your ext 1 knowledge can be applied in actual physics. As far as help goes there are tons of ways to get help if you don't understand something so that really doesn't become a problem just be proactive.

It may be worthwhile getting to know your general intro to engineering professor, see them during office times or something and get on a first name basis as they will definitely be teaching more advanced courses later on and likely be doing research for the uni. Most Uni research teams have to take a certain number of undergrads so it would be worth while discussing what sort of research he/she does and expressing some interest, they won't take a first year but still. Also join any clubs or whatever the uni has, especially engineering specific as you can meet people in the years above you in your degree which can help heaps with getting past exam papers, assignments and notes. Uni events are fun as fuck, our degree regularly organises pub crawls, wine tours and scav hunts. Basically if you do all that you'll not only do well but most likely enjoy it too.
 

J18134

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Can we ban threads like "How hard is degree X?" Just such nonsensical, subjective drivel.

Its a tertiary education university degree not preschool. Its not meant to be a walk in the park being handheld by a teacher. Its mean to be a challenge its meant to be hard and its ridiculous that people keep making such simple threads.

Would encourage people to be more mature and maybe ask more specifically directed questions about particular courses.
 

nolimits

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Can we ban threads like "How hard is degree X?" Just such nonsensical, subjective drivel.

Its a tertiary education university degree not preschool. Its not meant to be a walk in the park being handheld by a teacher. Its mean to be a challenge its meant to be hard and its ridiculous that people keep making such simple threads.

Would encourage people to be more mature and maybe ask more specifically directed questions about particular courses.
What do you study and how hard is it?
 

engineering

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Difficulty is relative to your level of knowledge at the time. Hence it is a very personal thing.

In year 1 you learned the alphabet

In year 3 you did spelling.

In year 5 you wrote a 1 page story.

In year 10 you wrote a 5 page essay.

Does this mean year 10 is harder than year 1.

The more significant thing as you go from year to year is the amount of independence and maturity you are expected to show in your learning
 

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