Electronic/Electrical Engineering

Parsley

Hey everyone, I've just started my leaving cert year and I'm thinking about this course as one of my first choices to put on my CAO. Anybody here doing it that can share any info/experiences good and bad about it? And about UCC in general!

Thanks

Steoob

ust started it there this year... seems good so far lots of maths, physics, applied maths so get your head around them this year... all the lecturers are gas and theres usually a nice mix of people doin it...

although i kindofwish i did computer science coz the computer science section is great but its only a light version of the full course that im doing so maybe thats why i like it... mleh

o and apparantly it has the highest drop out rate in ireland... its quite a hard course....

D-Generate

I'm currently in third year and have a brother who has graduated and also friends that have graduated.
Its reputable for being a difficult course and the stats show a high percentage of people failing at least one exam a year. Only 10 or so people in my class passed the exams first time around out of a class of 40ish. If you don't put your head down and dedicate yourself to the course it is quite likely that you could fail.

First year is very much an introductory year with many subjects that aren't really explored much in later years. Physics and Applied Maths didn't expand much on the leaving cert subjects. There is a small bit of programming covered in first year but its the only year that there is a subject dedicated to it. Further years just expect you to learn how to program as you do the assignments and the projects. This is most evident in the 2nd year Digital Communications project in which you need to learn C++ yourself having already been taught C the previous year. The subject which most people failed in first year was Maths which had roughly a 50% failure rate. This is mostly down to people not spending the time on the subject and doing questions and old exam papers in the run up to the exams.
In first year it is possible to breeze by easily enough if you apply yourself in the last month and just keep doing old exam papers as they never really change them.

Second year is a huge step up from first and all the subjects are directly related to elec eng. Second year seperates out the class as Mech and Signals and Systems and Elec Circuits having high failure rates. I was often in college every weekday night until about 9 or 10 just to keep up to date with projects and on top of assignments. If you don't do that you will fail.

Basically from second year onwards your social life takes a sharp decline but the course is rewarding and when you pass an exam you know that you totally deserved it and have an incredible sense of pride. There is a good enough social scene within the department due to only having 40 people in each year. Class parties are a common occurance and there are many things organised by the engineering society such as the Eng Cup soccer tournament and the infamous Eng Ball.

I would recommend the course if you are the type of person that would do the work but save yourself hassle if you are a lazy fu*ker and don't even bother coming near it.

P.S the money is fairly good as a graduate.....

Parsley

Would it make it any easier being good at maths, applied maths and physics? I can be a bit lazy but I can put in work when I really need to. Does it really destroy your social life that much?! Are there any other good engineering courses that arent quite as hard/time consuming?

D-Generate

Ah its not total destruction of the social life but you certainly won't have the college life that people in Commerce or Arts talk about. Being good in Maths, Physics and Applied Maths is always a plus. Having an aptitude in those would be much better than having done Engineering in secondary school.

Easier engineering would be Civil Eng. Process Eng would be on a par with Elec Eng in difficulty.

Parsley

Well I was at the UCC open day yesterday and went to a few of the talks, went around the campus and town and whatnot. After that, and from listening to people I know that are in college there now, I'm pretty much set on Elec. Engineering there. thanks d-generate!

dudara

I spent 5 years in the Elec Eng department while doing my PhD there. (I did my undergrad in the Physics department), and I tutored undergrad labs for 4 of those years. There is a heavy workload, but the course standard is high. The graduates are well taught by the time that they leave UCC.

Your social life won't be a barren wasteland if you opt for UCC Elec Eng, you'll just have to learn how to balance all the demands on you.

Don't be fooled by the current low CAO points for this course. It is a tough one, but an extremely good one.

Charlie 22

I'm thinking of doing this course next year. I have a question i am more interested in the electrical side of the course than electronic side of things. is this the right course to do if i'm more interested in this area or should i consider looking at cit etc.? Are the jobs and the pay the same for graduates who specialise in the electrical side of things or are jobs more difficult to come by?

sremowt

I was amused by your first reply, D-Generate. Elec eng is hard, but it's not that hard.

>> Does it really destroy your social life that much?!
If you want to go out and enjoy yourself you can do so and still pass. People who say they study every waking moment are lying. When work is required (ie project deadlines approaching), you'll put in the work. You'll have a few late nights. A week of them perhaps. You'll reap the benefits of the work you put in though. Projects are gifts for points. You'd be a fool not to take advantage of them.

>> have a question i am more interested in the electrical side of the course than electronic side of things.
You'll find that there is not a whole bunch of things these days which are completely focused on one area, so concentrating completely on electrical rather than both (or vice verso), in my opinion, isn't advisable.

>> Easier engineering would be Civil Eng. Process Eng would be on a par with Elec Eng in difficulty.
Talking like a true elec engineer!
Perhaps easier, failure rates would suggest as much (though they're not a good indication), but harder to get into LC points wise.

godsent

Elec.Eng is certainly challenging but also very rewarding.. work hard..and you'll be fine..

lovetwix

cool...i'm in 3rd year Elec.Eng as well .. as D-generate said.. it's tough but rewarding.