What is First Year Engineering at Purdue?

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What is First Year Engineering (FYE) at Purdue? As a freshman in FYE, you will take a variety of general courses including Engr 131. This specific course works on developing skills in excel, teamwork, and creating technical briefs with a solution to a problem given. Learning how to use excel, working effectively, and establishing a solid work ethic are all characteristics that an engineer is required to have when entering the workforce. That’s why entry engineering courses are crucial stepping stones to your education and career as an Engineer.


Figure 1: Professor Shermadou teaching her 034 section of Engr 131 class

 

My Experience

Now I am writing to you as a current FYE student taking Engr 131. This course takes time to get the hang of and with the countless homework and projects, the class may seem daunting, but the work put into it is so rewarding. The first thing to know about going into your first year as an engineering student at Purdue is that the work may feel significantly different than in high school. However, it’s true that the more work you put in the better you will do in the end.

Engr 131 is set up in a way where you learn the lesson being taught in class beforehand by watching pre-class videos and taking quizzes on those videos. Your professor will go over the more crucial parts of the lesson in class so that you better understand what is being taught. There is a lot of application when it comes to the projects and in-class quizzes, so these times in class are very beneficial. Throughout the entire semester, you are given four projects, six quizzes, and no final exam. What’s really nice about the course is that it is set up for students who have never even touched excel. So, if you are like me and only ever used excel to make tables and graphs, then you are set! You will learn the ins-and-outs of excel from the very basics to the more in depth applications of the software. Again, it will seem hard at first if you are new to excel, but you will get the hang of it in no time.


Tips to succeed in Engr 131


1. Like any college course, do not fall behind. Staying up-to-date with all the due dates by planning out your week in advance will set you up for success. Remember that every freshman feels overwhelmed at first, but it will get better and quickly turn into a routine.


2. Take notes on the videos you watch in class because it will come in handy when taking the quizzes. They are all open-note! 


3. Communicate with your group on a regular basis; it’s the key to success on projects.


4. Get out of your comfort zone and volunteer yourself to work on parts of the project that you aren’t as familiar with. For example, if you are good at writing, maybe choose to work on the graphs and data analysis portions instead of the Problem Statement and Background Information.


5. Don’t be intimidated by the peers in your classes. You deserve to be there as much as everyone else.

 

Eirene Kapsis, EEE '25

Recruitment Project Committee


Stay Connected With Purdue WIEP!

Facebook: Purdue Women in Engineering

Twitter: @purduewiep 

Instagram: @purduewiep

Blog: purduewiep.blogspot.com

Email: welink@purdue.edu

 

Purdue Women in Engineering

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