Guest Lecture- ENGR 10
Nicholas Celeste
San Francisco State University
Mechanical Engineering Student
ASME @ SFSU President
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Outline of Presentation:
• About me
• About SFSU
• Transferring to SFSU
– What was Different?
– How hard are SFSU Classes?
– What should you be prepared to do well?
– How to Get the Most from SFSU
– Useful Classes at Chabot/LPC
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About Me:
• Grew up in Livermore, CA
• Always building and modifying bikes, skateboards,
pulling things apart.
• Decided to go back to school in 2004
• Worked in Construction out of High School.
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Other jobs:
Welder/Fabricator
Mechanic
Run a family business with my wife.
• Worked full-time while attending LPC & Chabot
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About SFSU:
• SFSU is Located at
1600 Holloway Ave
in SF.
– Near Daly City
• Free shuttle from
Daly City Bart
Station.
• Lots of housing
close by.
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About SFSU:
• SFSU Offers 4
Engineering
Disciplines:
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Civil
Computer
Electrical
Mechanical
• All ABET Certified
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Transferring to SFSU
• Transferred from Chabot/Las Positas in
Fall 2010 to San Francisco State
University.
• San Francisco was not my first choice,
and I did not know much about it.
• Sometimes qualified applicants don’t
get picked, so HAVE A BACKUP PLAN!
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Transferring to SFSU
• Don’t get discouraged!
– Undergraduate Curriculum is basically the same at
any school.
– Engineering is a fun and exciting major at any
school.
– State school is MUCH CHEAPER than UC
• About 1/3 of the cost for a semester at CSU vs. UC
• I got offered more Grants & Scholarships by SFSU than
ANY OTHER school that I was accepted to.
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What was Different?
• Many more engineering students and instructors– 900 Undergraduate Engineering Students
– 20 Engineering Faculty
– Class size is roughly the same as Chabot, there are some large
classes and some small classes.
• More Open-ended Projects
– TAKE ENGR 11, and take it SERIOUSLY
• This is going to be your career, not just a class
• Greater variety of interesting classes:
– You get to pick what sounds interesting, it doesn’t feel like
you are just fulfilling requirements anymore.
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How Hard are Classes?
• Not much harder than Chabot
– Some classes require more time than
others, but none are impossible.
– After surviving Mr. Mayer’s exams, I was
ready for anything!
– Classes tend to move quicker, and there is
less feedback from the instructors.
• One class I took had only two homework
assignments and two exams.
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Most Useful Classes at Chabot
• ENGR 10 & 11
– ENGR 11 was the most
similar to an upper division
design-based course at
SFSU.
• ENGR 43 (Circuits)
– This class had exams that
were the most like upper
division classes.
• English 1A
– Extremely important, doing
well in English is usually the
difference between an A or a
B on a project.
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Most Useful Classes at Chabot
•
Math 4:
– Differential Equations are the
language of Engineering, they
don’t go away
•
Physics 4A, 4B, & 4C:
– Taking the time to really
understand how things work in
these classes will greatly
improve your understanding of
Upper Division courses
• If you do well now, you’ll do
even better when things
become more complicated.
•
Public Speaking (Any):
– You will always need to be able
to talk about things to groups.
It’s not scary, and it gets easier
with practice.
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How to do well at University:
• Study groups are
absolutely essential
to doing well in hard
classes
• Most instructors are
less willing to hold
your hand and walk
you through
homework Q’s.
– Take advantage of
instructors that do!
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How to do well at University:
• Be able to write proficiently and communicate
clearly.
– Your report is only as good as it is written.
– There are a lot more group projects, people will be
counting on you to communicate and explain what
you are doing.
• Be able to deliver a finished product for
design classes.
• Ask questions, and READ THE BOOK!
• Follow Mr. Mayer’s Study Skills Guide!
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How to do well at SFSU:
• JOIN CLUBS!
– Engineering clubs are a great way
to meet other students that care
about engineering.
– Joining a club will get you more
opportunities to find internships and
employment.
• On an average week, I’m forwarded
3-5 job opportunities.
•
Work on Homework in the
Engineering Study Room– Lots of students will be there and
willing to talk about HW problems.
•
Meet with Advisor in the First Week
of Classes– Requirements are confusing, be
sure to know what you need to be
taking.
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Cool Stuff for ASME in 2011-2012:
• Whirlwind Wheelchair Trike
Team
• Upper/Lower Division
“Buddy System”
• Help students fund projects
• Tours of Manufacturing
plants in the Bay Area.
• ASME is a GREAT way to
network and get advice.
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ASME/Whirlwind Trike Project
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ASME/Whirlwind Trike Project
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Other Non-ASME Projects:
• Other projects at SFSU:
– Timber Bridge
• Last years design won:
– Best Innovative
Design
– Best Aesthetic
Design
– 3rd place in best
overall design
– Steel Bridge
– Rocketry Club
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Any Questions?
• Contact me at:
nceleste@mail.sfsu.edu
ASME:
ASME@sfsu.edu
Engineering @ SFSU:
http://engineering.sfsu.edu/
engrasst@sfsu.edu
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