An Engineering Studyblr

Because I need one to keep myself on track and I wish there were more engineering studyblrs. Also this is a side blog so I can’t reply to replies

[engiestudy]

Hi, I’m Aylin. I’m in my third year of my B.S. Mechanical Engineering and my first year of my M.E. Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. This blog has a couple priorities:

Be honest. No carefully staged pictures, no filters. The photo on this post was taken in between my note taking during a recorded lecture.

Motivate me and other engineering students to study and do schoolwork especially during these times when a lot (or in my case all) of the work is online.

Form a community for engineering students who want to post a time or two but not manage a whole blog. Submitting posts is okay and welcome!

A little about me:

My favorite thing to do is bake, I have a blog for it too ( @flourpowered )

I am in the US, I go to school in Illinois and am from Oregon

I am learning to skateboard as a hobby and I am Very Bad so if anyone has tips hmu

I’m trying to learn mandarin (and have been for eight years).

I hope to post at least weekly, but I’m kind of bad at following through on that so we’ll see? Also this is a side blog so I see the love and comments you send but I can’t reply because tumblr doesn’t let me reply with side blogs. Send me an ask if you have any content you want to see!

[engiestudy]

Okay so I didn’t post at all this semester but I graduated!!! Here’s some pics of some projects I worked on :) over the summer I’m going to post on what happened over the semester and tips on how to make it

[engiestudy]

So in case you couldn’t tell by my radio silence, this semester absolutely kicked my ass. That being said, it’s looking to be not as terrible of a semester as I thought it was going to be. So far I have 2 A’s and three mystery grades, one of those I think will be an A, one could be a C or a B, and the other is a complete mystery except it almost certainly isn’t an A.

On the bright side, I have accepted a post-graduation job so that’s super exciting. I’ll be starting as a level 2 flight test engineer, which is super cool for me. So really at this point I just need to graduate, which I can do as long as I pass all my classes. Honestly, I’ll even probably graduate with honors for at least my undergrad.

Things are somehow simultaneously shaping up and absolutely disastrous but that’s okay. I’m going to spend the next month recharging for next semester.

Also I’m trying to take up a new hobby of aerial silks so maybe I’ll do that next semester. We’ll see lol. Anyways, how’s your term going?

[engiestudy]

And that, folks, is the rest of my semester (minus finals week). Of course, only assignments that I know of right now. So far it’s been very up and down. I got a 57 on my Mech lab exam, the lowest grade I’ve ever gotten on an exam, and also got a 99 on my fluids exam, which is the highest non-weighted grade I’ve ever gotten on an exam. To say it’s been a rollercoaster is a complete understatement.

I was really stressed going into these exams and obviously they turned out very differently. I got 102/105 on another one of my exams, but it was take home so it feels different. Honestly, I’m just glad that the hours I spent working and studying for that fluids exam paid off. I only hope the rest of the exams go as well.

I also got antidepressants! This is a big step for me because I’ve always been very hesitant to get on meds for a lot of reasons but mostly because I didn’t want to have to explain to my parents that I needed them. I found a way to do it without all that and I am so grateful. We’ll see how the meds go though, it’s only been a week.

Had a career fair today and if everything goes well, I’ll have a couple job options in the next two weeks. I’m really hoping for one over the other but if I have limited time to make decisions, well, I’ll have to go with a sure thing versus a possibility. We’ll see.

Overall, I’m not doing great with coping with the stress but it’s past the peak so it’s alright. I hope y’all are having a good semester! Let me know how it’s been going for you :)

[engiestudy]

How do I know if I am suited for mechanical engineering if I never had any experience with it?

Background information:

This is my last year of highschool and at the end of it I’ll have to choose a college. Now, I want to try mechanical engineering but I have an older friend that studies there and it’s really hard for her even though she was a better student in highschool than me. I like physics but am not as good at it as I would like to be and maths…we have a terrible teacher that basically teaches us nothing so I have quite a few ‘holes’ in my overall knowledge. I do want to try and learn more even though I wouldn’t say I’m a natural at it😓

But the idea of engines and learning about them and how things work are very tempting to me. I’m just scared and I don’t know if I have the capacity for it, since I loose concentration easily and it takes time for me to understand things…

Hey there! Sorry about this answer being so late - I straight up didn't see it in my notifications.

For your question: Honest answer? I don't think there is any way to know if you're suited for something beforehand. I had no idea what I was going into with this major and am coming out with very little knowledge of what I'm going to do with my degree. I've moved more into aerospace than I saw coming, which in hindsight should have been obvious to me bc I've always loved space.

I don't think any of us are really a natural at engineering, and yes it's a very hard thing to go into. If it's something you're interested in, though, honestly that's most of what it takes. I've done so much better in really hard classes that were interesting to me than I have in classes that were "easier" but super boring to me.

That being said, if engines are what interests you, you'll need to look into the mechanical program you're interested in. Engines are not a big part of my curriculum but I go to a small school, so it might be moreso at other schools. If that is your driving interest, I think you should go for it even if you're scared about how hard it will be.

I have ADHD and depression and have made it this far, so I definitely get losing concentration and things taking time (also things being frustrating because you think you should get it but you don't, but I digress). I think if it's meaningful to you, it will come with some time. It might be hard and you might struggle, but it will be so much better if you actually have interest.

My main benefit for mechanical degrees is that literally every type of engineering is looking for mechanical engineers. You can shift into most fields that you want to. Drawbacks are, of course, if engineering things like statics and forces/tension/etc. don't make sense to you at the beginning it really just continues to be bad the whole time.

I guess this was a really long and roundabout way to say I think you should go for it! If it doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world. My sister changed majors four times. You're just starting out your life, don't put too much pressure on it.

[engiestudy]

I think that a lot of what I see online of people studying is very glamorous or clean and minimalist and I just want to say it’s alright if your setup is any clear space you can find. I’ve got laundry on my bed right now (dryer didn’t quite dry my stuff) and my notebook and past lab are sitting on top of a storage box of other stuff and honestly the only clear space right now is right where my laptop is.

That being said I got through a lot of a lab I’ve needed to start. Not all of it, but I’ve had two 8 hr shifts the past two days at the theatre so I’ve been getting really anxious about putting off this lab (it’s not due til Wednesday but it’s a full report so there’s a lot to do). I’ve still got three other homework assignments to do and two exams this week but this lab is big and I needed to at least get starting it out of the way before anything else. I’m pretty sure I can finish the rest of my lab in an hour or two at this point, which is great! I’m pretty behind on some lectures I have.

Excited to say that this coming weekend I’m going to visit my friend in Colorado! Haven’t seen her in a few months so I’m super excited. Just for a long weekend but it’ll be a good 5 days to hang out and I’m very happy for that. I’m also glad that next week so far isn’t looking as crazy busy as this week.

How are y’all handling school? Hopefully you’re going a little better than I am haha

[engiestudy]

I’m going to be completely honest I am having a Very Rough Time with my masters classes. I’ve been struggling with my depression recently and so catching up with online classes becomes extremely hard for me. I am not happy with how I am doing with it but there’s only so much you can ask.

I’m trying to remember that you can watch part of a lecture and come back to it later, because that I think would help me a lot. My fluids class is also just much more difficult than I thought it would be. Overall I’m really just struggling a lot more than I thought I would be, which is disappointing.

For successes, I’ve been able to do a lot I think. My cousins came to visit and I balanced school and hanging out with them as best I could, but was definitely pretty tired by the end. I push myself a lot and take a recoup day when I need to. I also have been pretty good about cooking and feeding myself, which is exciting for me. Going to hopefully get back to baking soon but we’ll see.

Let me know how you school is going if you’ve started! If you’re starting soon let me know how you’re preparing :)

[engiestudy]

Hello! School is back in session and I’m here to tell you about my new organization systems and will keep you up to date on what works and what doesn’t. The first is a large wall calendar and the second is a task point list.

The point of the calendar is to make due dates very present in front of my face. I have a lot of issues remembering those and so do everything the day before they’re due. This will hopefully help me look forward more.

The task list is to try to create better habits. They’re mostly optional tasks or tasks that I struggle to do. These things will give me points that I can use to reward myself.

Best thing is both of these things are renter friendly! Made with only painters tape and squares of paper they’re easy to pull down when you leave.

In terms of my classes, they’re looking like they’ll be tough but mostly interesting. Not much to say about them yet besides my masters classes were a mess in getting the recording so that’s rough.

Let me know what you guys think and how you’re organizing yourselves for school!

[engiestudy]

Since I’m headed back to class in under a month, I’ve been thinking about organization styles that work for me. I haven’t had one that works yet since a lot of them need me to remember to set them up to get the follow through of organization. My mental health/depression/possible adhd means it’s super hard for any of the usual ones like a planner to work. Let me know if you guys have any ideas!

I wrote a pros and cons list for the two new ideas I’ve had so far. Since I have my own room I have a good amount of space so y’know. I’m willing to try out all sorts of things. My notion works pretty well when I remember but it’ll be harder when I can’t have my computer all the time and I’d like a good visual.

Anyways work has been toiling y’know. It’s tiring and it’s a lot but it’s still fun when I have stuff to do! Been running low on that recently.

Hope your summer has been going well and for those of you starting school soon, good luck! Let me know any organization tools you have :)

[autismandstuff]

A cool technique for time management.

[cosmicastrogazer]

This is handy, and VERY well shot; I followed it with no problems even with no sound. In fact I don’t even know if there is sound, because I’m in a doctor’s office and I forgot my headphones.

[quousque]

oh SHIT gonna have to give this a shot

[engiestudy]

Moved into a new bigger room! I know it's temporary but to be able to use my lap table again is very useful. I tried streaming once but there were a couple minutes worth of dropped frames which was frustrating.

In terms of work, I'm having a good time. I think I have a few too many responsibilities but it's alright in terms of what I like to do. It's a lot of working with technicians to update things, which means I get to see things. That's definitely one of my favorite things to do. I am also kind of in charge of a technical writer, which is a lot weirder. As a three week old intern and also somehow the manufacturing engineer on the floor in my department it feels really strange.

I'm excited to get back into school stuff too in like two months. Hoping it doesn't get too bad, but it's my last year and I'll graduate with honors even if I get straight B's, which is nice. Takes a lot of pressure off.

Hope y'all are doing alright, I've been surviving the PNW heat bubble pretty okay, but last night was really rough for sure. Definitely never seen it that hot here. Let me know how your summers are going!

[engiestudy]

New laptop!! Super excited about this because it’s been a few years since I’ve gotten a new one and this one works so well! It’s a gaming laptop so I won’t have lag as an excuse about why I’m bad lol ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In terms of work I still don’t know what’s going on, but that’s okay. It’s a lot of fun! I kind of run around confused a lot but that keeps it interesting y’know?

I went home this past weekend and will go back again this coming weekend because of some birthday stuff. Excited for that for sure, but the fam is a little exhausting so I like the smaller doses of them than it has been.

Hope y’all are having a good time, I don’t have much to update. Tell me about your summer plans!

[engiestudy]

Started working today! Still no laptop, but it is at home. I need to share a complete fail, though, in efforts to be honest.

I straight up forgot my passport at home. I drove with my family and it just completely slipped my mind. This meant I couldn’t get my badge or my work laptop. My sister’s boyfriend brought it over (1.5 hr drive each way) and then my company didn’t even give me the badge and laptop. I didn’t even get it until around 30 minutes into my time today.

Now I’ve set up, three monitors and a laptop, and I’m super excited for my work. They’re going to let me do some help with production and we’re on a 4/10 schedule so I get every Friday off, which is great! The staff break room also has fridges with a kiosk to buy snacks, which is super exciting and makes things a lot easier. The bike to work is really nice, the bike back is going to be Rough.

Hope it goes well haha :))) let me know how your summer is going to be!

[engiestudy]

No picture today because my laptop broke :// it fell onto literally a blanket from like two feet max and just died. My sister bought me a new one for my birthday though that will be really nice and I’ll be able to play games on it. Really sad about my old laptop though, but I pulled the stickers to re stick to my next one.

In terms of studying I’m definitely reminding myself it’s okay to take a break. I’ve felt a little useless and like I’ve been doing nothing but honestly I really think I needed it. I’ll be starting work next Monday so it’s been good to just relax and chill out.

Hope y’all are doing alright! Those of you who have finals, good luck.

[engiestudy]

So, I’m gonna be totally honest. I’ve always been that student that does well but doesn’t seem to put in the studying time and all that. I think part of it is that any time I get a grade that is below an A I feel disappointed in myself. I always feel like I can do better, so I push myself harder than I should.

The other thing is, I know I’m a solid B student. Like if I put in a regular amount of effort I am a B student, on average. And it only works out this way because the way I cope with my mental illness is pushing myself too far and needing recovery time.

So I’m putting my grades out there to show this. I got a 97 on my Systems final, which I was over the moon about. I didn’t even expect a 95 let alone a 97 and that pushed my grade over to an A despite my abysmal homework scores. However, in doing that and getting the A’s in the other two courses, I also got a D in design, which absolutely hurt to see with the expectations I put on myself. As for heat and mass, I’m lucky my prof let that be a B instead of a C.

I preach a lot about honesty, which is why I wanted to show you guys this. I am simultaneously that kid who gets the 97 in the class and that kid who is struggling so much you wonder a little how they made it this far. I’m trying so hard to juggle everything I have going on and I just wasn’t able to keep it all up this time. Luckily, when I was a freshman I managed all A’s so my gpa can take the hit and still keep me in my programs. In fact, I found out that I can get almost straight B’s (besides one class that is almost a guaranteed A anyways) and still graduate cum laude. That gives the part of me that pushes too hard a chance to calm down and say hey, we’re still doing our best, we’re still going to graduate with honors, maybe calm down a little. I’m going to try to keep up my grades, of course, but I’m also trying to remind myself, and you guys, that grades are not the end of the world.

[engiestudy]

And that’s the end of my third year folks! I am so happy to have gotten through it, all that’s left is to see my grades.

The only one I’m particularly concerned about is design of machine elements because last exam I got a 38 :// but hopefully I get a nice 70 to get a C. I’m just very concerned about that one.

All the other ones, though, I have realized can all be B’s and I can get straight B’s for the rest of my school career and still end up with around a 3.35 or something. That takes off a lot of pressure.

I’ll try to update through the summer about work and my khmer studies. Congrats on those of you who finished the year out, good luck to those of you who are headed there!

[engiestudy]

So, I’ve been super swamped with school and mental health and am definitely really struggling. I have a 15 page paper due either in 1.5 weeks or 2.5 weeks, depending when it’s due. I’m not sure yet because he never told us, so it’s either due finals week or the week before.

In terms of exams, they’re not looking the best, but they’re going to be good enough to do okay. I’m trying for A’s but this semester might be a lot of B’s. I’m really just trying to get through this.

Anyways, in terms of work, I’ve done a drug test and background check so that’s going as it is. I’m excited to not have so many things to do because I think it’s pretty overloaded this semester. I’ll try not to do that again. I think when I go back to chicago I’ll go back to working at the theatre, but I always felt that was a nice break rather than more work. I just kind of hung out, it was extremely different than what I do.

Anyways, all in all I am definitely struggling but we’re in the home stretch for the sem so I think I can push through to the end. Two more weeks of class, y’know? Then finals but that’s a future me problem. How are y’all doing with that last stretch if you’re a semester school? If not, how is it going in general?