Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is a freshman in Chemical Engineering. Told by admin to be happy with a C in engineering courses. Says it is hard. Seems happy.

If you don't mind, I am a humanities major with engineering-type kids. From what I hear, a lot of courses are not only difficult but are graded differently than humanities.

For example, a lot of students will have 40s, 50s, 60s as their grade during the term and then at the end a curve is applied. Has anyone else heard of this, and if so, what is the point? I understand the weed out courses, but shouldn't the goal be to teach students in a way that they master concepts instead of survive them?

Thanks for helping someone with no engineering experience.

The best explanation I got for this when I was an engineering undergrad in the 90s was “If you want to measure something properly, the measuring tape needs to be longer than the thing you’re measuring.”

I will say that the one class where I routinely rocked the tests and the novel application questions was a subject I really understood.

Also, FWIW, I, and most of my female classmates in both my BS and MS programs, did not end up working in engineering.

I'm sorry to hear that. I work in the auto industry in Michigan. Women engineers do pretty well at the large auto companies. Many have moms who were highly educated, sometimes groundbreaking engineers. Implicit bias exists but is fading somewhat due to generational change. In the engineering meetings I'm in, it seems about 70/30 male female, with women in leadership and decisionmaking roles.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Female with an EE undergrad. Most classes were so hard for me, but I powered through and graduated with a poor GPA. As a result, internships and first jobs were hard to get. I eventually found my footing and I’m now a successful software engineer (thanks to the CS classes required for the EE degree).

How poor was your GPA if you don't mind sharing? This is my concern with DD who is a current sophomore in engineering. She has a 3.0, but seems to be really struggling. Wondering if I should suggest she look at other majors

DP married to an engineer. “Cs” get degrees was their undergrad mantra - for all engineering majors.

Depends on the school - was it a state flagship or a top school?

Many students who currently have engineering as their major, was so determined by their parent/s. Those who could not manage the maths, chose an IT field.

Anonymous wrote:Just wondering. Is software engineering considered engineering?

Opinions will vary.
I would very happily hire a MS Software Engineering from CMU if they had a background in the right technical electives for my jobs.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is a freshman in Chemical Engineering. Told by admin to be happy with a C in engineering courses. Says it is hard. Seems happy.

If you don't mind, I am a humanities major with engineering-type kids. From what I hear, a lot of courses are not only difficult but are graded differently than humanities.

For example, a lot of students will have 40s, 50s, 60s as their grade during the term and then at the end a curve is applied. Has anyone else heard of this, and if so, what is the point? I understand the weed out courses, but shouldn't the goal be to teach students in a way that they master concepts instead of survive them?

Thanks for helping someone with no engineering experience.

The best explanation I got for this when I was an engineering undergrad in the 90s was “If you want to measure something properly, the measuring tape needs to be longer than the thing you’re measuring.”

I will say that the one class where I routinely rocked the tests and the novel application questions was a subject I really understood.

Also, FWIW, I, and most of my female classmates in both my BS and MS programs, did not end up working in engineering.

Just wondering. Is software engineering considered engineering?

Anonymous wrote:My humanities kids have graduated and had no issue getting well-paying jobs. Engineering isn’t the end-all, be-all you seem to think it is. DP

DP. It is great that you have the connections and influence to make those outcomes possible. A typical MC kid or with a humanities degree will not have that kind of success. Have you not been following the numerous news articles about humanities kids overwhelmed by college debt and are also either poorly paid (E.g., barista job) or unemployed ?

By contrast, anyone who graduated with an engineering degree, even if not from a name brand E School and even if not a 3.0 GPA will find a job which pays well enough for MC QoL and ability to repay college debt without struggling. This difference really is fundamental.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is finishing her third year in Systems Engineering and my son is in his first year and looking at mech or electrical. We are not rich but comfortable and they know that they need to come out of college with marketable degrees.

As a contrast, my well off family members have kids in college in Art History and Liberal Arts. They are planning on getting their MRS’s or living off their parents when they finish.

Well, aren’t you lovely. My humanities kids have graduated and had no issue getting well-paying jobs. Engineering isn’t the end-all, be-all you seem to think it is.
DP

I’m a female engineer who graduated in 1998. My class was about 25% female. Of my friends that l kept in touch with, only 1 changed careers and became a math teacher. We all like it. It’s an interesting career, pretty well paid, no grad school required to get a good job, women are not treated worse than in the rest of society.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Female with an EE undergrad. Most classes were so hard for me, but I powered through and graduated with a poor GPA. As a result, internships and first jobs were hard to get. I eventually found my footing and I’m now a successful software engineer (thanks to the CS classes required for the EE degree).

How poor was your GPA if you don't mind sharing? This is my concern with DD who is a current sophomore in engineering. She has a 3.0, but seems to be really struggling. Wondering if I should suggest she look at other majors

DP married to an engineer. “Cs” get degrees was their undergrad mantra - for all engineering majors.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kid is a freshman in Chemical Engineering. Told by admin to be happy with a C in engineering courses. Says it is hard. Seems happy.

If you don't mind, I am a humanities major with engineering-type kids. From what I hear, a lot of courses are not only difficult but are graded differently than humanities.

For example, a lot of students will have 40s, 50s, 60s as their grade during the term and then at the end a curve is applied. Has anyone else heard of this, and if so, what is the point? I understand the weed out courses, but shouldn't the goal be to teach students in a way that they master concepts instead of survive them?

Thanks for helping someone with no engineering experience.

Premed and Econ and many other courses at rigorous colleges are like this, not just engineering. The point is to challenge the kids with hugely difficult application qs beyond what is taught. Then the average grade(which could be 40% correct) is curved to a B at most T20s /ivies. Cs are reserved for the well below average.
Not so different from some of the APs, such as AP physics, where a “5” is achieved by getting around 70% correct yet only 5-10% of kids get that score. At the uber elite schools, most kids are very intelligent so the top25-30% may get an A, even though that could correspond to 65% correct.
This is how stem classes have been curved at elites since back in my day, though the average then was set to a b-/C+ not a B. Grades are inflated now but the tests are still very challenging.

Anonymous wrote:My 2 daughters went to all-girls HS. So helpful, in my opinion. They gained a lot of academic confidence in HS that they took to college.

This can be very helpful for girls planning to go into STEM.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gosh this is making me rethink my daughter’s plans to major in engineering. She’s super good at math but has never expressed interest in building things. It sounds quite hard.

It is hard! In all seriousness, we will hold her hand and guide her through if we can so she does not quit or drop out of the program. Engineering needs HER. Women: what can be done to get more young women into the field? Does it start in pre school with teachers encouraging the girls instead of saying they don't understand math and can't help them? Teachers (and caregivers at home) speaking positively about math? Schools having more after school or tutoring programs to help all students in the subject?

My 2 daughters went to all-girls HS. So helpful, in my opinion. They gained a lot of academic confidence in HS that they took to college. Now both at T10s in STEM- one engineering. Both doing great.

Check out indeed or linkedin... then try finding a job after your bs/ba without an engineering degree

My daughter is finishing her third year in Systems Engineering and my son is in his first year and looking at mech or electrical. We are not rich but comfortable and they know that they need to come out of college with marketable degrees.

As a contrast, my well off family members have kids in college in Art History and Liberal Arts. They are planning on getting their MRS’s or living off their parents when they finish.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yeah, but how many actually come out w/ engg degree?

Not too many. I actually am an engineer (Aero undergrad and EE masters) and I can tell you that TONS of people dropped out when I was in school. I'm old, so was often the only woman. That was....interesting.

+1

I also graduated aerospace and EE master many years ago. I worked in the industry for a bit and ended up in IT for the last 25 years. Also, few women in the old days in engineering but much more in IT.