With almost 12,500 students, Purdue engineering is one of the top engineering programs in the nation. After going through first year engineering and becoming a bioengineer here at Purdue, I’ve learned there’s a general feeling towards engineering as a whole. But despite all these feelings, I still love engineering and what I do.
Nothing is as hard as Physics 172
Let’s be real here. Physics 172 was the hardest class that I have ever taken in my life and will probably ever take in my life. The endless nights trying to finish the homework and the anxiety over the free response portion of the tests gave my eyes bags for days.
Sleepless nights are an everyday thing
In each class I seem to take, there’s always an assignment to do, quiz to take, or paper to write and a test the next day. There’s rarely a night where I go to bed before 12.
First Year Engineering is nothing like your actual discipline
First Year Engineering definitely did not give me a hint about what my actual major is like. Although I’m just a second year, I still have yet to use MATLAB outside of ENGR 132.
There are no easy classes
This can be said for any major, but it is definitely true about engineering. Almost every class we take is at least worth 3 or 4 credits when really they should be worth 5.
You wonder why you ever chose engineering/ you rethink your whole life
Running around from class to class is definitely a normal thing for me and without any room in my schedule, I often wonder if engineering is the right fit for me. I have definitely rethought every life decision that brought me to engineering.
You’re always on the go and multitasking
With all the amount of work I have, I feel like I’m always going somewhere and never have a chance to stop and smell the roses. Looking around in lecture, there are so many people who are doing multiple things at once. Not because we specifically want to, but because we have to in order to get everything done. I think that I have at least five windows open at a time with the amount of things I have to do.
All your exams are in the same week
When exam season comes along, I know for a fact that as soon as I have one exam the next ones are not too far away. It’s common to have exams right after each other as they always come at the same time for me. Unfortunately, I’m never ready for them.
You wonder why you can’t use graph paper instead of engineering paper
Walking into class the first day and seeing the syllabus of everything I need to know, I noticed engineering paper on the list of requirements. I had no idea what it was at all and looked around Follett’s thinking that it had to be different than the graph paper looking thing that I’ve been starring at. But it’s not. Engineering paper is a must for my major as it’s common to have at least one professor that wants all your homework done on it.