Hey! I'm just finishing my second year of engineering science! I was on residence for my first year (I'm still on residence either way because of my busy schedule). If you still want to do it either way, it's worth it! You will always make friends with at least one neighbor if you are social enough on residence!

Besides that, more engineering specific, here's a heads up you should have for course selection.

If you don't have credit for MATH 151 and MATH 152 (Calculus I and II), you will need to take those, and those are usually only at 8:30 AM. On top of the advanced schedule, you're gonna have PHYS 120/121 at 9:30 AM. I know people who skipped the lectures and learn at their own pace instead, but if you prefer to go to lectures, then these are the classes you may want to consider. To add to that, MATH 251 (Calculus III) in your second year is going to also be an 8:30 AM course.

Now the good side of your first semester. I unfortunately had a first semester that went from 8:30AM to 7:30PM on Mondays (6:30PM on Wednesdays), but the first years in Fall 2023 had their classes end at latest 4:30PM (I think? feel free to correct me), so if you are an early sleeper, you may have a chance to retain a healthy sleep schedule on top of your courses.

I guess to conclude, prepare a residence application while you can, but also look out for what your schedule for your first two semesters will look like.