SSChevyManiac

I was just accepted to PSU's Mechanical Engineering program last week.

Nine Ball

iTrader: (38)

Engineers that have 10+ years working experience will probably agree with me here. The university you go to doesn't really mean ****. That is mostly dreamed up by high school kids for bragging rights, and sometimes is more closely related to how well the football team is doing, instead of the educational quality.

We aren't talking suck-*** lame degrees here. We are discussing Engineering degrees. It is a safe bet that ALL engineering programs will bust your *** and make you actually study...while the business and arts majors go drink beer every night. There is a shortage of engineers in all industries right now, so they honestly won't really care where you went to college unless the school you are attending is a crop source for a specific company.

Work experience and references tend to be more important to the hiring people. I honestly could care less where someone went to college when I'm interviewing them. I'm more interested in their attitude, skills, and work history.

Tiago

iTrader: (27)

Tony speaks the truth.

JohnnyC

Yes, Nine Ball speaks the truth. I do some interviewing and I could care less about where people went to school. I look at their experience, references, how they answer questions, ect. I had alot of fun at Penn State when I was in school, so the fun factor is def. something that you have to consider. Once you get out in the real world, no one cares about where you went to school or how many chicks you had in the frat house. You simply become an eligible body that is trying to fill a need for a company. And while some engineering programs are better than others, all of them will cover the core concepts that you will need to work as an engineer in the field.

treyZ28

I agree, undergrad is just so fundemental that you really cant "mess up" teaching it. It's all about what you want to learn. Since engineering isn't like the medical fields, many are concerned about tuition. Some brilliant students turn down opportunities at MIT and big name schools to save a few bucks. Engineers aren't exactly social entrepreneurs so going far away can be SCARY!"


They do however seem very interested in your race and gender. If you're a woman or black (or hispanic or asian) thats most important than anything. If you're both, that's the best. Engineering doesn't attract many females or minorities.

At some companies I've worked at, engineers have gotten the "engineer of the year award" or generic equal for being a minority. The most recent one I can recall is "For promoting excellence as a member of SWE."


Yes, I am bitter.

treyZ28

congrats

fa63

Honestly, a couple courses in mechancal engineering, or even an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering won't teach you that much about automotive engineering. You basically get a overview of a variety of things as an undergraduate; if you want to be an expert in something, go get a Ph.D in that subject or have lots of hands-on experience with it (or both).

I am working on the Ph.D part of it now

austin21

i have 2 friends that i went into ME with and one has already changed his major and the other is geting ready to they have asked me if i am going to change and at this point i really dont want to math is not my strong point but i think i can do it so what would you do in my situtation change or stick it out

1320FEVER

iTrader: (9)

I'm not sure what to tell you. You should be fairly good at math, most engineers are. You don't have to be a math genius, but you should be pretty strong because it only gets harder after the calculus, diff eq, etc. (But it get easier after your jr year).

I'd say stick with it until you can find something else you might be interested in. If your really not happy with the courses, then you might think about changing. Don't do it because everyone tells you to though. YOUR the one that will be stuck with a career that you don't like, not your friends.

Use your "happy meter" If on a scale of 1 to 10, if your "happy meter" isn't at least a 7, then I would change to something else.

I love to crunch numbers and equations. So math never really was an issue for me. Although I know engineers that are better at math than I am.

austin21

it would make me very happy after college to wake up everyday and know that i am an engineer but i guess i will just have to see how things go but as of right now i am going to stick it out ..thanks man

1320FEVER

iTrader: (9)

That sounds good enough. Then I'd say....go for it!!

SScam68

iTrader: (20)

Don't need to be good at math, i'm not. I didn't use that as an excuse

Calc and diff. eq. is probably the toughest part of the math. They setup the foundation for understanding the derivation of the equations from fluids to solid mechanics.

The calc you run into in your Major courses are pretty simple for the most part although you are going to get a few "curve *****" thrown at you, what you need to be strong at is algebra. It takes a lot of work and time because that can be tricky.

Thats for undergrad, grad is more challenging because you stop dealing with numbers and start dealing with strictly algebra, working on derivations and proving other equations. I hardly use my calculator.

I HIGHLY recommend doing internships or Co-Ops in the summers. Use it to earn a little money, get some experience/exposure to industry and take a breather. I wish I had.

1320FEVER

iTrader: (9)

I didn't find calc or diff eq to be all that difficult. But don't ask me to solve a differential equation today since that was nearly 19 years ago when I took the class

MSURacing

iTrader: (1)

http://cset.mnsu.edu/aet/ MSU, Mankato is where I went to school and I think it is exactly what you are looking for. The program is called Automotive Engineering Technology. It goes through all understandings of the car and gets you in hands on for each and every course. I don't think there is a better BS you can get that will relate you to cars.
I have worked at a couple of well know shops and this course was set up almost perfectly to get me started in those jobs.

Check it out and if you have more questions, give me a PM. They have a MD chassis dyno, Superflow chassis emmisions dyno, superflow motorcylce chassis dyno. SF-901 engine dyno, 2 Superflow flow bench's, Shock dyno, full cnc facility, compsites lab, 2 vehicle hoists and many more automotive based tools.

I think most guys on this board would love to get the AET degree. I know that I loved it, the only problem for me right now is there are no race engine shops in SW MN.

bad95killer

I'm so interested man & thanks

peace

Zee916

The problem with Engineering programs today is that professors are UNTRAINED TO TEACH!!!

Getting a Phd is great, I wouldn't think about doing it. I want to get my BS ME and that is all. But getting a Phd should not be a ticket to teaching. It makes me sick that these teachers just go through the motions and really dont give a flying s*it if their students fail or pass, doesn't affect them.

My physics class, the dude derived formulas the entire class and did nothing else. I mean never once did an example problem. How the hell are you supposed to do physics if your just getting the derived equation? I can look in the book for that. Needless to say, 3/4 of the class dropped from about 100 students. Just makes me sick.

Same with Calculus.

This is the reason that I have contemplated getting out of ME and that most of the professors can't even speak proper english. All I know is that minorities are now dominating Engineering which is the way it is. More opportunities for me being a full blooded American who someone can actually understand and communicate with on a normal level.

Edit: I am a Jr. ME major at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Tx.

Zee916

Hit the hail on the head my friend. The sad thing is, most professors today are EXACTLY what you have described.

treyZ28

that sucks. 9/10 of the profs had more experience than I could ever expect to draw from them in 5 years. From GM R&D guys to GE Turbine development. Good stuff.

2002_Z28_Six_Speed

iTrader: (19)

You might want to rethink that. Most of the students coming out of college today have just been briefed on using a drawing software [CAD] or modeling software [Solid Works]... something like that. They have no more of an idea of how it works than someone who went to a couple day seminar.

They don't have a hand on manual drafting. One semester with both skills crammed into one class can't touch the basics of how to draft.

We had options to take drafting back in high school and I don't know anyone younger than me that had the same oppurtunities. It can't be taught that fast.

joecar

I think you may be right...
I have noticed in general the quality of education going down in recent years...