My first class of the semester was Engineering Mechanics. You can still see the charred ends of my hair from when my brain exploded. I’m pretty sure the professor was speaking English, but I was only following about 25-30% of what he was saying, if that much. It wasn’t a good sign.
I wasn’t sure how I was going to complete the homework assignment for this class that week, and it was only one of 10 classes I was taking this semester. Yes, you read that right, 10 classes. In addition to the 8 classes shown in the photo below, I’ll also need to take Engineering Mathematics 2 and Introduction to Computational Science, but those occur in the second period of the semester. So, they aren’t listed here.
The Program
Before I get into the details of the classes, I think it’s helpful to have a sense of the overall program structure. I am pursuing a B.Sc. Tech (bachelor’s of science in technology) in Technology and Engineering Science. Technology and Engineering Science, or TES for short, is a three-year program, and upon successful completion, offers the right to continue your studies at the master’s level in a field related to your specialization.
During the first year of the program, you take more “foundational” courses that are meant to help you determine which of four specializations to pursue in the second and third years of the program. The four specializations are Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Technology, and Energy Technology. Having read more about these specializations prior to the start of the program, I was initially interested in either Energy Technology or Environmental Technology, but I’m starting to develop an interest in Electrical Engineering as well.
A final note is that this is a very new program (or the English-taught version of it is). It’s the same age as Alaya: 2-years-old. In other words, I’m in the in third cohort of students, and the first cohort has not yet graduated.
The Manageable Classes
So, one of the classes is a pass / fail introduction to bachelor’s studies course. It’s kind of like a continuation of orientation, but there are still tasks to complete, which take time. I like this class because it’s centered around promoting student success and well-being. I think the content and delivery could be more engaging, but I like that this class exists. I think too often we throw a bunch of information at students a week or two before the start of the semester and then leave them to figure out the rest.
Two of the courses, Materials and Manufacturing, don’t have homework assignments, at least not initially. In fact, I’m still trying to figure out what the deal is with those two courses. One of the courses has weekly pre-recorded lectures that we’re expected to watch (and learn from?). The other course had one lecture video the first week, but I haven’t been given further instructions or lectures since. However, I don't worry too much about since there are no immediate deadlines.
I am also taking a Finnish language course, but I completed the first half of the content over the summer, so the first few weeks of the class are pretty easy, and I suspect the latter part of the semester will also be easy as the Finnish class doesn’t have much homework, except to practice the vocabulary and grammar we’re learning. I’m also very motivated to learn the language, and I normally practice at least 20 minutes every day.
Another class, Basics of Electrical Engineering, I would put very squarely in the manageable category. To be honest, I wish all the classes I was taking this semester started with “Basics of...” like this one does. This course is taught at a level I would expect for incoming freshmen in a bachelor’s program in the US, but bachelor’s programs in Finland generally start at a higher level than in the United States. This is indicated by its shorter duration (3 years) and the age of my peers, who are mostly in the 19-20+ age range instead of 17-18 range. Some people feel like this course is too easy, or just a “filler” course in the curriculum, but I’m grateful for this class. This course is at a difficulty level I can manage and that might be influencing my interest in the topic. As mentioned above, I’m developing a genuine interest in electrical engineering. However, I still have time to decide which area I’ll specialize in.
The courses that don’t start with “Basics of…,”
So, the three classes that take most of my time and cause me the greatest stress are Engineering Physics, Engineering Mechanics, and Engineering Mathematics. The Engineering Physics professor said in the first class that he would teach to the student who has never studied physics before. He also mentioned he would make use of Khan Academy and offer extra credit for work done there. He said a lot of other things that have not come to pass. I can tell he’s trying, but having never studied physics before, I’d say there’s still a lot he’s assuming I know that I don’t. For example, during a lecture in Week 3, he referenced a textbook that explains Ohm’s Law. In that textbook, Ohm’s Law is discussed in Chapter 20. It’s Week 3, and you’re already discussing chapter 20 content, and you think you’re teaching to the student who’s never taken physics before?
That said, I did know more than I thought. For instance, this is not my first time learning about the laws of thermodynamics, for example. Some of the equations are familiar to me from chemistry and other science courses I’ve taken. However, this course was initially manageable, the content has increased in difficulty exponentially.
This brings me to Engineering Mathematics 1. I thought I’d be okay in math because it was the only course I had ever taken before. For instance, I’d never taken a course in mechanics, physics, or electrical engineering. However, I could do math. I was good at math, though I guess that was true over a decade ago.
My first semester at Temple University in Philadelphia, I took Differential and Integral Calculus. I remember one day when I was helping a classmate with their homework that he said to me, “You’re like the Mozart of Mathematics.” He mostly said this because I had an excellent eraser, and it looked to him like I had written out my answers from start to finish without a single mistake. I did make mistakes and did erase things at times, but yeah, math made sense to me.
What I didn’t expect was that the Engineering Mechanics course, the one that caused my brain to explode on the first day of class, would seem easy in comparison to the math course. I had really, really hoped and prayed that math would make mechanics easier, but it didn’t. My sense from speaking to many of my peers is that very few people can follow the math course. Not the 19-year-olds who just graduated from high school, not the Chinese students reputed for their advanced math skills, and certainly not the 30+-year-olds who haven’t studied mathematics in over a decade.
Of course, the 19-year-olds had the advantage. They at least had a basic understanding of how mathematics worked. They knew the language. I barely remember the rules, and some rules I’m not sure I learned at all. They also know how to use graphing calculators. I initially didn’t even own one. After buying it ($120 euros after a 10% student discount by the way), I realized I didn’t know how to use it. I did three full drafts of my first mechanics homework assignment. In the first two drafts, I was getting the wrong answers because I was using radians instead of degrees. Now, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, welcome to the club.
This brings us back to that first day in Engineering Mechanics. The funniest thing the professor said after going through about 80% of an example situation was, and I’m paraphrasing here, “I won’t explain this any further. The rest of this is just math, and this is not a math course. It’s mechanics.” I was confused because the first 80% looked a lot like math to me, and I didn’t know how to do the remaining 20% on my own, despite it being “just math.”
Classes 9 and 10, Engineering Mathematics 2 and Introduction to Computational Science, won’t start until November, so I don’t have much to say about them, except that I have the same teacher for Engineering Mathematics 1 and 2. For the latter course, the previous year’s students said it’s hard unless you already know how to code.
I don’t already know how.
I've divided this month's posts into two blogs since my posts tend to be long, so be on the look out for more about the first month and how I've managed classes in the next post (should be up in about a week).
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