How do I Study and Learn Best in Engineering?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the challenges faced by a new engineering undergraduate at a Canadian university, who is struggling to keep up with the fast pace of technical courses while also wanting to explore other subjects like mathematics, physics, and philosophy. The individual feels overwhelmed by the volume of material and the need to juggle multiple subjects, leading to difficulties in achieving a deep understanding of the content. Despite being motivated and capable, they are not performing well on quizzes and seek advice on time management and effective study strategies. Insights from upper-year students suggest prioritizing relaxation and finding a personal study approach, while the original poster expresses a desire to enhance problem-solving skills and mathematical intuition. There is also a question about the validity of the 30 course hours per week, indicating a potential misunderstanding of course load expectations.
John McMaster
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Hey everyone, I just started an engineering undergrad at a good Canadian University (not McMaster) . I have about 30 course hours per week and spend much time working on interview skills for my coop.

I am having trouble with the pace of things, and would like your advice. My problem is that I love the beauty of mathematics and physics, philosophy, and most subjects to be honest. In engineering, it seems to be a constant barrage only of (interesting) technical courses.

This is a problem because I feel like things go too fast and when I learn or read something I want to further study, I can't think deeply about it because I have to worry about other subjects. There are so many things I want to ponder or research more, but they are introduced and gone within the week. I am still learning this stuff so it is challenging, but I feel like I'm not truly getting a full grasp on things. I asked my professor about this and he said that it is just a juggling game and I have to neglect some things to pick up the courses that are falling down -- this really disheartens me.

Anyways, on quizzes so far I am not doing the best, as I struggle to join the concepts and practice. I have spoken to some Dean's list upper years who advocated studying less and thinking and relaxing more, and finding what works for me. I believe I have adequate intelligence to learn this material, I just need to enhance my problem solving abilities and my approach to the topics I am learning.

Can any graduates or upper years offer advice to me on how to manage my time, and what to focus on? Eg. Mathematically intuition, problem solving, or deductive reasoning. Thanks.
 
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John McMaster said:
I have about 30 course hours per week

Like...30 credit hours? Am I missing something here?
 
Hey, I am Andreas from Germany. I am currently 35 years old and I want to relearn math and physics. This is not one of these regular questions when it comes to this matter. So... I am very realistic about it. I know that there are severe contraints when it comes to selfstudy compared to a regular school and/or university (structure, peers, teachers, learning groups, tests, access to papers and so on) . I will never get a job in this field and I will never be taken serious by "real"...
Yesterday, 9/5/2025, when I was surfing, I found an article The Schwarzschild solution contains three problems, which can be easily solved - Journal of King Saud University - Science ABUNDANCE ESTIMATION IN AN ARID ENVIRONMENT https://jksus.org/the-schwarzschild-solution-contains-three-problems-which-can-be-easily-solved/ that has the derivation of a line element as a corrected version of the Schwarzschild solution to Einstein’s field equation. This article's date received is 2022-11-15...
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