{"id":1698,"date":"2016-04-20T14:07:54","date_gmt":"2016-04-20T18:07:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.gcc.edu\/insider\/?p=1698"},"modified":"2016-04-20T14:07:54","modified_gmt":"2016-04-20T18:07:54","slug":"exactly-engineering-students-perspective","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.gcc.edu\/insider\/2016\/04\/20\/exactly-engineering-students-perspective\/","title":{"rendered":"What Exactly is Engineering? – A Student’s Perspective"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Eng

Hoyt Hall of Engineering | Photo from www2.gcc.edu<\/p><\/div>\n

Last weekend, Grove City College hosted its annual Junior Crimson Day, and it made me think back to when I was a junior in high school. I didn\u2019t know where I wanted to go to college or what I wanted to study, but I was beginning to look into engineering. At that point in my college search, I really didn\u2019t know what engineering was or what engineers did.\u00a0 For me, \u2018engineering\u2019 seemed to be a catch-all term for people who were good at physics in high school or liked to tear computers apart in their spare time. I didn\u2019t even know what the difference was between electrical and mechanical engineering! After talking to many students interested in engineering, I\u2019ve come to realize this is a common problem.<\/p>\n

Merriam-Webster defines engineering as \u201cthe work of designing and creating large structures or new products or systems by using scientific methods.\u201d This definition is extremely vague, and rightly so!\u00a0 Within engineering, there are many types of engineering \u2013 such as mechanical, electrical, chemical or civil \u2013 and each type is almost completely different. Then, to make things more complex, there are many different applications within each type of engineering. Each application utilizes different skills and areas of expertise. For example, a mechanical engineering student could go into a career in designing the heating systems for buildings, working on machines in a factory, optimizing a valve in a fluid system or even selling engineering products \u2013 and that\u2019s just naming a few possible careers! That\u2019s one of the best parts of engineering. The skills that engineers learn can really be applied to any type of career \u2013 technical or non-technical. There have been a lot of students who have used their engineering degree to become doctors, lawyers or businessmen.<\/p>\n

Electrical Engineering vs Mechanical Engineering<\/h3>\n

Grove City offers degrees in electrical engineering (EE) and mechanical engineering (MECE), which are generally considered the \u2018core\u2019 types of engineering\u00a0because they can be applied to almost any career field. So then, what\u2019s the difference between electrical and mechanical engineering, besides the obvious that EE deals with electrical components and MECE deals with mechanical assemblies? Electrical engineering is more abstract and conceptual, whereas mechanical engineering is more visual and hands-on. For instance, a professor from a different school once described the difference in terms of a robot. MECE\u2019s are responsible for designing the body of the robots so it can<\/em> easily move<\/em> and function reliably, while EE\u2019s are responsible for making<\/em> the robot move and controlling its motion. This definition helped me a little bit, but I still didn\u2019t completely understand the difference between EE\u2019s and MECE\u2019s.<\/p>\n

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Image from mechengineering.hol.es<\/p><\/div>\n

I got a little bit more insight when I came to Grove City\u2019s Junior Crimson Day. One of the professors here explained that, in general, electrical engineers are better at abstract concepts and tend to be very good at math (like perfect scores on the math section of the SAT\u2019s). Mechanical engineers are also good at math, but like to be able to visualize problems and have probably grown up playing with LEGO\u2019s and K\u2019NEX.\u00a0 This explanation really helped me because I personally like to be able to visualize the forces being exerted on an object, but it\u2019s frustrating to not be able to see what\u2019s happening inside of a circuit or wire.\u00a0 Obviously, these are just generalizations about each type of engineering, but I have found that in many cases, they are true.<\/p>\n

The main thing that influenced my decision to pick engineering was sitting in on both EE and MECE classes. It took me sitting in on one EE class to realize that it was not for me! I recommend sophomore level classes because they give a general picture of what to expect, without being completely over your head. I didn\u2019t fully understand what was being taught in the MECE class, but I could understand the logic behind it and I identified with that way of thinking. If you\u2019re torn between electrical and mechanical engineering, I highly recommend sitting in on some classes and talking with professors.\u00a0 Both are extremely helpful!<\/p>\n

So What Exactly is Engineering?<\/h3>\n

With all of the different applications for engineering, what is the common denominator for engineering?\u00a0 I would argue, and most engineers would agree, that engineering is all about creative problem solving.\u00a0 In engineering classes, you learn how to think critically about problems and numerically develop different solutions to fix the problem. Engineering is all about weighing the options and optimizing the current resources for the best result. The problem and subsequent solution can take many different forms, but it all comes down to using problem solving skills to find creative solutions.<\/p>\n

If you like math or science and love solving complex problems or puzzles, engineering may be a good fit for you! Engineering requires both detailed and out-of-the-box thinking to come up with the best solution for a problem. There are so many different things you can do with an electrical or mechanical engineering degree! I highly recommend talking with professors and learning about student projects to get a better idea of engineering.<\/p>\n

Check out this link to learn more about Grove City College\u2019s electrical engineering program<\/a> or check out this link to learn more about Grove City College\u2019s mechanical engineering program<\/a>.<\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last weekend, Grove City College hosted its annual Junior Crimson Day, and it made me think back to when I was a junior in high school. I didn\u2019t know where I wanted to go to college or what I wanted to study, but I was beginning to look into engineering. 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