accidentprone
Active member
Advice on how to deal with test anxiety on the brutal engineering exams?
Last edited:
I have a BS in Electronics Engineering and I thought I would give you some pointers/hints. I am 50 years old and at the time in my life where i am looking back about things I would do differently. Do better in college was one of them. I graduated with a 2.6 GPA and it wasn't from a well known engineering school. So here are some of my observations about college and the field overall:
1.) You must love math. I like math but didn't particularly love it. Calculus kicked my ***, and most engineering courses are built off of Calculus. I had straight A's in Algebra and Trigonometry at a junior college, and a 3.6 overall GPA in engineering courses but when I transferred to a four year college I was in no way prepared for the level of difficulty. If you struggle with Calculus get a tutor and go see your professor. Even if it takes re-taking classes and throw off your graduation schedule get comfortable with Calculus. Chances are you will never use Calculus after college but you will use it a lot in college.
2.) Surround yourself with other engineering students, and if you have a roommate make sure he is going after a STEM degree. You do not want people who study Business or Liberal Arts (who never seemed to have Friday classes) talking you into going uptown to party on a Thursday night. Plus with an engineering roommate you can help each other.
3.) Develop a relationship with your professors. Not only will they help you but it will show them that you are truly interested in their class. In class, ask questions. This takes courage but the more you do it the more comfortable you will become. There are no dumb questions!
4.) Study first! If time allows go on a date or go have some drinks with friends. The more homework you do the more confident you'll be on exams.
5.) The first two years will be the hardest. Do not plan on side jobs for these two years as you will be struggling. Colleges purposely make it this way to weed out the slackers. Think hard about what you want to specialize in (power, computer design, communications, etc..). Your junior and senior classes will focus on what path you choose. Make your goal a minimum of a 3.0 GPA so going to graduate school will still be on option. Going back to step 3 the better you know your professors the more likely they are to recommend you for graduate studies.
6.) This is probably the most important. Go to a school with a good coop program. My school had no coop program. The more experience you have before you graduate the more likely you are to get a full time job afterwards.
It also gives you a feel for what you'll be doing when you graduate. If you don't like it CHANGE YOUR MAJOR. Do what you love. If I could do it all over again I would have been an archaeologist. The only reason I got into engineering was because of parental pressure, and electricity/magnetism fascinated me.
Now for the real world advice. Engineering is a lot of work for the amount of money you get paid. You'll typically become a member of a team and that team will be assigned a project with a deadline. Managers do not want deadlines extended so it means long work days and weekends. In the US competition is fierce for jobs so be ready to give it your all.