Automotive Engineering

[Ali123]

evening people of sax-p

just a quick question which some of you may be able to help me with..
erm has anyone here done or is doing Automotive engineering at uni?
id just like to know abit about it, such as is a good understanding of maths essential to be able to cope with this course? seriously struggled with maths last year at college so i dropped it. and the same question with physics aswell?
like i mean physics isnt my strongest subject at college but doing this course at uni would the physics be more focused on one topic rather than learn about everything at college if you get what i mean?
also how do you find the course? is it enjoyable? is it what you expected it to be like?

really would like to get other peoples views as im sending off my ucas application soon and just want to be 100% sure

cheers :)

[sebring]

So you struggled with maths and physics. Your bang outta luck for engineering then mate.
Maybe get an apprenticeship as a mechanic or doing parts if you like cars?

[Lewis]

I do Automotive Design in Coventry, 2nd year. If your properly into cars then you should be ok. So much to cover really you need to do more research

[Ali123]

its mainly maths that i struggled with but so far i have the required grades i need
im just thinking that like the physics and maths will be more specific rather than just learning abit about everything in college?

[Ali123]

I do Automotive Design in Coventry, 2nd year. If your properly into cars then you should be ok. So much to cover really you need to do more research

ive done plenty of research mate, i just want to hear what people studying this course think about it

[Barry123]

evening people of sax-p

just a quick question which some of you may be able to help me with..
erm has anyone here done or is doing Automotive engineering at uni?
id just like to know abit about it, such as is a good understanding of maths essential to be able to cope with this course? seriously struggled with maths last year at college so i dropped it. and the same question with physics aswell?
like i mean physics isnt my strongest subject at college but doing this course at uni would the physics be more focused on one topic rather than learn about everything at college if you get what i mean?
also how do you find the course? is it enjoyable? is it what you expected it to be like?

really would like to get other peoples views as im sending off my ucas application soon and just want to be 100% sure

cheers :)

If it's a BEng/MEng qualification at the end of the course then I'm afraid it'll be 79% Maths, 20% physics, 1% actually doing anything hands on.

I would strongly suggest you brush up on your maths or try to get on an evening class to A level. Else you'll find it very difficult to keep up and score well. I'm not saying it's impossible, we had a couple of direct entry from BTEC (where it's 90% practical, 10% theory) and they struggled BADLY with the maths, but came out with 2.2s in the end.

[Barry123]

r.e. the 'physics' in an engineering syllabus, it's more about processes, solid dynamics, material science etc etc rather than the fundamental physics you get at A-level, so I'd say it's a bit more general.

[RyanSaxo]

If it's a BEng/MEng qualification at the end of the course then I'm afraid it'll be 79% Maths, 20% physics, 1% actually doing anything hands on.

I would strongly suggest you brush up on your maths or try to get on an evening class to A level. Else you'll find it very difficult to keep up and score well. I'm not saying it's impossible, we had a couple of direct entry from BTEC (where it's 90% practical, 10% theory) and they struggled BADLY with the maths, but came out with 2.2s in the end.

completely agree! - I'm doing BEng Mech Eng. Automotive is just a specialisation of that (or the masters) I believe?

If the course is ImechE accredited they will all be very similar in terms of difficulty and content.

I got a C at A-level maths and don't enjoy maths much and I've struggled with some of the modules.

Especially the first 2 years aren't very applied, you'll do maths modules that are just pure maths.

However if you can do it, get a 2:2 you'll be favoured highly over many of the other shit degrees people are wasting time and money doing.

MEng/BEng is favoured in many areas over people with degrees in that specific field. (banking, HR, management are ones off the top of my head)

[Ali123]

hmmm thanks for your help!
and yeah im trying to brush up on my maths, even though im not doing maths anymore at college i still go to a maths tutor once a week

[Barry123]

Great stuff if you're being proactive about it :y:

[Tom5190]

I guess you in the same situation as i was to be honest. I decided i wanted to do it when i left school. I looked at what courses were about and set myself on doing a B/Meng degree in motorsport technology.

Found at that the three uni's i wanted to be at all wanted AAB the 2 A's being maths & physics. Started college after school, doing maths, P.E & Physics.

Dropped out after the first year with UUE. Decided college wasnt for me and that i basically got into my head i couldnt do the uni thing that it was to far beond me. I then spent 3 Years doing my Leve 1,2 &3 NVQ's in light vehicle maintainence (i was a mechanic basically) At the same time i also topped these up with an IMI National award, certificate & Diploma.

The national diploma was supposed to be the equivelent as 3 A levels. Although the physics and maths was absolute minimal and it was about 80% theory 20% practical on the IMI course it was ok and didnt bore me as i was working full time in a garage afterwards.

I applied for a few uni's and course's. I applied for a Bsc 3/4 year degree in motorsport engineering. Its a motorsport specific course which i really didnt think i would get accepted on. But i did. I also applied for a foundation degree at the same uni just incase.

So i moved to oxford, started my course. I can basically leave after 2 or 3 years (4 if i take placement). If i leave after 2 years i will only have a FnD However if i leave after the full three then i will have a full degree at Bsc.

The maths and physics are hard, but i have no A levels and hadnt done any challanging maths since the age of 16 really.

Worked out well for me to be honest, im at uni 2 days of the week then because of my nvq's i have a job at a french specialist for the rest of the week.

If your willing to put the effort in, like properlly put the effort in then you will do it. I dont tend to have a day off in the week but its worth it.

[Ali123]

Great stuff if you're being proactive about it :y:

thanks:y:
going to shitty help sessions twice a week at college too for physics aswell, but mehh its gotta be done...
and this may come across as a stupid question, but is it enjoyable?
im really into cars and all that but what you learn etc is it interesting and enjoyable if you get what im trying to ask?

[Tom5190]

Enjoyable isnt the word. one of my projects this year is based around a formula renault. we have already taken it to silverstone and ran a few tests etc and its running again just after christmas.

We started buliding a 205 Rally car last year as an extra side project.

Theres formula student for those who want to go into it ( i would love to but dont have time)

Then also theres the job oppertunities. Last year we had to do 150 hours placement. Lads went to: Redbul, Force india, Millbrook, Pro-drive & williams

[Barry123]

and this may come across as a stupid question, but is it enjoyable?
im really into cars and all that but what you learn etc is it interesting and enjoyable if you get what im trying to ask?

Enjoyable isnt the word.

haha

I'd agree, there's going to be bits that you enjoy, going to uni alone is going to be the most enjoyable few years of your life. The course... intense, if you're a flaker, you'll sink. If you got a bit of determination about yourself and prepared to put in the odd allnighter you'll be fine.

[Ali123]

I guess you in the same situation as i was to be honest. I decided i wanted to do it when i left school. I looked at what courses were about and set myself on doing a B/Meng degree in motorsport technology.

Found at that the three uni's i wanted to be at all wanted AAB the 2 A's being maths & physics. Started college after school, doing maths, P.E & Physics.

Dropped out after the first year with UUE. Decided college wasnt for me and that i basically got into my head i couldnt do the uni thing that it was to far beond me. I then spent 3 Years doing my Leve 1,2 &3 NVQ's in light vehicle maintainence (i was a mechanic basically) At the same time i also topped these up with an IMI National award, certificate & Diploma.

The national diploma was supposed to be the equivelent as 3 A levels. Although the physics and maths was absolute minimal and it was about 80% theory 20% practical on the IMI course it was ok and didnt bore me as i was working full time in a garage afterwards.

I applied for a few uni's and course's. I applied for a Bsc 3/4 year degree in motorsport engineering. Its a motorsport specific course which i really didnt think i would get accepted on. But i did. I also applied for a foundation degree at the same uni just incase.

So i moved to oxford, started my course. I can basically leave after 2 or 3 years (4 if i take placement). If i leave after 2 years i will only have a FnD However if i leave after the full three then i will have a full degree at Bsc.

The maths and physics are hard, but i have no A levels and hadnt done any challanging maths since the age of 16 really.

Worked out well for me to be honest, im at uni 2 days of the week then because of my nvq's i have a job at a french specialist for the rest of the week.

If your willing to put the effort in, like properlly put the effort in then you will do it. I dont tend to have a day off in the week but its worth it.



cheers for that mate!
and yeah as for the grades, i just cant get the grades they want such as AAB/ABB for some uni's but what i can do is im able to get the the required ucas points that manchester met/birmingham city etc want
cant remember at the top of my head right now but i think its somewhere in the region of 260 ucas points or something which a B and 2 C's would make up 260 points which is a realistic estimate of what i'll be able to acheive, not 2 A's and a B

[Tom5190]

cheers for that mate!
and yeah as for the grades, i just cant get the grades they want such as AAB/ABB for some uni's but what i can do is im able to get the the required ucas points that manchester met/birmingham city etc want
cant remember at the top of my head right now but i think its somewhere in the region of 260 ucas points or something which a B and 2 C's would make up 260 points which is a realistic estimate of what i'll be able to acheive, not 2 A's and a B

One thing i found out is that the UCAS points ment absolutly nothing at all. Im pretty sure i didnt have the amount i needed. Im at Oxford Brookes. I needed ABC in a levels to get on the course i got. which obviously i font have but i manage to do a good interview and pass a few small tests they wanted me to do.

haha

I'd agree, there's going to be bits that you enjoy, going to uni alone is going to be the most enjoyable few years of your life. The course... intense, if you're a flaker, you'll sink. If you got a bit of determination about yourself and prepared to put in the odd allnighter you'll be fine.

This is true, if your not a maths/physics whizz kid then you really cant afford to just slack at it. It is hard and it is a pain in the arse for me but im in my second year now and i passed everything last year and this year so far so it proves it can be done!

[Ali123]

doing something like this has interested me for a very long time so I'll be sure to put in the effort needed! :)
cheers for the help lads

[Morgzc]

Im doing automotive engineering at coventry uni. I didn't do great in my maths a level but still did well enough to get on the course. If you struggled with maths and physics at a level you will get seriously confused with it at university.
First year is pretty similar to what you learnt at college, but, this year I have no clue what's going on.

You should know too that the course is 100% theoretical. The only chance you will get to actually touch/make anything substantial is for your final year project.

[Ali123]

Im doing automotive engineering at coventry uni. I didn't do great in my maths a level but still did well enough to get on the course. If you struggled with maths and physics at a level you will get seriously confused with it at university.
First year is pretty similar to what you learnt at college, but, this year I have no clue what's going on.

You should know too that the course is 100% theoretical. The only chance you will get to actually touch/make anything substantial is for your final year project.


the maths i can always work on, but as for the physics i mean now at college we're learning about satellites and gravity i mean that isnt really anything to do with this said course is it? where as when we did the mechanics side, momentum etc that kinda stuff was all good

[Morgzc]

the maths i can always work on, but as for the physics i mean now at college we're learning about satellites and gravity i mean that isnt really anything to do with this said course is it? where as when we did the mechanics side, momentum etc that kinda stuff was all good

First year will be mostly of forces, bending in beams ect. The physics first year was mostly about transfer of heat and energy . We did a lot on material properties, fracturing, heat treatment and composites ect.

[Ali123]

First year will be mostly of forces, bending in beams ect. The physics first year was mostly about transfer of heat and energy . We did a lot on material properties, fracturing, heat treatment and composites ect.

sounds good!
thank you for your help people, greatly appreciated :hug:

[RyanSaxo]

the maths i can always work on, but as for the physics i mean now at college we're learning about satellites and gravity i mean that isnt really anything to do with this said course is it? where as when we did the mechanics side, momentum etc that kinda stuff was all good

Gravity? That's pretty relevant.

It completely depends on the Uni as well I think < If it's ImechE accredited I'm pretty sure the course material is nearly the same...

My course there is hardly any practical stuff... it's been loads of maths/physics. Even a subject that sounds fun, has to have a certain amount of maths/physics (which is normally a lot).

What do you want to do after Uni? Is it going to get you into a career you couldn't do without the degree? Otherwise I'd just get experience and work your way up, especially now fee's are such a rip off from this year?

[Lewis]

Engineers will use the Maths skills through life so if you're not confident you will always struggle. Id recommend looking into an Automotive/Transport Design degree

[W103_A5H]

I know you are on about uni but I just finished my apprenticeship in mechanical enginnering in july this year, I have always had the same prob as my maths is terrible, and alot of it was maths related and knowing the properties/structures of materials and how to machine/manage them which is obviously the point of the job!

But like people have said if you are willing to put the time in you CAN, and most likely WILL do it. Put the hours in to help yourself, spend say an hour a day doing maths is what I did.. it might seem like a horrid thought as I am guessing you hate maths like i did (still do a bit!) But if you are anything like me you hate it because its hard...so get better at it and then you will get on with it easier. If you want it that bad make it happen, and keep going over things to you get it 100% and dont move of the topic till you understand it. It took me ages to learn trig. but because I gave up my lunch hours at college I got extra help with it and done tasks set for me to do at home and it has helped me out alot! Now I am a trained mech. engineer with an advanced apprenticeship and nvq lvl 3. Was worth the effort!

Here is a book I purchased that helped me out over the 4 years with my maths, may be useful to you.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Basic-Mathematics-Engineers-Alex-Greer/dp/0859509168/ref=pd_rhf_pe_shvl14

hope I have helped somewhat! :)

[Ali123]

I know you are on about uni but I just finished my apprenticeship in mechanical enginnering in july this year, I have always had the same prob as my maths is terrible, and alot of it was maths related and knowing the properties/structures of materials and how to machine/manage them which is obviously the point of the job!

But like people have said if you are willing to put the time in you CAN, and most likely WILL do it. Put the hours in to help yourself, spend say an hour a day doing maths is what I did.. it might seem like a horrid thought as I am guessing you hate maths like i did (still do a bit!) But if you are anything like me you hate it because its hard...so get better at it and then you will get on with it easier. If you want it that bad make it happen, and keep going over things to you get it 100% and dont move of the topic till you understand it. It took me ages to learn trig. but because I gave up my lunch hours at college I got extra help with it and done tasks set for me to do at home and it has helped me out alot! Now I am a trained mech. engineer with an advanced apprenticeship and nvq lvl 3. Was worth the effort!

Here is a book I purchased that helped me out over the 4 years with my maths, may be useful to you.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Basic-Mathematics-Engineers-Alex-Greer/dp/0859509168/ref=pd_rhf_pe_shvl14

hope I have helped somewhat! :)


very helpful! Thank you! :)

[mlawlan69]

just get a job and stop trying to toss life off.

[Ali123]

just get a job and stop trying to toss life off.

helpful:y:

[Jordysport]

evening people of sax-p

just a quick question which some of you may be able to help me with..
erm has anyone here done or is doing Automotive engineering at uni?
id just like to know abit about it, such as is a good understanding of maths essential to be able to cope with this course? seriously struggled with maths last year at college so i dropped it. and the same question with physics aswell?
like i mean physics isnt my strongest subject at college but doing this course at uni would the physics be more focused on one topic rather than learn about everything at college if you get what i mean?
also how do you find the course? is it enjoyable? is it what you expected it to be like?

really would like to get other peoples views as im sending off my ucas application soon and just want to be 100% sure

cheers :)

I am doing Motorsport engineering which is exactly the same as Automotive engineering except there is just a slight application to motorsport over road cars.

I love maths, and got A at A-level, and i really struggle with the maths sometimes, (now in third year and its not so bad i am getting used to it, practice makes perfect) imo if you struggled with A-level it would be a waste of time to do this course. it is extremely maths based physics not so much.

Year 1: complete recap of a-level maths and a-level DT and quite basic.
Year 2: heavy heavy maths work, CAD projectS lots of practical coursework,
Year 3: at this stage you will have no life you will spend 20 hours of work a day 7 days a week for the whole year.

i may be biased. but thats my opinion, what i did find out from friends that they can get the same degree as me by going to Bridgwater college and is alot easier and alot more practical.

that is what i advise for you.
Hope i have helped any other questions don't hesitate to PM me.

[gaz4399]

i graduated from my masters in mechanical engineering this year (MEng), course was also IMechE accredited. I spent 80% of my entire course doing maths so if maths is something you dont enjoy then think of something else as you will likely end up doing maths in whatever job you get after graduation.

As for hours spend on the study, me and my fellow engineering colleagues spend a significant amount of more hours working than all of our friends on different degrees. Its worth it in the end but its a hell of a lot of work, especially if you want good grades.

garry

[gaz4399]

Year 1: complete recap of a-level maths and a-level DT and quite basic.
Year 2: heavy heavy maths work, CAD projectS lots of practical coursework,
Year 3: at this stage you will have no life you will spend 20 hours of work a day 7 days a week for the whole year.

.

year 4 (masters)- no sleep, no life, no alcohol
cant remember a single day over the whole year where i didnt do at least 8hours of uni work sat in front of a computer working, including Christmas day!

[Barry123]

It wasn't quite that horrible for me... I did a 4.5 MEng (that's a placement and then the final two years crushed into a 1 year and 3 months). There was a 3 month period at the end where I pretty much died of sleep deprivation. But otherwise I worked pretty hard, played hard and spammed saxp hard.

and consequently didn't get the Distinction...

[gaz4399]

It wasn't quite that horrible for me... I did a 4.5 MEng (that's a placement and then the final two years crushed into a 1 year and 3 months). There was a 3 month period at the end where I pretty much died of sleep deprivation. But otherwise I worked pretty hard, played hard and spammed saxp hard.

and consequently didn't get the Distinction...

yeah i worked with a few people doing a placement degree, they seemed to have the best of both worlds tbh and still getting a degree etc, good choice:y:

think the workload all depends on what degree level you are hoping for tbh, you can do a lot less work and still get a good 2.2 if you put your effort in the most logical areas of study

[Ali123]

thank you so much for your help lads,honestly it has greatly helped!
and i shall send you a PM later tonight jordy !

<3

[Jay_]

Im doing automotive engineering at coventry uni..
what year...You may know my best mate from home....
just get a job and stop trying to toss life off.


Someone is jealous they didn't go to uni....

[Gabbastard]

I did Motorsport Engineering at Coventry and Electrical+Mechanical Engineering at Strathclyde. As someone said, if you struggle with maths, Engineerings probably not your calling tbh dude.

[Morgzc]

what year...You may know my best mate from home....



Someone is jealous they didn't go to uni....

2nd year. What's his name?

[LeeM]

im doing mechanical engineering, lots of maths! not quite sure if im gonna do my masters year or not, i dont think ive got the determination to stick with it lol

[Jay_]

2nd year. What's his name?

Sam Mowle...Drives a clio trophy... Races a KTM X-Bow...

[Morgzc]

Sam Mowle...Drives a clio trophy... Races a KTM X-Bow...

Never heard of him!

[Barry123]

im doing mechanical engineering, lots of maths! not quite sure if im gonna do my masters year or not, i dont think ive got the determination to stick with it lol

Do it. Unbelievable how many employers are setting the minimum at a Masters now.

[LeeM]

it would also mean graduating at 29, 28 is gonna be old enough lol

[Barry123]

You'll probably spend the extra year trying to get an interview whereas you'll likely get your foot in the door a lot sooner with the MEng.
Job shortage and all that, they can afford to be picky. You need to give them every reason to pick you.

[Jordysport]

You'll probably spend the extra year trying to get an interview whereas you'll likely get your foot in the door a lot sooner with the MEng.
Job shortage and all that, they can afford to be picky. You need to give them every reason to pick you.

iirc atm its the other way round, more of an engineer shortage than a job shortage.

[Lewis]

2nd year. What's his name?

I bet we've passed each other in the street without knowing. We should set up a Cov uni Sax-p group to meet up :P

[LeeM]

im planning to try and get onto the rigs, dont imagine it'll take a year or require a masters.the jobs ive seen state a 2.2 minimum