Falling Short of Expectations: My Disappointing 2nd Year of Engineering

[dhruv.tara]

Ok I will come straight to point. I am almost done with my 2nd year in Electrical and Electronics Engg. (just a couple of weeks more to go...)

And I am damm disappointed with myself. I am studying in MAIT, IP, Delhi, India. And I am really disappointed with the way we are doing engineering here.

I and most of my classmates/friends really don't know a thing. I rank among top 10 students of my class. But the university IP has such a pathetic standard of eduction, in exams we are all just required to cram and then pass.
Most of the questions in our sessions and finals are about theorem proving and other short notes type. The numerical are just direct formula questions, you remember the formula then your'e one else forget it.
No one is even bothered about concepts and no one thinks about anything. I mean people just cram things, even when they say that they have understood things its still cramming... Like my text mentions- "To reduce harmonics in the emf generated we use short pitch coils..." Reading this and the formula people say they understood the concept while I am pretty much sure they don't understand that from where did the harmonics arise in the first place.

I myself have tried to learn and keep my thought process active reading books and seeing online lectures both from foreign universities like MIT and Stanford and also lectures from NPTEL.
But learning is almost on my on and a very slow process. By the time I am done with a topic my exams are already knocking at the done and I am required to cram everything else I didn't do.

I want to be a good engineer and probably go into research after my b.tech is complete. But I don't want my B.tech to be a waste. Any suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[physiker_192]

I think you're on the right path, the solution is active learning in my opinion. Books are your best friend here.

Looking at other universities lectures is a good thing too, so you would know what's out there, but don't lose the focus and get distracted, in the end what matters is the current lectures you are attending.

Regarding cramming of concepts,,, I would suggest talking to the lecturer during his/her office hours and asking him/her to explain if there is a concept that you don't understand.

 

[dhruv.tara]

I think you're on the right path, the solution is active learning in my opinion. Books are your best friend here.

Look at other universities lectures is a good thing too, so you would know what's out there, but don't lose the focus and get distracted, in the end what matters is the current lectures you are attending.

Regarding cramming of concepts,,, I would suggest talking to the lecturer during his/her office hours and asking him/her to explain if there is a concept that you don't understand.

Hmm I think loosing focus is one of my problems. I am doing Electrical and Electronics and at the same time I am also very much interested in computer science subjects. Especially algorithms and graphics. So kind of end up reading and spending a considerable amount of time on the things I mentioned above.
My professors are not very qualified- practically its just one man teaching us Electric Machines, Control Engg, Power System. He sometimes teaches us Analog Electronics too. Another professor is really a rude one and doesn't interact much teaches us Power System Practice. Lastly one of the most knowledgeable professor that we have teaches us Electro-Magnetic field theory but due to some (probable) political issues of our department is no longer interested in helping us out.

I know I am on the right track, but the problem is that self learning pace is kind of little too slow.

I was supposed to cover up transistor and its working last sem. Our one man army teacher taught us that subject. I thought I was doing well. But we really didn't do anything actually. Today all I know about transistor is its action, hybrid model and some distortion stuff. That's pretty much it.
My university examination didn't focus much on multistage amp or feedback and I happen to know almost nothing about it. I tried to learn these things this sem, but ended up in a mess. This sem we were supposed to learn about OP-AMPs and stuff.
I know everything my paper asks me in exam, actually yesterday I had my analog exam and I did pretty well there, but all I wrote in that answer sheet were crammed answers. Some current mirrors, VCO, a summer and some theories like that. Nothing that I really understand.

 

[median27]

Based on my comprehension, you want to master all of your previous and current subjects your taking to and studying related topics outside of your course syllabus to satisfy your id.

If that's the case, you should first bear in mind that engineering is a very complex course to handle and absorb aside from the fact that your taking up electrical along with electronics. What youre doing to cope up with your situation is good and i guess essential in filling up the lapses of your school or your professors. With regards to your cramming, you must first set your priorities upon studying, stick to your plan and don't do what's unnecessary. This will minimize topics to be studied but with greater understanding than of studying a lot of topics that goes through your mind and will give you lower retention rate (as the brain cannot process all of those information in a short period of time). Your urge to be equipped with the necessary information should be moderated (1)as step by step learning is far more productive and (2)will contribute lesser expectation regarding your progress.

hope this helps.

 

[mal4mac]

"To reduce harmonics in the emf generated we use short pitch coils..." Reading this and the formula people say they understood the concept while I am pretty much sure they don't understand that from where did the harmonics arise in the first place.

Do you *have* to know where the harmonics come from in the first place? For an enquiring mind it might be *nice* to know. But leave that until *after* the exam. If you concentrate on what is *necessary* for the exam you might not just be 'top ten' but top - and then you might get a scholarship to MIT or Cambridge ... and find there's a lot of cramming there as well :)