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I just want to rant in here that the PPI study book seems like a good reference but their Practice Problems booklet is extremely frustrating. I have been going through the chapters in the excellent reference book, working through the examples on my own. Then I do the corresponding practice problems in their book and I swear they don't correspond at all. Oh, we're going to solve that problem using Laplace transforms when we talk about how to use it in 3 chapters from now. Oh, we didn't talk about this poo poo at all yet but we're going to ask you questions on it. It's clear they weren't written with each other in mind to work this way. In this way I think some of these chapters are pretty poor to prep for the exam. Using Cramer's rule to solve for 3 simultaneous equations has been so fun on my HP-33S though  . I can't imagine the real exam is going to require all of that work so in that sense it's nice to adjust my difficulty now so that the exam seems easier.
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Aug 23, 2011 21:08
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UZR IS BULLSHIT posted:There's no longer any reason whatsoever to spend money on a graphing calculator. At home you can use WolframAlpha, or Mathematica if your school has a student license set up, which is leagues above anything a handheld calculator can do. If you need a fancy calculator to pass a test, you don't actually understand the material, and will probably bomb the test anyway. I'd still be taking dynamics tests if I couldn't use the simultaneous equation solver on my ti89.
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Aug 23, 2011 21:17
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UZR IS BULLSHIT posted:If you need a fancy calculator to pass a test, you don't actually understand the material, and will probably bomb the test anyway. tests tend to have limits to the amount of time you have to take them, you could spend a lot of time dicking around with the algebra/trig/whatever or you could put the equations into your overpriced handheld calculator to instantly do the dirty work for you and then move on to what the test is actually about.
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Aug 23, 2011 21:39
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The SIMULT function on the 86 is so much faster than using symbolic stuff on the 89. Partial fraction expansion I found equally more intuitive. You'd really have even more time on your exams without the 89's interface getting in your way. There's obviously a lot of love on here for the 89 and I'm glad it worked well for you guys but for me pretty print and all of that stuff was slow and worthless for most anything past Calculus I for me. I'm just trying to offer a different POV.
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Aug 23, 2011 21:52
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UZR IS BULLSHIT posted:There's no longer any reason whatsoever to spend money on a graphing calculator. At home you can use WolframAlpha, or Mathematica if your school has a student license set up, which is leagues above anything a handheld calculator can do. If you need a fancy calculator to pass a test, you don't actually understand the material, and will probably bomb the test anyway. You need a graphing calculator to handle matrices if nothing else. It can save a ton of time on tests. Besides, most people don't understand the concepts perfectly, hence why not everyone gets %100 on every test. An extra boost can be helpful. And this is coming from someone who took Calc I-III, DE and Linear Algebra without a calculator.
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Aug 23, 2011 22:04
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Frinkahedron posted:I'd still be taking dynamics tests if I couldn't use the simultaneous equation solver on my ti89. This is the goddamned truth. TI-89. For whatever people complain about it for, its durable, simple, and provides all the power you could ask for in a calculator. $150 to erase my algebra mistakes throughout my collegiate career was 100% worth it. TI-89 is tried and true, there's a reason its a popular calculator.
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Aug 23, 2011 23:15
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UZR IS BULLSHIT posted:If you need a fancy calculator to pass a test, you don't actually understand the material, and will probably bomb the test anyway. Its much easier to a write a test if you assume that the students have a calculator. In engineering things sometimes can't be pretty.
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Aug 24, 2011 02:04
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I had a lot of professors ban the TI-89 specifically or sometimes calculators in general. They were generally the old rear end in a top hat professors (I'm looking at you, heat transfer prof who insisted on answers in BTUs but gave out charts in metric and banned calculators until the last 10 minutes). You should probably make sure you'll have access to a TI-83 if professors ban the -89 at your school. I'm currently working in PCB design but have a degree in ME and can see myself moving back that way eventually. Will this experience be useful at all or will I end up pigeonholed in PCBs?
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Aug 24, 2011 02:39
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UZR IS BULLSHIT posted:There's no longer any reason whatsoever to spend money on a graphing calculator. At home you can use WolframAlpha, or Mathematica if your school has a student license set up, which is leagues above anything a handheld calculator can do. If you need a fancy calculator to pass a test, you don't actually understand the material, and will probably bomb the test anyway.
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Aug 24, 2011 04:07
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T.H.E. Rock posted:I had a lot of professors ban the TI-89 specifically or sometimes calculators in general. They were generally the old rear end in a top hat professors (I'm looking at you, heat transfer prof who insisted on answers in BTUs but gave out charts in metric and banned calculators until the last 10 minutes). You should probably make sure you'll have access to a TI-83 if professors ban the -89 at your school. PCB Design is your experience, but if you have any previous ME experience, you should be good to go outside of the field. I assume you want to get away from PCB design entirely? I've been using the 59G more lately, but either one (89 or 59G) gets the job done. That new NSpire looks ridiculous, holy poo poo.
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Aug 24, 2011 05:33
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Actual maths classes at my uni forbid calculators (that is, all the calculus/linear algebra stuff) or only allowed basic, non-programmable 'dumb' calculators.
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Aug 24, 2011 08:24
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Nam Taf posted:Actual maths classes at my uni forbid calculators (that is, all the calculus/linear algebra stuff) or only allowed basic, non-programmable 'dumb' calculators. This of course is quite reasonable. Even where advanced calculators were allowed in math classes I found that they really just got in the way. Mathematicians seem to be pretty good at designing tests that don't require calculators. I do remember one math class that allowed calculators on exams - Numerical Methods. It was a trap. 
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Aug 24, 2011 13:40
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I want to go to grad school. I feel like my BSEE gave me a good background in everything, but feeling stagnant at my current job has me thinking that I'd really like to go more in depth on the topics I'm interested in - modeling & embedded controls for electric machines. I have three years of work experience in this area. However, my undergrad GPA sucks - it's a 2.74, if I'm not mistaken. There wasn't any trend, I just generally got mediocre grades because I didn't apply myself. I'm worried about how to show that I'm internally motivated now. I'm worried about recommendation letters - my boss will write me a glowing one but I need two more. Ideally, I'd like to go to grad school in Colorado. CU Boulder is probably out of reach and Mines might be too but I'm hoping I can find a way into CSU Ft. Collins. So, what the gently caress do I do? I'm already taking the GRE next week. One thing I've been thinking about a lot recently is just quitting my job, moving to the Denver area, finding a new job once I get there, and meanwhile taking non-degree graduate-level classes. Is this a stupid idea/career suicide? MrBlandAverage fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Aug 26, 2011 |
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Aug 26, 2011 22:18
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MrBlandAverage posted:~grad school~ Best advice I can give would be for you to try to contact or meet a professor you would like to work with. If you can go to maybe an IEEE conference or some other meeting where you're likely to meet someone who works in your area of interest and just talk to some folks then that would be great. Let them know you might be interested in working with them and where you're coming from and I think you'll find it will open up some possibilities for you. You can also just check out websites of the schools you would like to go to and email or call professors who are doing work you're interested in. Also the graduate coordinator for the department you are interested in is a particularly good person to ask about this kind of stuff. I've heard anecdotally that EE particularly has very few American students who come back for PhD's, so there's something going for you in addition to what sounds like some really good work experience. I think most grad schools say they want at least a 3.0 gpa, but at the same time it's the EE department that would really be admitting you (and hopefully paying you) so they'll probably have some flexibility there. If you can do well on the GRE it helps obviously. Tangentially related: I think they're just starting with a new version of the GRE where they let you use a calculator on the math section? Previously I thought the math was pretty easy and the challenge mainly came from the time limit and having to do your own number crunching, so that could be an interesting change.
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Aug 26, 2011 23:03
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Bluebottle posted:I think most grad schools say they want at least a 3.0 gpa, but at the same time it's the EE department that would really be admitting you (and hopefully paying you) so they'll probably have some flexibility there. If you can do well on the GRE it helps obviously. One issue is that you may need to get admitted to a dept and meet the graduate school's overall requirements. Thus, there is some sort of global GPA and GRE requirement at each school. This is often somewhere in the 2.75 region for GPA. There are ways around this though, options include being admitted on the condition that you do so well the first semester or requiring a postbacc.
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Aug 27, 2011 01:08
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hobbesmaster posted:There are ways around this though, options include being admitted on the condition that you do so well the first semester or requiring a postbacc. I had to do this to get into part time grad school. I had a 2.89 or something in undergrad. I got a few letters of rec. from my bosses or whatever and had to take 5 extra course (3 undergrad level and 2 grad level, not for credit towards the degree) only after I completed the first 5 they would let me into the masters program.
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Aug 27, 2011 01:15
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mitztronic posted:Anyone have any experience going from America to work in France or UK?
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Aug 27, 2011 20:31
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MrBlandAverage posted:I want to go to grad school. I feel like my BSEE gave me a good background in everything, but feeling stagnant at my current job has me thinking that I'd really like to go more in depth on the topics I'm interested in - modeling & embedded controls for electric machines. I have three years of work experience in this area. Why don't you just look for a new job that has a greater focus on your interests? I'd avoid going back to school, if possible.
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Aug 27, 2011 20:46
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movax posted:PCB Design is your experience, but if you have any previous ME experience, you should be good to go outside of the field. I assume you want to get away from PCB design entirely? Most likely out of PCB field entirely. EE really isn't my thing and the mechanical jobs in circuit boards don't seem too interesting. I don't actually have any job experience in ME - this is my first job out of school and I had no internships. I'm totally OK going to grad school (provided it's paid for) if need be. Mostly I'm just worried that it'll be difficult to get a job outside of this area if I end up staying more than 2 years. The bastard of it is that I had a really good shot at getting a job in composites but they didn't get back to me about interviewing until after I had started this job.
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Aug 28, 2011 00:46
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MrBlandAverage posted:I want to go to grad school. I feel like my BSEE gave me a good background in everything, but feeling stagnant at my current job has me thinking that I'd really like to go more in depth on the topics I'm interested in - modeling & embedded controls for electric machines. I have three years of work experience in this area. This was my situation heading into grad school. I was lucky enough to want to go to the same school as my undergrad, so I was able to do undergrad research and get to know the professor I wanted to work under. When the time came, he pledged his support to the admin/admissions people. I have to take a semester of classes part time to "prove" that I can handle graduate work and then I can get accepted full time. I'm still getting paid as a GRA and everything so in the long run its not a giant hurdle, just extra steps.
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Aug 28, 2011 02:15
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Speaking of undergraduate research, what's the best way to get involved in that? I know I should get to know professors and find out what's going on, but it seems kind of strange to me as a random name in class to come up and ask if they need any help in their research. I would really love to do something and I have some areas in mind, but I'm not sure how to broach the subject. I'm in my first senior year in aerospace without an internship or anything subject related to my name; I feel like if I don't get something on my resume I'm pretty much consigned to the military after graduation. Frinkahedron or Dead Pressed, maybe one of you can comment, I'm a Hokie as well.
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Aug 28, 2011 03:47
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Keep an eye out on your department listserv and definitely ask your professors before/after class. I guarantee they'll be helpful. Professors are always looking for Also if aerospace has a student professional organization like ASME, hit up their meetings. fake edit: Although since it's 3 days after the start of the semester, it might be too late to do research for credit by now. Still, ask your professors. You might still be able to start a project that you can list on your resume.
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Aug 28, 2011 04:05
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Kolodny posted:Speaking of undergraduate research, what's the best way to get involved in that? I know I should get to know professors and find out what's going on, but it seems kind of strange to me as a random name in class to come up and ask if they need any help in their research. I would really love to do something and I have some areas in mind, but I'm not sure how to broach the subject. I'm in my first senior year in aerospace without an internship or anything subject related to my name; I feel like if I don't get something on my resume I'm pretty much consigned to the military after graduation. Frinkahedron or Dead Pressed, maybe one of you can comment, I'm a Hokie as well. All you have to do is go talk to the professor and not come off as a weirdo. If they have any openings they'll suggest them. If they don't have any, ask if they know anyone who could use some help. At your stage any kind of research will be helpful, especially if it gives you someone to use as a reference.
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Aug 28, 2011 04:18
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Hed posted:I just want to rant in here that the PPI study book seems like a good reference but their Practice Problems booklet is extremely frustrating. I have been going through the chapters in the excellent reference book, working through the examples on my own. Then I do the corresponding practice problems in their book and I swear they don't correspond at all. Using the PPI study book too and DVDs. I find it frustrating as well, the DVDs are pretty straight forward and so are the sample problems that come with them. Then I go to the Practice Problems book and the problems take 5x-10x longer to complete and they're using formulas from sections I haven't completed yet. It's difficult to judge how much time to spend on each subject or how in depth. I'm just going to grind through the discs all the way through the afternoon session then take a practice exam or parts of it and see how much time I really need. Running out of time, would have started earlier if I had planned on self studying originally.
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Aug 29, 2011 00:58
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Is the PPI the best or one of the best study books to use for the FE? I've got that lined up this fall, EE.
Pizer fucked around with this message at 06:58 on Aug 31, 2011 |
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Aug 31, 2011 06:56
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All I can say is that I used it and passed. I believe they have a money-back guarantee on it as well. Personally, I thought it was worth the cash. (for other disciplines)
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Aug 31, 2011 12:06
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I just went to the Uni review sessions and passed with no problems. Honestly the FE just isn't that difficult, you just need to know the tricks like using a different method to solve the problem instead of the implied complicated process/number crunching. I think it was 4 evenings and I went to the 3 that weren't EE-focused. Work some practice problems and get familiar with their reference and your allowed calculator.
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Aug 31, 2011 14:45
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Understeer posted:This is from a couple pages back, but I recently did the former. Anything in specific that you'd like to know? Everything you're willing to tell. What was the process like? What was the field? Did it work pretty well? Do you have a dual citizenship?
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Aug 31, 2011 18:02
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Do some practice FE problems, study up on where you're weak, and you should do fine; the FE has a pretty high pass rate. Print out a copy of the FE reference manual and buy an FE-permitted calculator, and do all the practice with those. Also, note that every problem on the FE exam has a trivial answer. If you're spending a lot of time crunching numbers, you're doing it the wrong way. (I found it WAY easier than the practice problems.)
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Sep 1, 2011 02:42
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is bioE still a worthless degree?
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Sep 1, 2011 19:14
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grover posted:Do some practice FE problems, study up on where you're weak, and you should do fine; the FE has a pretty high pass rate. Print out a copy of the FE reference manual and buy an FE-permitted calculator, and do all the practice with those. Also, note that every problem on the FE exam has a trivial answer. If you're spending a lot of time crunching numbers, you're doing it the wrong way. (I found it WAY easier than the practice problems.) Gotta agree with this. The FE is not an overly difficult test.
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Sep 1, 2011 19:35
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Totally Negro posted:is bioE still a worthless degree? It's still recommended to specialize in whatever aspect of bioengineering you want to get into. Mechanical and electrical engineers can get plenty of experience in that field.
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Sep 1, 2011 19:43
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Totally Negro posted:is bioE still a worthless degree? e: nevermind, thought you said bio+EE
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Sep 1, 2011 20:48
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grover posted:Do some practice FE problems, study up on where you're weak, and you should do fine; the FE has a pretty high pass rate. Print out a copy of the FE reference manual and buy an FE-permitted calculator, and do all the practice with those. Also, note that every problem on the FE exam has a trivial answer. If you're spending a lot of time crunching numbers, you're doing it the wrong way. (I found it WAY easier than the practice problems.) I agree on the difficulty. The practice book problems were much harder than the actual exam. I thought the second half would be more difficult than the first (and maybe like the harder book problems. The difficulty increase from first to second half was almost nothing. I studied maybe 4 hours in total. Didn't pass by much, but it doesn't matter because nobody sees that.
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Sep 2, 2011 00:15
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Totally Negro posted:is bioE still a worthless degree? I think it's a better graduate degree than it is an undergraduate degree. Better you master a specific discipline like ME or EE, and then specialize in graduate school (maybe after a year or two of work). A good friend of mine graduated with ME, worked for Chrysler for two years and is now at Georgia Tech's prosthetics program, #1 in the country. As a bonus, he's also got a cool $40k or so stashed in his bank account. Corrupted: they don't show you your exact score, do they? I just got "Passed", I was curious as to how much I passed by, as I didn't study whatsoever and kinda winged it. (And as I mentioned in this thread earlier I think, some fuckwit stole my calculator during break so I did all the math in my head for the EE portion)
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Sep 2, 2011 15:46
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movax posted:I think it's a better graduate degree than it is an undergraduate degree. Better you master a specific discipline like ME or EE, and then specialize in graduate school (maybe after a year or two of work). A good friend of mine graduated with ME, worked for Chrysler for two years and is now at Georgia Tech's prosthetics program, #1 in the country. As a bonus, he's also got a cool $40k or so stashed in his bank account.
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Sep 2, 2011 17:28
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SB35 posted:From what i know for a short period of time, maybe a few years, you actually did receive your actual score. Now it's back to the pass/fail method.
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Sep 2, 2011 19:05
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~
Dr. Mantis Toboggan fucked around with this message at 23:48 on Aug 11, 2021 |
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Sep 2, 2011 19:58
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Thoguh fucked around with this message at 14:58 on Aug 10, 2023 |
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Sep 2, 2011 20:54
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movax posted:Corrupted: they don't show you your exact score, do they? I just got "Passed", I was curious as to how much I passed by, as I didn't study whatsoever and kinda winged it. (And as I mentioned in this thread earlier I think, some fuckwit stole my calculator during break so I did all the math in my head for the EE portion)
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Sep 2, 2011 22:54
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