.png)
Electrical Engineering at Ryerson University
Edwin (Year 2)
What did you wish you knew before going to your university? What made you choose this institution over all others? What are advantages and disadvantages of your institution or campus? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your university.
I wish I knew that courses for your program weren't usually going to be in the building designated for that program. For example, engineering courses are not exclusively offered only in the engineering building but will be spaced throughout the campus. What I mean by this is that there will be quite a bit of travelling between your classes if you are unlucky. Though personally I don't think it's a big issue, it's just that now I sometimes have to think about if the classrooms for my courses in my schedule are convenient or not. However, don't let that stop your from attending this university because you'll get used to the travelling and you may find some short-cuts that will make it easier too. I chose Ryerson because I decided that it would be better to live at home rather than going afar and living on campus and plus it saves some money.
What did you wish you knew before choosing your specific program? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your program? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your program of study.
Obviously doing a program like engineering, a high workload was to be expected, but I wish I knew exactly how much it would actually be. When I first began my semester I was worried about about how different the workload was from high school, but now I got used to it and I think it is manageable. I would have to say if you are experiencing low workload coming from high school, you should be a bit worried as you will have a difficult time adjusting. I would suggest that you also change you work and study habits because you will definitely need to change it if it's bad. I would say an advantage of my program is that you will obtain a stable future.
What was your favourite university experience?
What makes Ryerson unique is that it is right in the middle of downtown, making the campus have a lively atmosphere. You won't be bored here because it's right beside the Eaton Centre and is surrounded by A LOT of restaurants, so you'll always have great food.
What was your least favourite university experience?
I would have to say my worst experience is the commuting, however I chose to live at home so I'll have to put up with the 45 mins to almost 2 hrs commute depending on circumstances. I will also say that the experience of downtown isn't always the greatest. Though the liveliness is great, sometimes downtown can get overcrowded when busy and I wouldn't say downtown is the most cleanest place.
What is the hardest part about your program and what were the steps that you took to overcome any difficulties?
The hardest part of my program is being able to keep up with the workload and understanding the material for exams. I overcame this because I have great friends that I can study with. Engineering is a competitive program but the other students are nice people so they will help you. I will suggest that you find a good group of people that you can study with. My program also holds study groups and study halls that you can attend when exams arrive so that is very helpful.
If you were able to take electives, what was your favourite elective? If you were not able to take electives, what was your favourite course and why?
I can't say that I have a favourite course but I will say the science courses that contain labs are more interesting. I say this because those courses aren't just about theory but gives you some practical experience, which can be fun at times.