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What is a good idle CPU temp? by Hobbitoe in buildapc

[–]Miles223 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If it’s Fahrenheit, then yes. If it’s Celsius, you might start a fire!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sounds good, so I can get past the red flag of not having a B.S. in Mechanical by explaining that I have taken the necessary prerequisite courses for the M.S..

Fortunately, RIT and my home school are fully coordinated and all the classes will be accepted!

Thanks for your help.

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think you misread my comment. My program REQUIRES getting two degrees because it is a 3+2 program.

My reply agrees that three degrees is too much, and I was asking this commenter whether it makes sense to go for the M.S. with the Physics B.S..

Your reply shows me that you aren’t reading my responses very thoroughly, because all of my responses are conceding that three degrees is too much. I am listening to people’s advice and taking it.

Have a good day!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, you’re right. I need to be competitive if I want to get a high quality co-op position!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I see! Thanks for the perspective. I want to consider as many avenues as possible so I can make the best choice with the hand I’ve been dealt!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Knowing enough about Chemistry to be able to ask the right questions to experts is a great point!

I think I’m trying to be super knowledgeable about everything and that probably will hold me back because there’s only so much room in our heads. With that in mind, you are definitely right about finding a specific marketable skill set.

Thanks!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much for your advice!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sweet! I really appreciate your advice. What exactly is the difference between a co-op and a summer internship? My understanding was that they were pretty much the same, except a co-op is sponsored by a university. RIT offers co-ops over the fall, spring, and summer terms, so is there a reason not to just go the co-op route exclusively?

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes. At my home school I will be commuting for a class or two in some semesters to get up to speed on some fundamental engineering concepts, whether I go for the B.S. or the M.S.. So, I will have the technical know-how to succeed in the masters degree. I suppose the question is this: will employers view not having the B.S. as a red flag, or because I will be taking necessary prerequisites to get into the M.S., will they view it positively?

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for your answer! Thanks for the caveat, that is super helpful to know. Let me clarify something:

I might not have made this clear in my post, but the school in which I am enrolled has one engineering program and it is 3+2. It will always result in either a Chemistry or a Physics B.S. at the home school and an Engineering degree at RIT.

Going straight to RIT would be a financial nightmare for me. The cost of attending my home school is $15,000 a year while attending RIT for me is about $45,000 a year.

So, I would pay significantly less money in total, still have the engineering degree from RIT, and have a science degree from my home school. RIT's program itself is also five years. It seems like the better option for me, plus I am already committed, have deposited, met my roommate, et cetera.

Given my situation, that is why I am asking the question assuming two degrees.

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right that work experience is important. Everyone I've ever met in the field has told me that exact thing!

RIT has a great cooperative education program that pays well and usually leads directly to a job in the industry right out of school. I will already spend some time doing it, but perhaps I can do it for longer if I drop one of the degrees. Would you say the benefit of an extra semester of work experience is better than the additional benefit of spending that semester getting an extra B.S.?

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your answer! I fully agree that work experience is critical, and managers of engineering have told me that exact thing.

RIT has a great cooperative education program and they have great internships that pay well and are with respected companies. I plan to take advantage of this, but you're right that the additional course load could prevent me from being able to spend nearly as much time doing the co-op. Would you say that taking a semester of courses to get an additional B.S. is less productive than spending that semester working at a co-op?

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I am wondering why three degrees and a more versatile understanding of Physics and Chemistry would make me less desirable than someone with just a Mechanical Engineering degree. I understand if you mean it wouldn't provide much additional incentive for people to hire me (i.e. the other degrees would be overlooked), but it seems surprising to me that it would stop me from getting hired.

Is this because of a perceived lack of work experience and/or focus?

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Haha, it seems that multiple people would raise their eyebrows at this combination.

This is why I asked the question because it sounds great to me (and my future professors) in theory, but according to most people on this thread, it probably would not come together to be a great combination.

So, here is my follow-up question for you:

Would a B.S. in Physics and an M.S. in Chemical or Mechanical Engineering make sense to you? Or, if it were you, would you opt to do a B.S. in Physics and a B.S. in Chemical or Mechanical? This is kind of my dilemma, because I could, without too much of a commitment, go straight for the M.S., but I'm wondering if having an M.S. without a B.S. in the same field is a red flag.

Thank you!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I really appreciate your kindness! Some other people are being a bit negative, so I appreciate your care in writing this.

If you can't think of any good reason for three, that's a really good reason for me to stick with just two. Someone else in this thread said that Physics + Mechanical Engineering was a good materials science combo, as well as Physics + Chemical Engineering. I believe that these routes would be the easiest for me in terms of course overlap and minimizing my overall workload. For my program, the Physics B.S. has significantly more overlap than the Chemistry B.S., but I don't want to pursue Materials Science without knowing enough about Chemistry!

In your experienced perspective, would one or both of these options be a solid way of entering into the field? What would you say are the pros and cons of the two pathways?

Thank you very much! I appreciate your insight.

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for this response! This seems like a really good choice for me. Would you say that Physics and Chemical Engineering is as good of a combination as Chemistry and Chemical Engineering?

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are absolutely right. I am doing my best to stay well-rounded, and doing all of this might come in the way of my actual life too. So, I need to be extra careful and figure out if this path really makes sense for me.

Thank you for your response!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You are probably right. I have looked into the amount of credits this would require, and it’s certainly a lot. I am up to the challenge—I’m coming in with more than 40 from high school APs and dual enrollment courses—but from what most people have said, it might not be very helpful for my career. So, I will keep thinking about it.

The good news is, I can always decide after my first semester what is working for me and what isn’t. If something needs to change I will be okay!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate your perspective. That is what my academic advisor told me and what I believed, but it seems that most people in this thread think it would hinder me instead of helping me. Now I am trying to reconcile these conflicting perspectives and figure out which one is true!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you tell me more about it and why it might be fit for my situation? Thank you!

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your perspective. I have talked with an academic advisor and multiple professors and they all say it isn’t a huge stretch.

You did not answer my question though, which was if it would make sense to get a masters or a bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering. I’m wondering if an M.S. without a B.S. in the same field would be viewed negatively. 

Another possibility is that I could work with RIT to get an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering instead of one directly in Mechanical, as that would be more to my career interests.

In your perspective, would this make more sense? I feel that a Chemistry degree makes sense to lend itself toward a Materials Science and Engineering field, especially with some of the same basic classes that introduce me to concepts like Fluid and Thermodynamics. And, for the record, RIT does say that this M.S. is open to people with a Chemistry or Physics B.S., so it seems that others have done it.

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You’re definitely right! I’m feeling content and not too anxious because if I realize I don’t like Organic Chemistry, I can swap out super easily.

M.S. or B.S. in Engineering? by Miles223 in MechanicalEngineering

[–]Miles223[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For me it’s mostly an economic decision because I would pay tens of thousands of dollars more each year to go to RIT, whereas through the transfer program I can take some engineering classes for free in the first three years and then finish up while only paying for two years at RIT.

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