FYE Series: Engineering 133/EPICS (Part 2/3)
To meet the first-year
engineering course requirement, freshmen can take Engineering Projects in Community Service
(EPICS) and ENGR 133 opposed to the regular engineering courses (ENGR
131/132). To be admitted to the EPICS living learning community, which is
optional but highly recommended, freshmen must apply during the housing process
to be placed with other students who will be taking the EPICS course. If
admitted, the students will register to take ENGR 133 instead of ENGR 131/132.
ENGR 133 is only one semester, compared to the standard ENGR
131/132 courses, which take two semesters to complete.
The ENGR 133 route is slightly
more challenging at first, but it is completely bearable. Enrolling in ENGR 133
requires freshmen to take a lab in EPICS for two semesters. EPICS teams meet
for two hours a week in lab, and during this time, they work on real, hands-on
projects. Through this experience, students are able to immediately apply
the principles they have learned in ENGR 133 to a real-life problem. Through
diverse teams that include upperclassmen, freshmen will also have the opportunity
to network with and work alongside other Purdue students.
Lauren Comer, WE Link RPC Member, during her EPICS lab |
Looking back, I am so happy that I took
EPICS/ENGR 133 because my project gave me a lot to talk about during Industrial
Roundtable, which is a large career fair held on campus. Most employers are
already familiar with EPICS and are very impressed by the motivation of EPICS
students to gain experience working on a team on real projects. I really
enjoyed having the lab and working on a team to complete a project. EPICS gives
you a chance to step up and take a larger role on your team, and it really
allows you to apply the design process and other principles you learn in
ENGR 133. In my opinion, ENGR 133 involves less focus on Excel and instead
jumps into MATLAB very quickly to condense the length of the course into a
single semester. I liked taking the course because it lightened my load
substantially during the second semester when I was taking more difficult
classes. I had more time to devote to those classes, and I had more time
to focus on our project in EPICS lab.
Have any questions about EPICS or ENGR 133? Reach out and ask us at welink@purdue.edu!
Written by Lauren Comer
WELink Recruitment Project Committee Member
ChE 2021
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Twitter: @purduewiep
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