Hi all.

I asked this question in the intro section. Probably the wrong place...

I'm planning on coming to Mac next September for Electrical Engineering after I finish my Electronics Engineering Technology diploma this December.

Any other engineers come from college, first? Or any college transfers at all, for that matter?

Would like some info, advice, etc.

Thanks!

i'm not in engineering so i can't help with that aspect of it, but i am someone who applied using my previous college diploma... i was given 18 units towards first year if i remember correctly. essentially, it meant that i didn't have to take any electives and could concentrate solely on the core courses.

don't know if that helps much. i highly recommend talking to an academic advisor if you can. i spoke with mine and she outlined exactly what credits i already had and what i still needed to take to complete 1st year... just saved me feeling confused about what i needed to do.

An academic advising appointment is definitely the best way to go. Transfers entail certain requirements and the advisors are the best people to assess your individual case

Yeah, I'll definitely talk to an advisor.

Just wondering if anyone else has taken this path...

I took Mechatronics Engineering at St. Clair College and graduated in 2009. You can transfer to another university and get a degree as well, Lakehead U will enroll you into third year. This means you only have to do two years instead of four.

I decided to go to Mac because it has a Mechatronics program but all of the college graduates have to go through first year with everybody else. The strangest thing is that I changed my mind to Electrical Engineering instead of Mechatronics as my first choice for second year.

A friend of mine graduated from Fanshawe College in Electronics Engineering and he is also taking Electrical Engineering at Mac.

So yes, quite a few have taken this path.

Hey Bhaltair, thanks for the info.

Did you get any credit for courses you took at college?

Also, what's the workload like compared to college? Specifically, time spent on homework and difficulty; how does it compare?

Any advice?

Thanks for any info.

Leibniz,

Yes, I had some credits transferred over to Mac, I ended up not having to do two courses in first year. Keep in mind though, each graduate are evaluated on an individual basis. You may/may not get any credits transferred.

The workload is somewhat heavier, they expect you to learn everything they throw at you. In college, they tend to break everything up in pieces and the pace of learning is at a comfortable level. University's pace of learning is exhausting and if you do not manage your time well, you will never catch up.

I had the luxury of acing every examination the college threw at us, this is because every problem requires full solutions. So if you made a mistake somewhere but the concept is correct, you will get part marks. In university, it's all multiple choices and each question is roughly 2% of your final mark. Many times I have dealt with midterms that is worth 20% final mark and it only contains 10-20 questions.

In summary, the time spent is solely up to you. If you want an A+, you will have to study rigorously or be a party animal and squeeze by. The difficulty of homework (assignments) is doable, if you understand the concepts in the lecture and labs.

Lastly, my advice to you is to do well in college first before considering university. You will need a minimum of 80-90% cumulative average if you want Mac to look at your college transcript instead of your high school transcript. My average in high school was lousy and I have managed to get into Mac without any problems.

If you got accepted, kudos to you. Not many had the privilege to be an engineering student at Mac. My advice to you is to keep up with the materials after they introduce the course (usually after the first week) and review the chapters before upcoming lectures. Grab one of those free MSU calendars they hand out during the first week back, tape it on the wall and put all of the courses midterms and due dates on it. This will help you manage your time.

Good luck!