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Fri, May 01, 2009
The Straits Times
Engineering course: Myths and truths

By Khoo Lih-Han

AS A current local engineering undergraduate, I wish to add to the ongoing discussion, part of which described engineering as a boring and monotonous course which students shun. Here is my take:

Myth No. 1: There are no or few girls to look at.

Truth: There are certainly more males than females in engineering courses. However, compared with 10 years ago, the number of women undergraduates has gone up.

Myth No. 2: It is boring and monotonous.

Truth: The subject can be dry because of the newness of some engineering concepts. But the subject bubbles once one applies the concepts to the task of engineering at hand. That is when the subject is rewarding and enlightening.

Myth No. 3: It is so stressful and there is no time for other things.

Truth: Engineering is a course where last-minute work cannot reward you with good grades, unlike perhaps other courses. At the end of the day, it depends on the individual.

Myth No. 4: It is competitive and hard to get an A in modules.

Truth: It is hard to get an A. I can count the number of As I have received in three years of study on the fingers of one hand.


This article was first published in The Straits Times.

 

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