Any mechanical engineers here? I want to start studying next

Brush up on your trig, and get a good understanding in your basic Calculus and Algebra because you'll be using it for the next four years.

>>8265987
To add on, I took a Calculus 2 course over the summer and probably had to spend about 20 hours a week out of class studying to get a A+ in the class.

>>8265987
Thermo may stump you.

>>8266086
>>8266086
>>8266086
>>8266086

>>8266086
>mfw I'm about to graduate and I still don't understand thermo

>>8266086

Thermo- and fluid dynamics is the reason I specialised in EE over Mech. I regret it now, but I bet if I had the chance to go back and do Mech instead I'd get a week in before regretting that.

>>8265987
I don't know how it's in burgerland but here the first 1,5 years were math and more math, with some meme courses in between like programming, chemistry and physics.
>How much time did you invest in studying?
That entirely depends on yourself and the university, but prepare to semi nolife in your first year.

>>8265987
>Thermodynamics are tricky but very intuitive once you get the hang.
>Do a review of vectors and linear algebra.
>I'd recommend reading up on all the common mechanical components (gears, shafts, screws, etc).
>The trickiest subjects for me were the ones related to thermo and fluids, but if you workd hard enough (about 2 hours a day on each) you will have no problem.
>Read a lot about manufacture.

>>8265987
Rather than worry about the course load, I'd encourage you to think about what field of mechanical engineering you're most interested in. ME is a very broad degree, so unless you do research/extra-curricular activities that are more focused, you'll have trouble getting you're foot in the door after graduation. Chat with your professors about their research, talk to the different on-campus groups related to engineering, and look at job postings for mechanical engineers to see what you might be interested in. Frankly, for me, getting the degree was the easy part - the hard part was finding out what to do with it.

>t. Guy who didn't realize he got the wrong degree til after graduation

>>8268020
This really cant be overstated. start now to figure out what specialization you want maybe look into different minors as well im doing Mech E major and minor in EE. Also looking into doing some research in heat transfer. If your department has a research matrix or something similar look into what different interests your professors are doing research on and find something you are also interested about, and talk to them about an undergrad research position.

>>8266086
>>8266796
>be actually breddy gud at thermal (though I got a B because I derped on the midterm which was 35% of my grade)
>actually get an A in fluid dynamics by some miracle despite having an ornery Frenchman for a professor
>still probably don't belong in mechanical engineering because fuck material mechanics

what do mechanical engineers realistically do on a day to to day basis? I heard its just paper work in a cubicle...how true is this guys?

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>>8266086
>mfw I somehow did good in thermo
Seriously, maybe everyone else was retarded and I was slightly less retarded, but for some reason I did well despite feeling like I really didn't grasp the subject at the time

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>>8269183
Not sure if I count, but aerospace structures engineer with an ME degree here

>sit in cubicle
>do analyses based on company methodologies, occasionally have to deviate because of lack of data or whatever, but as long as it's conservative it's all good
>analysis is super easy since we've got programs that do most of the work
>just have to look at the numbers and the fem models to make sure everything makes sense
>make cool spreadsheets to collect and organize the results
>write a long ass report to explain what you did and to report the results
>collect paycheck

Occasionally, your standard method of analysis will tell you that your part is a little too weak, so you might have to remove some conservatism until the results are ok, which can be tricky.

Also, being neck-deep in analysis while listening to anime character songs and vocaloid is probably the comfiest feeling I've ever known.

>>8270067
Do you occasionally jack off to loli porn in the cubicle?

>>8270095
That would be a pretty rare occasion

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>>8270117
Then it's not a job I want.

>>8270067
ok cool thanks for writing that out for me

Anyone have any experience with mechatronics?

Starting a bachelors in mechatronics this semester and i'm worried i'll never get a proper depth understanding of things compared to if i were to just do the traditional ee/me, or will i just learn what to do in whatever job i can find in 3-5 years anyway?

>>8270067
Guy with an ME here.
I just wanted to say thanks for typing that up.

My life kinda spiralled out of control right after school and I've been terrified of applying to engineering jobs.

>>8267930
that's not how you greentext

>>8270197
>>8270215
No prob. The job might be tough at first, since you nred to learn the company's standard practices and methods and whatnot, but after a while, you get the hang of it.

As far as finding a job, just keep applying. It took me over a year of applying and interviewing to finally land a job, but I wouldn't be surprised if I'm not making more than 95% of my graduating class now. Apply to jobs you think are below you - they might surprise you in the interview, and if not, at least you got to practice your interviewing skills. Apply to jobs you think are above you - experience requirements are largely BS intended only to reduce the number of applications HR has to sort through.

Good luck!

>>8270204
Honestly any company you work for will retrain you to a certain extent anyway, getting a degree is more about proving your aptitude for a subject and giving you the fundamentals than it is about actually learning anything

Focus on getting the highest GPA you possibly can and apply to any internships starting in your first year. It doesn't have to be a design internship the first or even second times, any experience you get in i.e a machine shop or garage etc. will help you tremendously when you come to apply for design internships / real jobs.

tl;dreddit:
You'll learn to do whatever job you find in 3-5 years, they'll train you again. Get the highest grades you possibly can. Don't neglect practical experience.