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/sci/ - Science & Math


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3811076 No.3811076 [Reply] [Original]

Not really science but you guys are probably to most likely to understand.

I'm a freshman in college(EE) taking 5 classes and working about 10 hours a week, I know, not a lot but with the 5 classes I wouldn't want to work much more. I'm not coming here to say "look how much i do i'm so smart and talented".

I started off feeling pretty good. I was basically in the "yay I just finished summer and I want something to do" phase. But now that's worn off and the long days are getting to me. Most days are 8-9 hours with about an hour(Plus or minus an half an hour) worth of homework when I get home. One of the days is 14 hours where I wake up at 7, work, school, work, school, homework, school, get home at 10.

I'm just wondering how you guys deal with this. Do you eventually just get used to it? Or is there something you do on the weekends that really gets you refreshed for another week.

Each week's getting harder. The first time I had the 14 hour day I didn't think it was that bad. I actually kind of liked it. But now I completely dread it. I count the hours left constantly.

Basically, any advice for a freshmen getting used to the increased work load?

>> No.3811096

Do it or don't.

You will eventually develop the skills to handle it but if you can't do it - you simply aren't good enough and don't belong in EE.
I know I sound like a jackass but its the sad truth.
You are no longer attending school to be babysat and kept out of trouble -- you are attending school to learn and if you don't want to -- don't.

>> No.3811102

You're in college.

Deal with it.

>> No.3811113

>>3811096
It's not that I don't l like school, I do. And I'm doing very well in my classes, but it gets tiring to have your whole life centered around school. I have no Idea how people go to parties and shit like that. I don't have any where close to enough time.

>> No.3811115

I personally don't know if I could handle work+EE, but I guess you'll just have to manage your time better.

The biggest thing I learned during my EE undergrad was time management. Good students know how to prepare weeks ahead, whereas the idiots leave their shit till the last minute and end up turning in sub-par work.

>> No.3811123

>>3811096
>don't belong in EE
Also, you act like EE is full of the best people, but at my school it's full of people who get b's and c's in their math test and are fine with it. Maybe they're the ones that drop out, but there's a lot of them.

>> No.3811133

>>3811123
Yeah, I've heard lots of people be like "oh my god, you're in EE, I hear thats the hardest one!".

No, unfortunately it is riddled with the students who couldn't get into the more popular options of MechE, Civil, etc.

>> No.3811137

>>3811113

Well, I'm sorry to tell you this but school is now your life. If a weekend comes where you have the time, you party. Otherwise, you work. That is if you want to succeed. You are a student 24/7 and if you excel and finish your work early, you have time for fun. We all struggle with time-management but the best tip that I can give you is that you do your homework immediately. Don't wait until the day before it's due. Do it as soon as you finish the day.
If you need to, take 5 years and a lighter course load to graduate but understand that it's not supposed to be easy.

>> No.3811148

>get up at 6
>go to football until 8
>school until 3
>football until 5:30
>manual labor until 10

You are a bitch.

>> No.3811158
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3811158

>>3811096
Shut the fuck up you aspie.
he never implied he didn't like EE.
Yes, I'm mad.

>> No.3811170

have you considered WoW?

i always feel refreshed after my daily fix. it makes your problems a little easier to cope with.

dont get addicted to it though.

you have to take it in moderation.

he who plays WoW excessively, or shuns it altogether for fear of addiction, are both slaves to addiction.

>> No.3811171

>>3811137
Ok, that's not what I wanted to hear but It's definitely better that I know it. I just hear a lot about people talking about how fun college is and I was confused about where their enthusiasm was coming from.

>If you need to, take 5 years and a lighter course load to graduate but understand that it's not supposed to be easy.
I would definitely go for the 5 year grad before letting my grades drop. Thanks for the advice.

While were on the topic. Which would be better:
1) 4 classes a semester + 1 winter + 1 summer class
2) 5 classes a semester + winter and summer off
3) 4 classes a semester + 2 summer classes(not at the same time, but one for each summer-mester) and winter off

>> No.3811179

>>3811113
a lot of people who party all the time are art students or are failing college and are only doing it so dad doesn't cut off their living expenses.

Hang in there OP, it's gonna pay off.

>> No.3811180

>>3811170
I'm going to pass on WOW, the only time I play games is on the weekends and not very much. Games before were more to occupy my time but now I just like to rest instead by watching a movie or working out.

>> No.3811186

I have 17 hours of course work this semester, 20 hour a week job, and various duties of several societies.

Either quit or stop being a bitch about it.

>> No.3811190

quit work. get classes without breaks between them next semester. The only way I can fathom having days that long is multiple labs with long breaks between classes.

Typical schedule for me is out the door by 8 - home by 1:30 the latest with the rest of the day "off"(lolwatisfreetime). There are enough classes to choose from in the engineering track that you can do this for multiple semesters in a row if you plan it out and your college doesn't change course schedules.

manage time better. Learn how to turn the wifi on your laptop off.

>> No.3811205

>>3811170
Or you could chill to anything that relaxes you, and keep working.

For op: get the work done, then rest. Don't even try to rest and keep up later, unless you're really tired. It makes the thing worse.

>> No.3811212

>>3811190
sounds like my schedule

8-11; 2 hour break 1-2. mon wednesday fridayh.

tuesdays and thrusdays I have 1 3 hour class.

EZ MODE 15 credit hours. so much free time when all classes are blocked together.

>> No.3811213
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3811213

>>3811190
>manage time better. Learn how to turn the wifi on your laptop off.

not a bad idea, really.

>> No.3811217

Start exercising or find a club. Just something you can do for 5-10 hours a week that you can think about other than school.

>> No.3811220

>get classes without breaks between them next semester
That's why my days are so long, but in those breaks I do homework, from the start of the break to end. Rarely do I have nothing to do during the breaks. But I'm going to not do this again, it would be a lot nicer to do homework at home.

Also, I don't want this to be a dick waving contest about who has the longest days "HURR I WORK 60 HOURS A WEEK AND TAKE 8 CLASSES AND FUCK BITCHES"

Everyone's not the same so what might be easy for you might not be for me. That was the point of the thread.

>> No.3811224

>>3811171

I'd advise the 4 classes per semester + 1 summer.

I typically have been doing five classes per semester (17-19 credit hours) and two during the summer.
Then again, I'm a triple major.

>> No.3811226

adapt. Should of chosen a relatively light first term and then ramped up to whatever your comfort level is.

>> No.3811228

Stop hanging out with friends on the weekend.
Weekends are for homework.

Homework gets first priority. FIRST priority.
Family member having a birthday? Too bad you've got that quiz on signal conditioning next monday, and homework due Tuesday. Have you started studying for exams?

You must study like a professional, because that is what you are training to be. You owe yourself as much time to yourself at this time in your life, right now. Don't let anybody else tell you otherwise, whether they be friend, family, or lover.

>> No.3811232

I'm studying an average of 6 hours a day.

The 100%'s are enough motivation for me.

>> No.3811235

Who cares about having summer off? I'm taking summer classes every semester I'm at school. It's awesome. Summer semester is more laid back, and there's not 100 metric fucktons of faggots using the computer labs to dick around on facebook and blocking the hallways by standing there like immovable bronze cow statues while they converse. In the summer you can walk across campus in the evening without passing a single person and all your classmates are bros.

>> No.3811237

>>3811224
Are you graduating in 4 years? And what are your majors? Just curious.

>>3811226
If I stayed at my comfort level I'd never get better.

>> No.3811247

>>3811205

well iono what gets you off, but WoW is pretty fucking relaxing to me.

in fact, i think ill pop on right now to complete my dailies.

you may think its pointless chasing all these meaningless pixels, doing the same thing over and over again, but its really a very therapeutic ritual.

its as meaningless as praying or any other religious ritual, but it does put ones mind at ease in doing a repetitive task.

didnt einstein come up with brilliant ideas whilst doing repetitive mundane tasks working in a patent office?

grinding in WoW is just another mindless occupation. but we need mindless occupations every now and then. otherwise we'd just find some other therapeutic outlet like taking a walk in a park (which is even more unproductive, because theres no loot or progression there)

>> No.3811252

>>3811235
Summer session feels good man. Especially if you don't like crowds/tons of people.

>> No.3811253

>>3811228
>Weekends are for homework.
>Homework gets first priority. FIRST priority.

I prefer to do it after class.

>> No.3811259

>>3811247
You have a point there.

I... might play puzzle games to entertain myself.

>> No.3811262

>>3811247

My nightcap is masturbation. No joke. I lay back with a tub of crisco, a bottle of hydrogenated vegetable oil, and a large buttplug, and I just get totally nasty.

Yes, I'm an engineer

>> No.3811266

i unfailingly did all of my homework in free periods / in the few minutes or so prior to class.

never did any at home. got top marks every time.

high IQ feels good man.

>> No.3811268

>>3811237

Nah. I'm aiming for five.
Physics, Math and French.

>> No.3811274

>>3811252

Absolutely. When I came back to school this semester, I was so fucking bummed to see how many people there were. I miss the days when campus was sparsely populated ;_;

I mean fucking hell, half of these people or more aren't going to graduate, a big chunk of them won't even be here come next semester, and they're fucking milling around taking up MY air and using MY computer labs and using all the fucking staples without replacing them and being noisy as fuck. Goddammit. Summer can't come fast enough.

>> No.3811290

>>3811228
OP here.

I complete agree, that's how I've been doing this so far. Before I started I thought that I'd really like to get a girlfriend but right now I don't even think about it. I probably wouldn't get one unless she was equally dedicated about school and would understand.

>>3811268
That's really impressive. I was thinking about double majoring EE, and CompSci but decided not to.

>> No.3811296

Get some booze OP. There is a reason engineers can drink most of their peers under the table.

>go to party with some friends who go to community college
>have about 10 beers + weed
>CC kids are puking after 7-8 beers
>wake up next morning hungover
>"omg you party so hard!"

I did not drink that much.

I only survived my semester of 18 credits + 10hr/week job because I had a over a gallon of rum, 6 cases of beer, and close to half an ounce of weed. I managed to a get a 3.6 that semester.

>> No.3811332

>>3811290


Eh. Not really. I speak French so it's all easy As for me... The upper division classes are basically the same subject matter as middle school level French literature classes.... And Physics and Math share so many requirements that I basically only need to take like 5 extra classes for the Math major.

>> No.3811336

You fucking cockmunching faggots let me tell you my schedule.

19 credit hours. Real analysis, Electrodynamics, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Ancient Philosophy, (Other)

I work in a Biochemistry lab independently as a primary researcher. That means I have to not only do the shit, but figure out how to do the shit. I don't even know how many hours I put in a week in lab. I don't leave lab except for class and sleep (and sometimes food).

I go to bed at 12:30 every night. Wake up every morning at 5:30 to run or work out. Work my fucking ass off every minute I get.

EGO TO THE MAX

>> No.3811379

Who the fuck schedules a 14 hour day?

Lets say you have 15 hours a week of school. 10 hours a week of work. That's 25 hours. Plus 15 hours a week studying (3 a day during the week). There's a full time job. Now study a little on the weekends, and you're golden.

I don't get how you could even HAVE a 14 hour day with a 10 hour a week job. What, do you work all 10 hours in that one day? If you do, the rest of your week should be easy.

You said most days are 8-9 hours. So let's say you have 4 8 hour days, and one 14 hour day. That's 46 hours. Minus the 10 you spend working. That's 36 hours of school a week. Who the fuck spends 36 hours a week in school?

I spend like 20 hours in class a week. I spend another like 15 hours a week studying or so. I'm just short of a full time job. Throw in a few hours of work, and it's a full time job.

I don't get how your schedule could be so full. Unless you include clubs and breaks as part of your school.

>> No.3811393

>>3811379
>Who the fuck schedules a 14 hour day?
My boss. She looked at my schedule and gave me a full day to work on my already longest day.

I have a lot of breaks in my schedule.

>> No.3811404

>>3811336
>Work my fucking ass off every minute I get.

And then you go on /sci/.

Yeah, makes sense.

>> No.3811406

copius amounts of alcohol on the weekends (mech eng)

>> No.3811430

>>3811336
I know you're gung-ho and all, but its really not healthy to get so little sleep. Your brain reinforces what you learned during your deepest sleep. You're not filling your mind with knowledge, you're frying it.

>> No.3811434

>>3811393
>I have a lot of breaks in my schedule.

So the truth comes out. If you have a lot of breaks, you don't have a "14 hour day", you have a 5 hour day spread across 14 hours.

Just do your homework during your breaks. Next semester don't schedule yourself so retardedly.

Also if your boss assigned you a full day on your long day, tell her that you CAN'T do it. If she bitches at you, tell her to fuck off. School and your sanity is more important than whatever the fuck you're wasting your money on.

>> No.3811439
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3811439

Shiat, sounds like the life, running around like a chicken with your head cut off all day.
I get irrated just being inside a 1 mile radius of you people.

>> No.3811444

>>3811434
>you don't have a "14 hour day", you have a 5 hour day spread across 14 hours.
The 14 hour day has a one hour break in it, where I study for the math quiz that is the next day.

If you read the thread you'd see that I stated about the breaks before and I said I do my homework in them.

>School and your sanity is more important than whatever the fuck you're wasting your money on
Paying for school?

>> No.3811473

First year engineering major here

It's a lot more work OP, but just do things as soon as there assigned, also quit your job if you can. I find that if I power through assignments as soon as there due I have some free time.

Not everyone can do this though.

>> No.3811487

>>3811393
>I have a lot of breaks in my schedule

>>3811444
>1 hour break

which one is it?

I bet you're one of those people who in high school "stayed up to 3 AM studying for this brutal quiz on Lord of the Flies" when you really read a little bit of the book and spent the rest of the night watching TV.

And paying for school, ya right. You're really making $30,000 a year off 10 hours a week.

Work full time at your job and make $120,000

You're working at a minimum wage place, getting $65 a week after taxes. You really think you're putting a dent in the amount of debt you have?

I think you just like to bitch. Tell your boss you can't work 8 hours in one day while going to school. Tell her to fuck off if she won't. You're not making shit anyway.

>> No.3811497

What helped me was pirating software. I had a semester where I had to learn matlab, learn LISP, learn an assembly language for some uP and (re)learn C for operating systems. Shit was 12 hour days(not counting unexpected crap like my board breaking, laptop breaking), I had to use both drops that my school allows and I still got a D+ in one course I couldn't drop. I pirated Matlab and the software used on the school computers that I had to use different labs for. I retook the classes and coasted(4-6 hours a day max aside from deadlines) and got A's because all of my work was localized and I didn't need to run around campus to do every little thing.

>> No.3811501

>>3811487
>which one is it?
There's more than one day in a week...
the rest was TL:DR

>> No.3811518

OP if at all possible, quit working. It's simply not worth your precious time. If you pull off the degree, you'll make enough money to cover student loans at a time when it's far more convenient for you to work.
Trust me, a thousand times trust me. Don't try to be superman.

I was trying to pay for my schooling out of pocket (community college) and really struggling like some shit. I paid for all the classes but I got a D in one of my cores and it's really set me back at least a year as far as transferring. Huge regret. Don't let that happen to you.

>> No.3811535

>>3811518
That's what I plan to do if it gets really bad. But I want to keep the job because I work full time in the summer. That's where the job is useful because I can make about enough for a semester. The only reason I work now is to keep it for the summer.

>> No.3811549

EE is only fun if you get in to Academics or Field service.

Consulting office is boring, especially with large oil sands clients that only want to do the same shit in a different part of the yard. I'm a DCS expert, btw.

>> No.3811584

>>3811549
Don't know about that. My dad hates field service(been doing it +20 years) but doesn't mind consulting.

>> No.3811654

My advice (senior in mechanical engineering here):

Do homework IMMEDIATELY. Like right after the class in which it's assigned.

Pay attention in class and take good notes so you don't have to relearn things on the fly.

Work on homework with friends. It helps everyone and you'll probably finish quicker since you will have multiple people chugging away at the hardest problems.

Don't let yourself go home until your homework is done (unless it's really late).

Relax on the weekends. Try not to think about school. Work all your hours on the weekends if possible.

Keep in mind that school is not meant to be easy or fun. Remember you're going there and busting your balls for a degree. A degree that will hopefully define your future if you do well. It will be worth the work.

>> No.3811699

>>3811076
I deal with it like a reasonable person and balance my time properly. IE, I don't ever take five classes unless two of them are complete handouts. I only take three difficult classes at once period and that's pushing, I wouldn't attempt holding a job down while doing that.

Course I've been out of school for quite some time.
College needs to find a better way to freeform pace learning, it really does. But that's kind of half the plan there, It's a giant fucking sieve to catch everybody but the most intense academics producing copious amount of shit with their every breath.
The rest of us, learn to take what we can and use it. Don't be too proud to say you can't handle something and try to push yourself harder than you can go. If you're adamant about it, take it slow and work it up.

>> No.3811712

>yay I just finished summer and I want something to do
You DIDN'T do anything during summer?
Shameful display, OP. Shameful display

>> No.3811716

>>3811654

Not OP but noted! any other advice from academically successful /sci/ducks?

>> No.3811784

Crystal meth /thread

>> No.3811817

Can I just say I love the people who think they are high-and-mighty because they work a twenty hour week and take more than 12 credits. Congrats, is that what you want to hear? Congratulations you are doing allot. OP did not ask about what you are DOING he asked how you DEAL with it. No one is impressed because you do a great deal and put others down.

O.P my advice is not new based on what I'm reading here but: just stay on top of your work, and never get that "oh god this" attitude because it'll just hurt you in the end you just got to bear through it. If you find you are unable to do it I'd lighten up on labour before I lightened up on school. No one will judge you for it say for the autists who've already told you to "deal with it"

>> No.3811838

>>3811784
>>3811784

HELL YEAH! thats' hoOW I got mi PHD

or was it a GED?

Or was it just... a dream? nah couLdn't be I haven't SLept in agez hu hu ha

>> No.3811845

>>3811838
I laughed

>> No.3811982

Man, you guys sound like the least losery part of 4chan. Anymore, I spend most of my days sleeping for 15 hours or on this shithole. I had trouble focusing on only a handful of liberal arts (shit tier math, english) courses, I've taken year long breaks between courses and I still have yet to take anything remotely related to my CS and EE degrees. I envy you guys.
Okay, fine. We're all losers. You guys just sound like losers with motivation. And remember, loser isn't an insult, it's a compliment. Losers are the people too interesting to be boring. Next time someone calls you a loser, thank them. They change our world (or not). But even if they don't do anything, they keep it interesting.

>> No.3812119

>>3811076
>Or is there something you do on the weekends that really gets you refreshed for another week.

Yes, you drink, fuck, and smoke.

>> No.3812134

>>3811982
Do less amphetamines - structure paragraphs.

>> No.3812154

OP, you feel the heavy workload pressing in on you and it's worrying you.

You're probably wondering what you're going to do, how you're going to handle this, and it probably feels like it's going to crush you. Let it. Work it, day in and day out, keep going with it until you literally break. Because then you'll be left there, broken by the stress, and you'll realize you're still alive and you're still there and that's all there is to it.
That's when you start adapting to it.

Until you break, you won't let go of the things you're trying to hold onto in your value system. Once you do, you'll see a pretty clear path set out before you, "Alright, all I have to do is keep doing this, right? I've already experienced the fear associated with it, so there's nothing left to fear. Just keep going with it"