What's your experience with EE studies ?

[tggzzz]

ECE student here, I'll echo what others have said. I'll add that for me I've noticed lectures are next to fucking useless. That hour or two spent in the class room, twice a week, is better spent learning the material on my own, sitting in front of the textbook and digesting every single word. The most difficult part of this method is that sometimes you'll learn stuff that you wont be tested on, it helps if the professor gives an extremely detailed syllabus. Deriving all the equations and going through all the math  (even if you hate) helps reinforce and retain the information imho. I'll spend 4-5 hrs reading the entire chapter, but remember it all. Sometimes I'll read a single paragraph 6 times, I wont move on until I know what is being said.

I think reading the text, or whatever material, on your own, at your own pace,  is more organic. If I hit a spot I don't understand, I try to pin point whatever mathematical-step/paragraph/sentence/word I am not understanding and look up my issue. I believe this also teaches problem solving. I've had to learn to "see the forest from the trees" i.e. I've had to learn how to differentiate between the big picture and the individual parts that make it up. If its a math issue (assuming not algebraic), I've found abstracting away the applied part, and looking at the overall structure to be helpful with determining my issue.

I don't disagree with that.

I'll note that the best result of maths is that you can apply it without invoking the details every time you use it. Example: using Bode plots and Smith charts to design and understand circuit.

[Mattjd]

ECE student here, I'll echo what others have said. I'll add that for me I've noticed lectures are next to fucking useless. That hour or two spent in the class room, twice a week, is better spent learning the material on my own, sitting in front of the textbook and digesting every single word. The most difficult part of this method is that sometimes you'll learn stuff that you wont be tested on, it helps if the professor gives an extremely detailed syllabus. Deriving all the equations and going through all the math  (even if you hate) helps reinforce and retain the information imho. I'll spend 4-5 hrs reading the entire chapter, but remember it all. Sometimes I'll read a single paragraph 6 times, I wont move on until I know what is being said.

I think reading the text, or whatever material, on your own, at your own pace,  is more organic. If I hit a spot I don't understand, I try to pin point whatever mathematical-step/paragraph/sentence/word I am not understanding and look up my issue. I believe this also teaches problem solving. I've had to learn to "see the forest from the trees" i.e. I've had to learn how to differentiate between the big picture and the individual parts that make it up. If its a math issue (assuming not algebraic), I've found abstracting away the applied part, and looking at the overall structure to be helpful with determining my issue.

I don't disagree with that.

I'll note that the best result of maths is that you can apply it without invoking the details every time you use it. Example: using Bode plots and Smith charts to design and understand circuit.

certainly, a nice bode plot can say a lot, so can a transfer function. However, a transfer function is gonna require a ton of intermediary steps. Who doesn't love partial fraction decomposition?

[tggzzz]

ECE student here, I'll echo what others have said. I'll add that for me I've noticed lectures are next to fucking useless. That hour or two spent in the class room, twice a week, is better spent learning the material on my own, sitting in front of the textbook and digesting every single word. The most difficult part of this method is that sometimes you'll learn stuff that you wont be tested on, it helps if the professor gives an extremely detailed syllabus. Deriving all the equations and going through all the math  (even if you hate) helps reinforce and retain the information imho. I'll spend 4-5 hrs reading the entire chapter, but remember it all. Sometimes I'll read a single paragraph 6 times, I wont move on until I know what is being said.

I think reading the text, or whatever material, on your own, at your own pace,  is more organic. If I hit a spot I don't understand, I try to pin point whatever mathematical-step/paragraph/sentence/word I am not understanding and look up my issue. I believe this also teaches problem solving. I've had to learn to "see the forest from the trees" i.e. I've had to learn how to differentiate between the big picture and the individual parts that make it up. If its a math issue (assuming not algebraic), I've found abstracting away the applied part, and looking at the overall structure to be helpful with determining my issue.

I don't disagree with that.

I'll note that the best result of maths is that you can apply it without invoking the details every time you use it. Example: using Bode plots and Smith charts to design and understand circuit.

certainly, a nice bode plot can say a lot, so can a transfer function. However, a transfer function is gonna require a ton of intermediary steps. Who doesn't love partial fraction decomposition?

Indeed!

I should have noted that understanding presumptions and limitations in the underlying maths is highly beneficial. That enables you to understand where the using the "everyday simplification" is no longer valid because a presumption does not hold in these circumstances. A simple example of that is small-signal linear models of semiconductors.

[coppice]

ECE student here, I'll echo what others have said. I'll add that for me I've noticed lectures are next to fucking useless.

This varies massively with where you study. The top colleges generally attract the best talent, and the best places tend to have the best lecture theatres. So, you generally hear good things about lectures from people who went to the top colleges (we only had serious complaints about one lecturer, and I don't think any of the teaching rooms were bad), and the complaints go up rapidly as you go down the list.

College level teaching is weird. To teach in high school you need to attend teacher training college, and demonstrate the ability to get a point across. To teach in college you only need to demonstrate that you can do scholastic research. Your ability to teach is never tested.

[sibeen]

I don't know if 'Engineering mathematics' (KA Stroud) is still the common math book (Horrible book IMHO), but it contains lots of examples, do take the time to work them.



73 Dan.

OK, I had to laugh. Read that line, turned around to look at my bookshelf and K.A Stroud, 3rd edition was staring at me balefully

[Mattjd]

ECE student here, I'll echo what others have said. I'll add that for me I've noticed lectures are next to fucking useless.

This varies massively with where you study. The top colleges generally attract the best talent, and the best places tend to have the best lecture theatres. So, you generally hear good things about lectures from people who went to the top colleges (we only had serious complaints about one lecturer, and I don't think any of the teaching rooms were bad), and the complaints go up rapidly as you go down the list.

College level teaching is weird. To teach in high school you need to attend teacher training college, and demonstrate the ability to get a point across. To teach in college you only need to demonstrate that you can do scholastic research. Your ability to teach is never tested.

I can't in anyway disagree with what you said. Or even agree, as I have never been to another university lecture. Despite anyone reading this most likely not being a professor I have taken, and them not knowing who I am. I have to say that I did not think the professors did poorly. I came out of lectures knowing some stuff.

MY issue with lectures is that sometimes I am not in a learning mood when I go to them. Not only that, sometimes I don't know what subtopic [z] about topic [y], for which we are learning, I am not understanding. So I can't even ask a question. Maybe I should anyway and let the professor finagle it out of me, but I am not okay with that.

If I skip lecture, I can learn when I am feeling productive, and then keep going. The worst is say, I go to lecture and am not feeling productive, I don't learn shit, and I have wasted a bunch of time in the day. Another scenario is I go to lecture, and I am feeling productive and am readily absorbing the material, all of a sudden the lecture ends and my momentum is lost because I have to go another lecture (change of topic) or I have to wait. Upon waiting I'll probably get distracted by some pretty girl or by someone talking about pop culture bullshit. If I am at home, I can just continuously study, without distraction.

What I am saying is that my disliking of lectures has to do with how I have determined my energy levels work. I would describe my ability to be productive as having a large amount of inertia. Its hard for me to start, but once I am going, I can go, and go, and go, without tiring. I've noticed this with labor jobs I have had. I'll regularly skip breaks and lunch (at the very least, grab my sandwich and eat it really fast as I am heading back to work) and keep working because I know, if I stop, my ability will be work will be lessened and I have to gain all that momentum (motivation) back.

[Rbastler]

There are a lot of basics and lots of Math to do in the first years. But you also get to do some fun stuff. Circuit design lectures and so are reallay interesting. At least if you plan to go that way, like I am. Some stuff is very easy, some is really hard. Mathematics and signal analysis will take most of my time. I purposely decided to take those exams at a later point, because they are really difficult. The rest of the stuff I have to do is ok-isch.
It really gets difficult very fast. At least for me, as wasn't really used to study a lot. Which you don't need to for every test you decide to take. Only for some. And then there ist the deffinition of "a lot". For me its working on the same stuff for four hours straight. Which I had to do very little fortunately....for now. That doesn't mean I wasn't learning for longer time. Just for different tests and with some breaks.
If you dont have your own lab or the uni offers a lab for students to use, then you wont really get to make your own project in some time. Means you gota be a hobbiest, if you want to start early. (Spoken from my viewpoint as a electronics hobbiest and hopefully a futer master in electronics design and microelectronics). I get to do some projects on my own. But I assume you mean in collaboration with the university ? To that I don't have a answer (yet).
I'm studying EE at TU Graz btw.

[tggzzz]

MY issue with lectures is that sometimes I am not in a learning mood when I go to them. Not only that, sometimes I don't know what subtopic [z] about topic [y], for which we are learning, I am not understanding. So I can't even ask a question.

If I skip lecture, I can learn when I am feeling productive, and then keep going. The worst is say, I go to lecture and am not feeling productive, I don't learn shit, and I have wasted a bunch of time in the day.

Taking those statements at face value makes me wonder whether you will have a rude awakening when you enter, ahem, the "real world".

You will be expected to perform at predictable times, no matter what you might be feeling. You will be expected to know which topics are going to be discussed, and to be prepared to discuss them sensibly.

[Refrigerator]

Good thing the uni i'm going to has an English page, you can take a look at what the studies are about.
https://admissions.ktu.edu/?study-program=b-electronics-engineering
Comparing to Lithuanian the translation is not perfect but it's close.

[Aviator X]

Keep your head in the books, get it over with, it's not at age 45 with a half-dead brain you're going to do it, so do it now!

Don't try to understand the relevance of your courses to the industry. It's about passing the exam. That's all. You'll have the rest of your life to figure out the industry.

I'll be 42 when classes start. I'm not even that good at math, but I have drive and the love of circuitry. I chose EE because I'm preparing for a career after retirement. Plus, if your brain is not learning, it's just dying.