The Basics of Engineering Past Review

By A student (Physics, Middlebury College) - abroad from 06/19/2014 to 06/09/2015 with

Dartmouth College: New Hampshire - Domestic Exchange Program

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?

I learned an enormous amount about the basics of engineering and how to be an engineer, and how to work effectively in a group. The topics/concepts we covered will be helpful back in the realm of physics, and then again in the 5th year. It was absolutely worthwhile.

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program?	1 month - 6 months

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.
* Host Country Program Administration On-site administration of your program
* Housing: How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?
* Food:
* Social & Cultural Integration: How integrated did you feel with the local culture?
* Health Care: How well were health issues addressed during the program?
* Safety:
If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program?	Yes

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget? (1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component?	No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live? Select all that apply	Dorm
* Who did you live with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students
* Who did you take classes with? Select all that apply	Local Students Americans International Students

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?	Projects Hands-on approach Getting to experience another school for a year
* What could be improved?	Planning stage (sophomore year at Midd) Social Integration Communication about expectations on returning to Midd
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program?	Engineering is a very different style of class. If you don't want to get your hands dirty and have some really difficult work, this probably isn't the program for you. That being said, it's very fun work and pretty much exactly what I expected/was hoping for.

Individual Course Reviews

Course Name/Rating:	Statistical Methods in Engineering
Course Department:	Engineering
Instructor:	Ron Lasky
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Topics covered included computational data analysis, along with all the classic statistical distributions and how they fit together. Regular quizzes, homeworks, a midterm, and a take-home final made up most of the grade, then we got to write a paper on a statistical topic of our choice. Professor has a ton of great real world experience, but tends to gloss over basic concepts because of this, leaving some class members a little confused, but he was happy to clarify when asked.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Structural Analysis
Course Department:	Engineering
Instructor:	Vicki May
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	The follow-up for solid mechanics, this course covers the behavior of structures in overdefined configurations and has a project component. Our class built a playstructure (fit ~5 kids at a time) for a local elementary school, designed by our class with consultation from the school. Teacher was very good. She was always enthusiastic and very knowledgeable.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Introduction to Thermodynamics
Course Department:	Engineering
Instructor:	Karl Griswold
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course covered the basic concepts in thermodynamics, starting with the three laws and culminating with analysis of various common cycles. The course was pretty difficult, you really had to keep up with the workload or you could fall behind easily. Professor was what you would expect given the institution.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Logic (Honors section)
Course Department:	Mathematics
Instructor:	Francois Dorais
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	By far the most abstract course ;I have ever taken, and one of the more difficult. The professor was great, he really knew the material in and out and did a great job of explaining it to us. Topics covered were the formation of formal logic up to the incompleteness theorem.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Introduction to Engineering
Course Department:	Engineering
Instructor:	John Collier
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	One of the most fun courses I have taken. There were no problem sets, quizzes, or tests. Instead, we split into groups of 3 or 4 and tackled a real-world problem while learning the Engineering process. We had several progress reports along the way, and a final presentation of our product for a review board made up of members of the college engineering community. Professor was great, knew just how much (or how little) to steer our projects so we were doing things the right way, but also discovering the process for ourselves.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Science of Materials
Course Department:	Engineering
Instructor:	Harold Frost
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Again, very knowledgeable professor, just wasn't the best at explaining things. This course discussed the basics of materials science, covering the basic properties of plastics, elastics, metals, and other types of material.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Topics in Philosophy
Course Department:	Philosophy
Instructor:	Jesper Kallestrup
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	This course was taught by a visiting professor from Edinburgh and covered the impact of philosophy of language on our concept of self and what we can know about the world.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Systems
Course Department:	Engineering
Instructor:	B. Stuart Trembly
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	One of the most challenging courses I have ever taken. This course covers the behavior of 0th,1st, 2nd, and to a limited degree 3rd order translational, electrical, rotational, chemical, thermal, and fluid mechanics with a heavy computing element. Teacher was amazing, but a very hard grader.
Credit Transfer Issues:	No

Course Name/Rating:	Solid Mechanics
Course Department:	Engineering
Instructor:	Harold Frost
Instruction Language:	English
Comments:	Teacher was very knowledgeable, but sometimes was a bit lacking in ability to explain concepts. Content covered stress/strain curves, elastic and plastic deformation, limited computer modelling, and various other topics related to the behavior of materials under forces. Classic engineering grading style (some tests, homeworks, and a final project)
Credit Transfer Issues:	No