What to Expect

How many years you spend as an electrical engineering student will depend on how much work you're willing and able to take on.

Paul Bartosek specialized in digital electronics for his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering. It took him five years. "The faculty of engineering has guidelines for which courses need to be completed and in which order, to graduate from a particular discipline," he says.

"They strongly recommend doing the entire program in four years, although very few people do this since it's a highly stressful program."

Bartosek says his education gave him a very strong foundation in electrical engineering theory, which is highly valuable. But he says it's also important to choose a program that offers as much practical experience as possible.

Nancy Corkett agrees. She specialized in power electronics for her bachelor's degree in electrical engineering.

"I enjoy a more hands-on approach to learning than the theory taught in class," she says. "I gained a lot of practical knowledge through the labs. They're fun, informative and interesting."

No matter what institution you choose, expect a program that will require a lot of commitment.

"The undergraduate program is tough, regardless of where you take it," Corkett says. "It was difficult the first year to get used to the workload. However, it was a valuable learning experience for me when the material increased in difficulty."

Survival Tips

Bartosek says the good thing about college life is that students can balance the hard work with some time for play and extracurricular activities. He says it's important that students find a social group they can join.

"I would highly recommend taking advantage of these clubs, since engineering is a very stressful program to choose," Bartosek says. "I learned very quickly that you can't survive on books alone."