Engineering-what's it like?

augmented reality

Hoping to do engineering next year, will probably end up in mech but I'll do the common first year.
What's the course like? Do people doing it actually enjoy it?
Are the lecturers good or is it true that lots of them don't give a $h1t about their students?
Is there a guaranteed work placement during the summer of year 3?
Is there a special entrance exam for students who don't get the HC3 in maths, hopefully this won't happen but you never know....

Thanks in advance!

TimeToShine

Well from what I've heard from friends in first year doing it it's pretty damn boring, but you make friends quit easily and generally you'll enjoy the year.

niamheng

Hey i'm currently in first year engineering, to be honest most of the lectures are pretty boring, but then again I hardly ever go to class. We have so many hours though compared to everyone else you end up still going to more than anymore, but you can flake a few classes and still pass it grand, thats what ive been doing all year, first year eng being omnibus is a good way to get ye settled in and sure it dosnt go towards yer degree ye just have to pass first year to get into second year, id say thats what the majority of my class are doing haha
If you have any questions feel free to shoot em at me

kebn

Hello, Augmented Reality.

Ok, I'll answer this as honestly as possible. I'm currently a 3rd year mech so I've had to deal with the better part of 6 semesters of this course.

Now I took direct entry into mech but I don't think that's an option any more and the course has changed a bit since I started so not everything I say is going to be valid. One thing that is certain though, this course is difficult (ok some do breeze through it, but they're the exception and very few in number).

First of all, think long and hard about what you're getting yourself in for, the amount of people who drop out in first year just because they didn't research the course enough and find it's not what they expected is pretty high. Even now as third year comes to a close, a good friend of mine has now decided to drop out, having effectively wasted the last three years of his life. Research as much as you can now before you commit to this for any length of time(understanding you've probably got your CAO filled out at this stage).

1st Year:
Generally speaking, most of my year found the start of first year pretty difficult, but the exams aren't actually too bad and you'll figure stuff out pretty quickly. Most of, if not all of the subjects you'll study will be almost entirely theoretical, and I certainly found them extremely boring. The labs are dire too, but at least you don't have to write up proper reports for them (yet). You can skip the vast majority of lectures with little consequence, but know where you stand first. This year doesn't count so just have as much fun as possible while keeping your head above water. The desire to drop out differs from person to person. I much preferred the second semester to the first to be honest, seemed easier since I'd gotten into the swing of things.

2nd Year:
The difficulty jumps quite a bit in second year, the maths gets more difficult, though the lecturers (or notes in one case) are generally very good and it shouldn't be a problem. The hours are still pretty long but the assignments are light enough, so the workload isn't too bad for the year. 2nd year really does just seem like a slightly harder version of first year. Again, the subjects are very theoretical, but they do seem more "engineering" than straight science. Again this year doesn't count, have fun, but watch the lecture attendance, it's not as forgiving. You will contemplate dropping out frequently enough, the "why oh why didn't I pick arts or something" mentality is something to watch out for.

3rd Year:
The difficulty again rises, but it's manageable. Where third year REALLY hits you is the workload, which will have increased tenfold from the previous year! This year will not be particularly enjoyable, it will be stressful and you'll have to work quite hard to just pass, let alone do well. A big time sink here is the group design project, don't stress too much about this (I did), it'll probably turn out fine in the end, instead focus on some of the more difficult subjects. As of now, I'm mostly done with the insane amount of assignments and lab reports and now have to face studying for final exams. I reckon I'll pass, but some subjects are going to be close enough. I have not enjoyed this year, I have contemplated dropping out weekly (if not daily) but know that I've come too far to quit now. Your social life will be pretty much dead at this stage.

4th year:
Haven't got there yet, but just looking at the final year projects makes me think that most of what you're going to learn in university is going to be in final year, since I honestly don't know a whole lot about anything when it comes to engineering. Years of slacking off and last minute cramming mean I forget everything I learn within days of the final exam. I'm hoping it all comes together next year.

Now as for the lecturers, they're a mixed bunch. The good ones are excellent, they'll make some extremely difficult subjects seem simple. Others appear to try to do everything in their power to make their subject more difficult than it needs to be, you'll have to work harder at these subjects.

One of the great things about this course, and I think most would agree with me, is your class. Engineering classes generally get on great, you'll make some really good friends if you put in even the slightest amount of effort. Engineering parties are also surprisingly great, the EngSoc AGM being one of the best (which I had to miss this year thanks to an exam the next day!).

There was no guaranteed work placement in 3rd year for us, though that could change, and I really hope it does.

You'll need the HC3 in maths I'm afraid, don't think there's a way around this. Don't worry if you don't do great in maths, if the course does one thing only, it'll improve your maths no end!

A 4th year or a graduate would be better to listen to than me, since they'll have a fuller and clearer picture of what the course is like. Hopefully the budgets for the programmes will improve in the coming years as some of the facilities available at the moment are lacking to say the least.

Hope this helps, feel free to PM me about anything.

muboop1

Ok,

It's important to note, that the course is no longer a 4 year degree. It's a 5 year masters!

Under the new structure, The first 3 years will present you with many options in the courses you choose. However, certain option courses in second and third year are reliant on having taken pre-requisite courses previously etc...

After the 3 years you will be awarded a B.Sc in engineering.

The next 2 years are the masters.

In 4th year depending on the courses you have chosen up till now you will be able to pick from a number of masters courses. Biomedical engineering, chemical, mechanical etc...

You will have to have done enough courses relevent to the stream you wish to enter i.e. you cannot ignore mechanical engineering courses in the first 3 years then decide to do a masters in mech! Choose choices appropriately.

These years usually involve one 6 month placement. Not mandatory but encouraged heavily! They will facilitate you getting it, but you cannot sit back and just expect things to happen!

pljudge321

muboop1 wrote: »

Ok,

It's important to note, that the course is no longer a 4 year degree. It's a 5 year masters!

Under the new structure, The first 3 years will present you with many options in the courses you choose. However, certain option courses in second and third year are reliant on having taken pre-requisite courses previously etc...

After the 3 years you will be awarded a B.Sc in engineering.

The next 2 years are the masters.

In 4th year depending on the courses you have chosen up till now you will be able to pick from a number of masters courses. Biomedical engineering, chemical, mechanical etc...

You will have to have done enough courses relevent to the stream you wish to enter i.e. you cannot ignore mechanical engineering courses in the first 3 years then decide to do a masters in mech! Choose choices appropriately.

These years usually involve one 6 month placement. Not mandatory but encouraged heavily! They will facilitate you getting it, but you cannot sit back and just expect things to happen!

Nope you can still do one of the 4 year BEng degree's, the 3+2 course which is replacing Eng. Science is optional.

muboop1

Hmm, Thats actually correct!

Having said that, I would highly advise against it! 5 years for a M.E is a much better option, especially considering the new charter rules i.e. to become a chartered engineer you will have to have a masters form 2013 or something like that.

In that regard, not doing a masters is... kinda silly (depending on goals of course).

rage against the leaving

I was also thinking about this course. I'm fairly undecided between engineering or a maths type course, and I'm also interested in finance/actuarial maths type things.

Is it possible to do the three years and then do the HDip in actuarial maths?

Which course (BAFS or Eng) has the most hours/biggest workload?

And I don't do Economics or Physics for LC but I do Chem, app. maths and business, would i be disadvantaged in either course without them majorly?

RayCarley

muboop1 wrote: »

Hmm, Thats actually correct!

Having said that, I would highly advise against it! 5 years for a M.E is a much better option, especially considering the new charter rules i.e. to become a chartered engineer you will have to have a masters form 2013 or something like that.

In that regard, not doing a masters is... kinda silly (depending on goals of course).

Having said that, there are many reasons why you would want to do the 4 year BE instead of 5 year Masters:

• The BE is a better degree than the BSc (Obviously since it's a 4 year degree) - But if you do the ME, then it doesn't really matter either way
• Although you need a masters to be a chartered engineering, you don't necessarily need to be a chartered engineer... like if you're doing Civil and need to sign off on health and safety of a building then yes you need it, but for elec, mech or chem less so... but then again I'm not in industry so I don't have the full story
• The engineering (+2 ME) masters in UCD is farily new, therefore there aren't many people who have done it that you can compare to, so you mightn't know if they one you're thinking of doing is actually any good
• If you want to do a masters abroad, you're much better off with the BE than the BSc

By the way, I'm in second year Elecronic Engineering at the moment,
but back to the question at hand:

augmented reality wrote: »

Hoping to do engineering next year, will probably end up in mech but I'll do the common first year.
What's the course like? Do people doing it actually enjoy it?
Are the lecturers good or is it true that lots of them don't give a $h1t about their students?
Is there a guaranteed work placement during the summer of year 3?
Is there a special entrance exam for students who don't get the HC3 in maths, hopefully this won't happen but you never know....

Thanks in advance!

I really enjoy the course and most of the people I know in my year do as well, from what I can gather anyway.
One of the previous posters is correct in saying that first year is a gentle introduction, which means you should definitely get involved with as many things in the university as possible. I wouldn't get into the habit of missing many/any lectures though. Like it's very easy to fail first year, but it is ridiculously hard not to pass if you attend all the lectures, tutorials and labs.

The lecturers in my experience are good and really are helpful if you have any problems. Like there are a couple I didn't really like, but if you have any problems or questions they are always happy to help and most would reply to emails within 24hrs or less. So they definitely do give a $h1t!

No guaranteed work placements, but again if you chat to lecturers most would be able to give advice or help you out if you seem interested.

With regards to the Higher C3 in Maths. You really do need to be getting that result to keep up with the maths in the course. There's no special entrance exam or anything, but I think there are some seriously roundabout back doors into it, but really you don't want to be going down that route.

All in all, engineering in UCD is definitely a great choice!

DonQuigleone

As a 4th year student in Mech Eng, I first have to say that Mechanical Engineering in UCD isn't too bad, but isn't great either. For Ireland it's probably as good as you get though. I will say that for me first year was dull, 2nd year was decent, 3rd year I was on exchange and 4th year has been a mixed bag.

I went on exchange in 3rd year and I found it generally to be far better taught, and standards to be higher. Likewise teachers and students were all generally more motivated. I think if you want a truly excellent Engineering education I'd go to a foreign university. This is, of course, presuming you can afford that, most of us can't.

Otherwise I'd make sure you're really motivated to and really love Engineering. You'll find it very difficult to get through 4 years otherwise. I know that if I could go back and choose differently I'd highly consider doing something different, maybe Science or Economics.

Also make sure you're really good at maths, particularly Algebra. If you can handle maths you shouldn't find it too difficult provided you give some effort. The lab reports are another story entirely though, and generally pointlessly boring, however they rarely count for much.

King Chili

kebn wrote: »

4th year:
Haven't got there yet, but just looking at the final year projects makes me think that most of what you're going to learn in university is going to be in final year, since I honestly don't know a whole lot about anything when it comes to engineering. Years of slacking off and last minute cramming mean I forget everything I learn within days of the final exam. I'm hoping it all comes together next year.

I know I might be out of the loop a little bit being 11 years since I graduated from mech, but just to let you know that it is not unusual for people in the middle of studying engineering (especially Mechanical) to think they don't really know a whole lot about engineering.

What the course actually does is it develpos a way of thinking. If you can get through Mechanical Engineering in UCD then you will be very well placed to take on any challenge.

Just take a look at the amount of consultancy houses who fight over Engineering Graduates.

You will never cease to be surprised about how difficult most people find things that you will take in your stride. (I know this sounds arrogant, but the very fact that you get into engineering puts you in the top few percent of people).

I still question the validity of doing all the theoretical stuff, but I suppose it gives you a base to go on and specialise later. Where you will come into your own is through the practical application and problem solving skills you learn from a number of the projects and design groups you work in (assuming this is still done in mech). It is fascinating to me how the average person I work with still manages to get confused and not be able to identify the cause of a problem. they invariably treat the symptoms rather than the cause.

On the social side of things Engineers in general always seemed to be the work hard party hard type. Again I suppose it comes down to loooking at things in a certain way that others don't. If you have less time to party than others, then you will make sure that you will make it count.

muboop1

muboop1 wrote: »

In that regard, not doing a masters is... kinda silly (depending on goals of course).

Plenty of folks do a masters years and years after finishing their degree

King Chili

RoverJames wrote: »

Plenty of folks do a masters years and years after finishing their degree

I did!

johnn

High probability of a Sausage-fest.