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Monday, December 19, 2005

Engineering Colleges - The First Steps ...

Okay,
So now you've gotten your engineering admission and you have shelled out quite a large sum of your dad's money as fee.

Now what?

If you're in Pune University, it would already be mid semester by the time you start college.

If you're in a decent college, where teachers actually give a damn, they'll start rushing from day one. So don't crib.
Though some of the nicer ones may ask everyone to get up and introduce themselves, thats the max you get.

By the second or third day in college, you'd be full throttle.

Going from the 10th grade to the 11th is a HUGE step and going from 12th to Engg is bigger.

Luckily, when in the first year, most of the courses are superficial, so students can get by easily by referring the local author books.
These are generally recommended, because in the first year, everyone has the same courses, and the local authors actually manage to churn out decent material.

C'mon, you don't want to look like an idiot in front of all the Engineering students now, do you?
No one does, so these people (local authors) copy properly from other reference books and ensure that they have their spell and grammar checks on while actually typing stuff on their own.
Also because everyone is rushing you and you have a big time shortage, you can't (generally) go about trying to refer specific reference books.

The local authors put in their books, all the stuff - which if you study decently enough, is all you need to get a high percentage.

Also, because of the less amount of time in the first semester, it becomes difficult to screw around and you're either busy completing your journals and/or your assignments.

Luckily again for you, most of the subjects are not that bad and all of the start with the heading "Elements of such and such Engineering"
So, most of the course is basic and do able.

Once you come to know which books you are supposed to buy, and you have actually bought them and are happily on your way back home, you suddenly stop.
A realisation dawns upon you (this generally happens earlier to people who have a copy of the syllabus book).
You take off that heavy bag from your back and peer into the bag.
And you go : "What the hell is an Elements of Mechanical Engg book doing in my bag?"
I've paid for a Computer Engg course.

Hmm ...

I don't know if this a good thing or a bad thing, but the first year syllabus is the place where the syllabus setters give you a taste of ALL the major engineering disciplines.
This has been going on for ages, and will go on for ages, so you need to stop cribbing and mug up the formula : n = PV/RT even if you're doing a non mechanical discipline.
It is kinda like Baskin Robin, where you can go to each ice cream counter and get a taste of the flavour for free (except that this is not as nice as ice cream ... duh !)

This has a good side because it allows you to change your course in the second year (if you did not get something you wanted ealier, started liking some other course better. But for this to happen, quite a few of your batchmates need to flunk the year)

Also want to write about teachers and what to expect of them and stuff like that - but that will be in my next post (this has been long already and I need to get back to wasting time)

Until later ...