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  • 27-06-2013 8:22pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 41


    Hi everyone,

    I have just completed my first year of Mechanical Engineering in CIT(3 year) and I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations what to do over the summer to help me with my studies?

    Unfortunately I was unable to get any work experience this summer so I was wondering are there any hobbies I should take up, books I should read, websites I should visit, videos I should watch or anything else that anyone could suggest?


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,207 ✭✭✭longhalloween


    Don't do mechanical myself, but I would approach the subject from a hobbyist perspective.

    Use the skills you've learned to make the stuff you want to make, or explore aspects of the course that really appeal to you.

    MAKE magazine is always a good place to start. Instructables.com is another.

    I'm doing electronic engineering and I've found the EEVBlog, which I find light and interesting. Remember that it's the Summer, so give yourself a break from the studies too :)


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 2,957 ✭✭✭miss no stars


    I asked this of one my lecturers at the end of first year (it was a general year and I was going into structural). He told me not to study, just read books that are kinda structural engineering for the lay person. To get an idea of how forces work I'd recommend the new science of strong materials (JE Gordon). I also enjoyed reading books like Wide Body and books about how the Hoover Dam came to be. I'd be inclined to advise you just to dip into engineering. You've only one year done so don't be going reading specialist texts aimed at someone with a PhD and 20 years of research in an area :p Seriously though, books aimed at a general audience that happen to be about engineering type topics are probably best for now as it's really, really important to get the concepts crystal clear in your head, rather than the maths and the very small detail of it. Understanding the engineering problem, behaviour and so on will carry you a lot further than being able to regurgitate first year thermodynamics notes.


    Edit: here's one I made earlier: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=72581525


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,237 ✭✭✭darragh o meara


    I'm an engineering student going into my final year. What I usually do is try get hold of the exam papers for the following semester and have a scan over them. Sometimes I can pick out stuff that I know ill be a bit weaker at and get a bit of a head start. However don't immerse yourself in it, I made that mistake last year and went mad learning some stuff but learned it a different way to what it was taught in college and I ended up more confused than I did to start.

    Some people will advise differently but I find it helps for me.

    Btw, this summer I'm learning c and c++ programming languages. These are coming up soon and it something I'm interested in. There are plenty of those "for dummies" books around on engineering subjects and that's what I've bought for my learning.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,618 ✭✭✭Newtown90


    Iainkw4x wrote: »
    Hi everyone,

    I have just completed my first year of Mechanical Engineering in CIT(3 year) and I was wondering if anyone has any recommendations what to do over the summer to help me with my studies?

    Unfortunately I was unable to get any work experience this summer so I was wondering are there any hobbies I should take up, books I should read, websites I should visit, videos I should watch or anything else that anyone could suggest?


    Did this course myself and just finished the ppt addon.

    I would recommend looking at the past maths, mechanics and thermo exam papers.

    Look at things you think you are familiar with and the parts you think you could find difficult.

    Do a bit of extra reading on those topics, Bernard's and Maria's notes are usually good anyhow but if you have some bit of a grasp of it before hand it will be handy enough


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