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Cambridge Engineering Students and Applicants
13
I hate Engineering now. I'm just going into my fourth year. Be careful when you apply, make sure that the course is what you want. It is a very theoretical degree, the workload is very high and much of it is self-motivated. Think about it carefully. Good luck.
(edited 14 years ago)
Scroll to see replies
Reply 1
Hi.
I'm a second year engineer.
I'm a second year engineer.
Reply 2
Hi im a 
Reply 3
I have an offer for engineering at New Hall
Hurray!
Anybody want to share with us whats life like for an engineering student? How many hours per week of labs/supervisions /lectures?
Hurray!
Anybody want to share with us whats life like for an engineering student? How many hours per week of labs/supervisions /lectures?
Reply 4
ukebert
OP
13
I wouldn't mind knowing that myself 
I applied last year, and hence have an unconditional offer to Peterhouse. I'm presently working with an Engineering consultancy firm.
Never work for an Engineering Consultancy firm
I applied last year, and hence have an unconditional offer to Peterhouse. I'm presently working with an Engineering consultancy firm.
Never work for an Engineering Consultancy firm
Reply 5
ukebert
I wouldn't mind knowing that myself
I applied last year, and hence have an unconditional offer to Peterhouse. I'm presently working with an Engineering consultancy firm.
Never work for an Engineering Consultancy firm
I applied last year, and hence have an unconditional offer to Peterhouse. I'm presently working with an Engineering consultancy firm.
Never work for an Engineering Consultancy firm
why?
Reply 6
Helloooo
I have an offer (AAAA) for Engineering at Queens' for 09 entry. Taking a YINI next year... probably gonna end up working in an Engineering Consultancy firm...
:-D
I have an offer (AAAA) for Engineering at Queens' for 09 entry. Taking a YINI next year... probably gonna end up working in an Engineering Consultancy firm...
:-D
Reply 7
ukebert
OP
13
thereddevil
why?
It isn't that fun
Frustrating, as you are for the most part merely making recomendations rather than doing any real design.Fointy
Helloooo
I have an offer (AAAA) for Engineering at Queens' for 09 entry. Taking a YINI next year... probably gonna end up working in an Engineering Consultancy firm...
:-D
I have an offer (AAAA) for Engineering at Queens' for 09 entry. Taking a YINI next year... probably gonna end up working in an Engineering Consultancy firm...
:-D
Good luck
Reply 8
ukebert
It isn't that fun Frustrating, as you are for the most part merely making recomendations rather than doing any real design.
Frustrating, as you are for the most part merely making recomendations rather than doing any real design.True. When I worked for one in the summer I found they split projects up between different offices which would be a shame for me because I like to get quite attached to a project. Oh, and they had enough red tape to probably encircle the Earth several times over...
Here's a real treat for you. A Part IA (first year) lecture timetable. Basically nobody's going to register you at lectures or examples classes but it's a good idea to go. Examples classes, by the way, are sessions where the guys who set the question papers (homework) give you hints if you're stuck; there's 3 or 4 on at once and you go to the one for the paper you're stuck on. Labs are compulsory but you'll have a few free lab periods each term (that's basically a lie-in). Also about once a week you'll have to stay the afternoon in the department for either a drawing or computing class. You have it easy in the first term; in the second term some of your labs will require you to go away, do a write-up and then have it marked a couple of weeks later by the demonstrator (this is basically like a 20min supervision).
This year's Michaelmas lab rota for first years can be found here. You get put in a lab group from 1 to 150 together with your lab partner and this rota tells you what you're doing in each lab session. It's great fun to try and decipher if you're not used to it.
Oh and on top of that you're likely to get 4-5 supervisions every two weeks which are generally in afternoons/evenings.
On the bright side: At least you're not a NatSci. You can lie in on Saturday mornings.
Any more questions just ask
Reply 9
ukebert
OP
13
thefish_uk
True. When I worked for one in the summer I found they split projects up between different offices which would be a shame for me because I like to get quite attached to a project. Oh, and they had enough red tape to probably encircle the Earth several times over...
Here's a real treat for you. A Part IA (first year) lecture timetable. Basically nobody's going to register you at lectures or examples classes but it's a good idea to go. Examples classes, by the way, are sessions where the guys who set the question papers (homework) give you hints if you're stuck; there's 3 or 4 on at once and you go to the one for the paper you're stuck on. Labs are compulsory but you'll have a few free lab periods each term (that's basically a lie-in). Also about once a week you'll have to stay the afternoon in the department for either a drawing or computing class. You have it easy in the first term; in the second term some of your labs will require you to go away, do a write-up and then have it marked a couple of weeks later by the demonstrator (this is basically like a 20min supervision).
This year's Michaelmas lab rota for first years can be found here. You get put in a lab group from 1 to 150 together with your lab partner and this rota tells you what you're doing in each lab session. It's great fun to try and decipher if you're not used to it.
Oh and on top of that you're likely to get 4-5 supervisions every two weeks which are generally in afternoons/evenings.
On the bright side: At least you're not a NatSci. You can lie in on Saturday mornings.
Any more questions just ask
Here's a real treat for you. A Part IA (first year) lecture timetable. Basically nobody's going to register you at lectures or examples classes but it's a good idea to go. Examples classes, by the way, are sessions where the guys who set the question papers (homework) give you hints if you're stuck; there's 3 or 4 on at once and you go to the one for the paper you're stuck on. Labs are compulsory but you'll have a few free lab periods each term (that's basically a lie-in). Also about once a week you'll have to stay the afternoon in the department for either a drawing or computing class. You have it easy in the first term; in the second term some of your labs will require you to go away, do a write-up and then have it marked a couple of weeks later by the demonstrator (this is basically like a 20min supervision).
This year's Michaelmas lab rota for first years can be found here. You get put in a lab group from 1 to 150 together with your lab partner and this rota tells you what you're doing in each lab session. It's great fun to try and decipher if you're not used to it.
Oh and on top of that you're likely to get 4-5 supervisions every two weeks which are generally in afternoons/evenings.
On the bright side: At least you're not a NatSci. You can lie in on Saturday mornings.
Any more questions just ask
Yeah, it's all beginning to grate unfortunately. At the moment I am genuinely wondering whether I can stick it through. Not a nice position to be in, hopefully it's all just new Year blues.
Thanks for that schedule, pretty tough, but the hours are better than what I'm on at the moment, and it looks so interesting I want to cry
And in my naivety I can think of very little nicer than to sit in a nice warm room in the depths of a winter evening talking about mechanics
Reply 10
Found out today that I have an offer from New Hall. Hurrah, hurray.
Reply 11
well done!
Any other Engineers applied deferred entry? I can't be the only one...
Any other Engineers applied deferred entry? I can't be the only one...
Reply 12
Well, I applied for deferred entry
The timetable looks quite tough, nevertheless it would be better than what I'm on right now. Going to school (or back from it) takes me 50 - 70 minutes a way... so I hope staying in St. Catharine's close to the department will save me some time in the future *gg*
What exactly are you gonna do during gap year, Fointy? Personally, I will spend the year being in the Austrian Armed Forces, doing the compulsory service (
)
The timetable looks quite tough, nevertheless it would be better than what I'm on right now. Going to school (or back from it) takes me 50 - 70 minutes a way... so I hope staying in St. Catharine's close to the department will save me some time in the future *gg*
What exactly are you gonna do during gap year, Fointy? Personally, I will spend the year being in the Austrian Armed Forces, doing the compulsory service (
)Reply 13
20
thefish_uk
True. When I worked for one in the summer I found they split projects up between different offices which would be a shame for me because I like to get quite attached to a project. Oh, and they had enough red tape to probably encircle the Earth several times over...
Here's a real treat for you. A Part IA (first year) lecture timetable. Basically nobody's going to register you at lectures or examples classes but it's a good idea to go. Examples classes, by the way, are sessions where the guys who set the question papers (homework) give you hints if you're stuck; there's 3 or 4 on at once and you go to the one for the paper you're stuck on. Labs are compulsory but you'll have a few free lab periods each term (that's basically a lie-in). Also about once a week you'll have to stay the afternoon in the department for either a drawing or computing class. You have it easy in the first term; in the second term some of your labs will require you to go away, do a write-up and then have it marked a couple of weeks later by the demonstrator (this is basically like a 20min supervision).
This year's Michaelmas lab rota for first years can be found here. You get put in a lab group from 1 to 150 together with your lab partner and this rota tells you what you're doing in each lab session. It's great fun to try and decipher if you're not used to it.
Oh and on top of that you're likely to get 4-5 supervisions every two weeks which are generally in afternoons/evenings.
On the bright side: At least you're not a NatSci. You can lie in on Saturday mornings.
Any more questions just ask
Here's a real treat for you. A Part IA (first year) lecture timetable. Basically nobody's going to register you at lectures or examples classes but it's a good idea to go. Examples classes, by the way, are sessions where the guys who set the question papers (homework) give you hints if you're stuck; there's 3 or 4 on at once and you go to the one for the paper you're stuck on. Labs are compulsory but you'll have a few free lab periods each term (that's basically a lie-in). Also about once a week you'll have to stay the afternoon in the department for either a drawing or computing class. You have it easy in the first term; in the second term some of your labs will require you to go away, do a write-up and then have it marked a couple of weeks later by the demonstrator (this is basically like a 20min supervision).
This year's Michaelmas lab rota for first years can be found here. You get put in a lab group from 1 to 150 together with your lab partner and this rota tells you what you're doing in each lab session. It's great fun to try and decipher if you're not used to it.
Oh and on top of that you're likely to get 4-5 supervisions every two weeks which are generally in afternoons/evenings.
On the bright side: At least you're not a NatSci. You can lie in on Saturday mornings.
Any more questions just ask
What is the workload like at Cambridge for engineering first years? In terms of hours per week of labtime/lectures/tutorials.
I have an offer for '08 entry so I look forward to coming to Cambridge.
Reply 14
huhu
Well, I applied for deferred entry
The timetable looks quite tough, nevertheless it would be better than what I'm on right now. Going to school (or back from it) takes me 50 - 70 minutes a way... so I hope staying in St. Catharine's close to the department will save me some time in the future *gg*
What exactly are you gonna do during gap year, Fointy? Personally, I will spend the year being in the Austrian Armed Forces, doing the compulsory service ( )
The timetable looks quite tough, nevertheless it would be better than what I'm on right now. Going to school (or back from it) takes me 50 - 70 minutes a way... so I hope staying in St. Catharine's close to the department will save me some time in the future *gg*
What exactly are you gonna do during gap year, Fointy? Personally, I will spend the year being in the Austrian Armed Forces, doing the compulsory service (
)I'm doing the Year in Industry scheme. I'll go and work for an engineering company for a year. Not entirely sure where I'll end up yet. I had no idea Austria had compulsory service, glad England don't anymore.
Reply 15
mabe_uk
What is the workload like at Cambridge for engineering first years? In terms of hours per week of labtime/lectures/tutorials.
I have an offer for '08 entry so I look forward to coming to Cambridge.
I have an offer for '08 entry so I look forward to coming to Cambridge.
If you look at that stuff I posted above you can figure it out...
Per week you're looking at:
22 hours timetabled (lectures/labs)
2-3 hours supervisions
10 hours (maybe) doing work for those supervisions
3-4 hours writing up long labs (Lent term only)
Reply 16
I'm used to just 19 hours of school at the moment. hah.Reply 17
Hi All!
I'm in English year 12 at the moment but have had my heart set on engineering at Cambridge for a while.
Does any one know any good things i can do between now and later this calendar year to boost my chances of getting in?
Any help would be very welcome.
Cheers
Tom
I'm in English year 12 at the moment but have had my heart set on engineering at Cambridge for a while.
Does any one know any good things i can do between now and later this calendar year to boost my chances of getting in?
Any help would be very welcome.
Cheers
Tom
Reply 18
Read around your subject. Do engineering projects, and original ones, you took care of. I personally read "Mathematical Methods for Science students", by Stephenson, which the Oxford tutors were impressed with. I also did my EE (im doing IB) on something totally unrelated to the syllabus, but which is very scientific (grew crystals and did something with them). Try stuff like that.
Reply 19
read up on your maths and physics!! in my oxford interviews, the questions they asked me were purely that. one interview was all about a yo-yo and calculating its energy (rotational energy etc) and the other interview was entirely mathematical. i had to draw the graph of e^(-x).sin(x) which doesn't seem so hard now, but when youre under pressure, it really helps to know your stuff so you have to "think less".
yeah, some extra curricular reading is really helpful, and try and get a bit of work experience too if you can. but you might also like to do some non subject related reading - philosophy for example, to demonstrate an analytical mind, which they look for.
yeah, some extra curricular reading is really helpful, and try and get a bit of work experience too if you can. but you might also like to do some non subject related reading - philosophy for example, to demonstrate an analytical mind, which they look for.
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- Cambridge Uni
- Pembroke or Peterhouse for engineering?
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