What I Would Do Differently If I Could Do College All Over Again

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This video goes over some of the things I would do differently if I could go back to college. Some things on this list include
1. Join clubs and do extra projects
2. Get to know my professors better
3. Searched for internships during my first few years
4. Been more productive in the summer
5. Put less emphasis on elective classes and branched out
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[@woewoe2749]

I love how you keep the jokes to such a minimum. They're 10x better when they happen.

[@abyssawalker]

And then there's his other channel...

[@Supremacy866]

I died when you were munching while watching FRIENDS, hahahah!

[@W0lfbaneShikaisc00l]

Yes... hanging out with... "friends"... the show counts right?

[@SkoolieBoyQue]

Lmao! Hanging out with friends, eh? 2:58 I hear ya, bro. 😆😂😅😃

[@SkoolieBoyQue]

Love your videos, man. I'm going back to school for Mechanical Engineering at 29.... even though I've been to college before and even got my Associate's, I'm basically starting over as an engineering student. My home boy called me the 30 yr old freshman! 🤣😂😆 I say all this to say I appreciate your content and it's helped me build my confidence up to take on this challenging major. Just wanted to say thanks for the content.

[@zachstar]

Happy to help! Don't worry I've seen plenty of people talk about going back to school in their 30's or even 40's so I know you got this!

[@SkoolieBoyQue]

Siege Good ish, bro. Good luck to you. 😊

[@SkoolieBoyQue]

MajorPrep Thanks, man. 😢🙄😏 That means a lot!

[@MarkMcDaniel]

I'm a 39 yo sophomore. So, that should make you feel better. Lol.

[@SkoolieBoyQue]

Man, I'm even quitting my job for this. Been at this company for almost 5 yrs, making over 40k with no degree... but, it's not enough. And it's too comfortable. It's easy to stay here and retire and I'm just not feeling that... I want more for myself.

[@cryptoooooooo]

Wow, he's wearing a Major Prep shirt. He must also be a fan of that channel.

[@arhammusheer]

Super video! I applauded for ₹40.00 👏

[@assassinfearx]

As an engineering I am involved with 2 clubs, its very fun being involved with different clubs.

[@herobrine1847]

I am also an engineering

[@benja_mint]

i agree with the first point so much. when i went to university for the second time i even went so far as to take less classes per semester purely to spend more time on projects with professors. taking 3 classes per semester instead of 4 only increased my study time by one year, but increased my learning by double.

[@steliostoulis1875]

thank you for the high level quality videos

[@hanznel8488]

At University we didn't have these clubs. I think they are a brilliant idea. Best classes were with professors who have worked in industry. Getting to know your professors and engaging with them is a very good idea. They also need the feedback to improve their courses. So go to them if there are things you don't fully understand. Ten minutes with your professor will save you hours of struggling. Time is very precious when you study engineering.

[@benjaminfisher1565]

Really spoke to me going to office hours and talking more to my professors. I have really nice professors but I've never gone to office hours unless I really needed to and I never stayed after my Maine questions were answered. I want to branch out more and get to know them better because I know they want to. They've tried by dropping a few suggestions of extracurriculars in class but I always immediately shut it down thinking "I don't have time" (or more "I could have the time I just don't want the hassle"). Thanks for the cool video it's inspired me to want to do more.

[@lifebylosh]

2:57 Shut up and take my Like.

[@honkhonk1759]

Alright, a quantum computer in my garage coming soon.

[@1tubax]

Ight, nuclear generator in my garage coming soon

[@kloney1212]

U da best MP. I really like watching your videos. Motivating and makes me want to be productive

[@perspicacity89]

Fantastic video, thank you!

[@littlefish9825]

I actually did a cool thing that I think really aligns with what you were talking about in terms of "learning by yourself". What I wanted to do was make a rhombicosidodecahedron in desmos. A rhombicosidodecahedron is a semi-complex 3-D shape, and desmos is a 2-D graphing calculator. I had to do a *ton* of math, because I needed the 3-D cartesian coordinates for all 60 vertices, as well as a bunch of other math stuff to get everything else looking right. I did most of it during my high school junior year, but I make little tweaks and adjustments to make it better well into my senior year. When I started, I had no idea if I was even going to be able to do it at all, but with enough work, I finished it, and it's one of the silliest things that I'm very proud of.

[@rootdefault6263]

This was realy helpful am currently taking computer science and just getting to know the things you wish you would have done if you were to go back again. Just helped me figure out the things i need to tune up for more professionalism in my area . Thanks man. Your doing serious help to alot of us out there 🤓

[@brandonkwan2842]

Man, I really wish I heard about your channel and gotten these tips during my freshman year. Anyhow, keep up the awesome work on these videos! I can't say enough how much of these things are true; really helps to hit the ground running and become one of those coveted "rockstars" that employers love talking to.

[@ajf9408]

I can't imagine wanting to go back and re-do my engineering degree lol I'm in finals week of my second to last semester of college and it's freakin brutal

[@ajf9408]

@@ibrahimbaghdadi4995 yes. Finished. It was so hard and I'm glad to be done.

[@ajf9408]

@@ibrahimbaghdadi4995 it's still surprisingly difficult and you need a strong sense of morality and purpose to fulfill a life mission in order to make it through cheerfully, I think. But it is great to make money for your efforts instead of giving great effort for free. There are some pros and some cons but it is something that is worth struggling to finish.

[@ajf9408]

@@ibrahimbaghdadi4995 I don't think so, although it depends on where you live. The engineers at the place that I work at are absolutely brilliant and are experts in their field. It's much harder to hide incompetence in engineering than it is in something like business administration for example.

[@0s0sXD]

Broootal

[@user-qy6tu9ip9v]

Did you procrastinate much? What made it brutal?

[@altuber99_athlete]

*This* channel is exactly the things they don't teach you in college (I'm not referring to classes, but *real life* advise.) 👌

[@cademcmanus2865]

Very nice!

[@XxDeathlyTearsxX]

I agree with everything you said in this video. I'm starting my senior year in EE, and I really wish I joined clubs my first two years of college. It took me a while to actually figure out what I really liked doing, and what I was interested in, especially after switching from BME to EE. But I decided to branch out my 3rd year, once I switched to EE, and found out so much about myself and my interests. Ngl, it's made me a lot happier and more excited to use my knowledge to design things and see them come to life. Anyway, thanks for all your vids! They're super relatable to me, and also very helpful as a current EE student!

[@israkhattab1890]

This is pure gold ..thank you so much

[@roary4092]

I'm really happy that I came across your channel, these tips are really informative and helpful, thank you!

[@NoorquackerInd]

Me in middle school: _ah yes, I have a very early start on my future. I want to do programming and/or engineering, and I shall start right now_ Me almost ready to go to college after blowing money on many different projects to find out what I like the most: _ah yes, years of experience of programming and engineering, and I discovered more cool fields instead of narrowing them down_

[@ryanbreighner7408]

What’d you end up picking?

[@ButWhyMe...]

@@ryanbreighner7408 He died of Ligma.

[@rainhadainglaterra8829]

Oh shit, same

[@Lucas-sl6df]

@@ButWhyMe... dang, what’s Ligma?

[@potatoesandducks958]

@@Lucas-sl6df Steve Jobs

[@heshanpalliyaguruge6333]

Thank you Zach❤️

[@erockromulan9329]

I love the cut-away to you eating ice cream!

[@bobafett5640]

17 and just begun university here in Malaysia looking at mechanical, great video as always, invaluable information and advice in a clear concise manner. Thanks!

[@quidlatangelivy968]

How are you now?

[@user-qy6tu9ip9v]

@@quidlatangelivy968 I would also like to know.

[@ABCD-yw9fw]

Same

[@jaji666]

One of the main problems I saw while I was at my Chemical Engineering major (at least at my school) is that there was no possibility for hands-on projects, most of what we did was conceptual engineering or as they called it in my school "Basic engineering", which was basically, reactor design, distillation tower, pumps and heat exchanger design so there was little opportunity for a DIY project for a reactor. But having graduated now I think more DIY projects would have been really cool.

[@BadReligi0nFan69]

Dude your last one is spot on. I'm a Molecular Biology/Cell Biology major and have had some tough times in my Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Physics, and Math throughout the years, I've failed these classes a semester before passing them. Yet with that, I have bought myself an Arduino kit, taught myself some coding, bought myself a distillation kit and did Organic experiments in my garage, I'm working on a personal project involving coding and CRISPR and doing something similar to that for a Student Research competition at my school. As well, I am not great IN school, its not my thing, and I imagine there are people in this comment section with the same feelings--you love what you learn but don't like school. As well, I've taken up reading, and not to sound like an arrogant douche, I've read A LOT of books on topics not in my field-- Physical chemistry, tons on evolutionary biology (my original intended major), fluorescence, biosensors, laser technology, epigenetics, and some psychology and philosophy to boot. The cliché of 'don't let school get in the way of your education' is pretty damn accurate.

[@alexandrea.o.7443]

Hey I'm Alexandre and I'm from Brazil. So, I was searching KZbin for some of my carrer choices and I ended up in your channel. Well, this is my senior year at high school (here high school is only 3 years) and I was kinda lost. I live in a small town midwest, where the main economic source is agriculture, so there is not much examples I can relate to. Also, there aren't many videos in portuguese explaining the majors like your channel does. I'm really interested going into the engineering field and your videos really opened my eyes about the options I might take. I'm a really fan of your channel and keep up with the good content Cheers from Brazil P.S.:sorry about my spelling, i'm still learning ;D

[@pokegan32155]

Eai, o que deu?

[@Arkhs]

All those things sound great if you can handle it. Honestly the importance of rest and digesting the knowledge you've learnt is a bit understated though. I also wish I had done all those type of things back at university but then I remembered I have an executive function disorder ans the excess stimulation would not have been productive long term.

[@jletsgoo]

4:20 many interests yup 5:40 branch out, find what u like 7:48 learning on ur own 8:18 9:48 try! outside curriculum

[@SomethingToThinkAbout2002]

I am soo glad I found this channel!

[@readw4552]

Thanks for making this!

[@j.wadehudson1403]

Thank you for making this video

[@engineer4269]

That's "Friends" part was spot on! I mean, what else to expect from an engineering major?

[@Michael-vf2mw]

Homeschoolers have such a massive advantage in the self-learning department.

[@TECHN01200]

I failed at most of these and am now paying the price for it... Had this come out in 2016 and I found this video, looking for work might be so much less of a pain in the ass now.

[@jessiesteele2675]

Funnel Analogy was spot-on

[@RockIsPowerz]

Cool video I'm currently a mechanical engineer and started working only after my masters so with limited work experience however since my 2nd year I went heavy into diy, 3d printing and stuff and that helped me land my current job as I had some experience in electronics

[@brianmccullough2420]

Great video I'm completely undecided and I think I got some good advice here.

[@Jimmy-ph8xn]

I’d take summer classes and had an on campus job from the start. I only figured that out 2 years in.

[@EMXQUIN]

Dude, the friends bit killled me.

[@erick246]

engineering is so difficult here in the philippines schools dont prepare you for the skill required on the job its only when i realized when i graduated. 5 year engineering course and maybe 6 months OJT thats the best experience you could have hands on. i just wish they focused more on skills rather than math problems i cant even use in work

[@noir935]

Zach not only do you give us college advice but also life advice.. Thanks.

[@TadiclsOperator]

Im 19 about to turn 20, I am planning to start school in January I really enjoy aircraft and computers and Im thinking about areonautics and computer harware majoring in one and minoring in the other My plan is going to a comunity college my first two years then going to a university

[@DrThunder]

Try B.S. in Aerospace Engineering w/Minor in Electrical & do your electives in Electronic & Circuit classes

[@MrNo-rk5ef]

Thank you for that funnel metaphor and the learn-how-to-learn-on-your-own tip. I have a BA and a MA in Linguistics. I've got a megalomanous idea for my PhD about suicide and people have complimented and motivated me a lot, but I felt most of what is needed to actually respond to the project answer I still don't properly know and is outside Linguistics, so I've learned a lot on my own for a while (not registered in any grad program) and decided to delay this PhD to Idk when. Since then, I thought I gotta get a new major, in Industrial Engineering (or a stubborn PhD in Education 😅).

[@박현영-v6e]

Thank god i found this channel before going to college. All those advice is gold!! Thanks so much :)!!

[@MartiinCarrillo]

Excelent advise. I wish I had done those things too. Great channel!

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I'm not in an engineering degree or anything close, but I am attending my first four year university for Business Admin after two stints at community colleges. We frequently receive internship and job notifications from the school, which is really nice. Now, I'm in my 30's and have a full time job, so I won't be able to take part in any of that (unless they're willing to pay me what I'm making now or more, and that's not likely to happen. And I certainly cannot afford an unpaid or minimum wage internship as an adult with bills). But still, I'm happy my school does try to help provide opportunities that will already have young graduates a step ahead once they leave.

[@mhh5002]

2:16 lol something I would definitely end up doing soon. nice tips

[@stina1232]

Loved the video! Funny, educational and interesting. Thanks for helping, from future engineer.

[@josephyhu]

What I'd have done differently (not in any particular order except the first one): 1. Actually figure what career I want to get in to after graduating. I've only figured it out about 5-6 years later (web dev, mostly backend). Also forget about trying to get in to a graduate school, no need to increase the student loan debt, assuming I get accepted. 2. Switch from Math & Physics double major (ultimately decided to take the minor in Physics actually) to Math major and Computer Science (and maybe Physics) minor(s). Computer Science major doesn't have a web dev track unfortunately. 3. Go look up programming tutorials online to supplement my CMSC classes. 4. Take more pure math courses. Also I wish there was an intro to proofs course while I was in university (there is now). 5. Instead of taking the History class that I'd taken during my first semester of university (which I failed because I hate writing), take the Psychology class that I'd have taken in my Senior year of university. (required to take 3 social science courses from at least 2 different departments, other two courses were Economics courses which were easy As) 6. Get my GPA up to at least a 3 (was 2.7). 7. Study more, much more. 8. Apply for web dev related internships (if any were available). 9. Code some simple web applications, and build my development portfolio.

[@heavenlybmx182]

Appreciate the tips, keep it up!

[@FamousEgyptboy]

coool videooo thanks for sharing really helpful :)

[@getin6952]

Why is KZbin sometimes be scary? The recommendation is actually fit of what i think rn eventhough i've never said or searching up on yt or google.

[@ramzikayello6034]

Very benefical video Thank you very much 😊

[@Andrew-df6ey]

I love your videos, please make a video about books engineering students should read!

[@moustafafarag3658]

Thanks so much for this video. I'll be starting college this fall and my biggest life fear is failing. I don't want to pick the wrong major and I really want to find something I enjoy to do for a living. This video definitely gives me some confidence, thanks a lot

[@Ethanjames-mx5zg]

How did college go?

[@darkcat6530]

Ok this is gonna be usefull for the future

[@Fabio-bj4vg]

when i have to study and i am really not into it i just watch ur videos and i get motivation idk but its true haha

[@jeangtech1830]

Great video! You should probably do a video about how much knowledge you had before entering college as an engineer student. Ej: Did you completely remembered Algebra l/ll and Geometry before entering college? Did you even knew what programming was? Did you have some knowledge about electrical stuff or you had no knowledge at all? It will be great for those people who are worried before entering college because they either had bad teachers in high school or they simply forgot everything.

[@MrNo-rk5ef]

Yes, man. I'm planning to do Industrial Engineering and I'm afraid Calculus, Statistics and Programming will beat my ass! 😅 I finished high school in 2006 and I've been in Humanities since then.

[@feet_first_on_the_moon]

this channel is gold ; i which i discovered it earlier

[@BruceWayne-us3kw]

I got an associates degree in mechanical drafting thinking I would get an engineering degree. I decided to enroll in a radiologic technology training program. I’m enjoying it.

[@nickmyguy8232]

funniest thing is that I know exactly what career path I'd like and what I'm good at, but idk if im smart enough to get through these next two years of school :(

[@Potato-gq3be]

Hey, I recognize that schedule! We went to the same college and major :)

[@aayushpoudel5497]

You're probably the first channel on youtube that I've liked each video of that comes across. Such detailed and interesting concept. Covers a lot and is really useful. Definitely recommending you to my juniors.

[@zachstar]

Thanks so much! Really means a lot.

[@DK-gd2wg]

Thumbnail pic is my alma mater's engineering building. Baldwin Hall at University of Cincinnati. Electrical engineering class of 2018. Good times.

[@cocoarecords]

Please show us how did you manage ur time! And by showing how u made it fit into ur university schedule!

[@ScrivenerMods]

Thank you.

[@mandragonna]

The only thing i would've change about my college years was doing more professional practices every semester, that is some useful and very important experience i needed when finally had to face the real world to find my first job. Because when you're doing your practices it doesn't matter if you fucked up something, they're not paying you anyway, you learn more from your mistakes rather than your successes. Also, many jobs demands for certain years of experience ☝🏼

[@Dominic_LaSalle]

Just wanna say that your thumbnail background is my University's engineering quad :D

[@tylerstrand-fox2632]

@Dominic LaSalle do you go to the univercity of cincinnati??

[@Dominic_LaSalle]

@@tylerstrand-fox2632 byeah

[@tylerstrand-fox2632]

@Domonic LaSalle awesome! Im a first year mechanical engineering student at UC now

[@chatter2765]

“No I don’t mean Calculus and Thermodynamics” Freshman here. Thermo is gonna mess you up.

[@eruphin3601]

just got out of being freshman here, thermo indeed screwed me over

[@Bamboozler2349]

Watching this after a hackathon, All I gotta say is that it was super cool to do. But now I want to sleep for a month

[@T-man88]

If I could go back... Engineers: I would have done more work. Everyone else: I would have studied engineering instead.

[@johnnyq4260]

Noop, would do physics all over again.

[@skypickle29]

I appreciate your videos and wish they were around when I was in college. But if I could be so bold to offer my opinion, the advice I received at that time was to 'do something you like'. And although your message is similar, I think it neglects something. It portrays the decision as a function of only one variable, your self. I learned much later that my happiness, productivity and confidence was a function not just of my ability but also the people I chose to spend my time with. The learning process is faster when other humans are around. The opportunities are greater when multiple agents cooperate. The downside of course are the negative externalities that can result in a waste of time if the group is counterproductive (like our congress). The paradigm of the 'internship' is most effective and if I were to do it all over again, I would enroll in three or four internships at once and drop the two least effective for me along the way. Thank you for for your honest and sincere account.

[@ethanboulanger9984]

0:39 yoooo that’s where I go to school!

[@shutupimlearning]

Great video! I just switched majors from electrical engineering to physics so I'm lucky enough to have the power of hindsight in my major.

[@drewwilliamforbush2927]

Hi, could you tell me more about why you decided to switch out of Electrical Engineering? I'm interested in a BSc in Astrophysics, but I'm looking into starting a dual degree program that focuses mainly on BSc of Electrical Engineering and uses the electives to fulfill the requirements for a BA of Physics and Astrophysics. I'm concerned that the physics/astro classes im interested in will be taking a backseat to the ECE classes. But I'm also excited to be learning a new topic that opens up new fields of study and research. But, if I were to do research, I would want to focus on an astronomy project, either with the TESS data, POLARBEAR data, or some local projects. But ECE + Physics would set me up perfectly for working with my professor on Ion Source Research. It's been so difficult to decide and researching each just leaves me with more questions. I would be incredibly thankful to hear from someone that has made a similar decision, but with a few years of experience.

[@4uDudes]

New logo looks great

[@zachstar]

Thank you!

[@prabinneupane850]

Nice one 👌👌

[@saintpoli6800]

If there’s literal clubs/labs that I can take, that would be amazing considering I learn best via doing it, aka, building shit.

[@DevendraSingh-qc2yt]

It is the practical knowledge they should be teaching and taking tests of ( just to make make sure it's in)

[@mubss9345]

wish I saw this video at the start of this academic year

[@davidnavratil5349]

7:10 problem with that funnel is that the more specialized you become the more limited you are to only short-name disciplines

[@ahmedaly116]

Thank you

[@bryanlane7208]

I didn't have a STEM major and I regret it. Although, being a very exploratory person, I think I would have been unhappy in a STEM major and would have eventually quit my job to travel. But now I don't have enough money and time to go back to school.

[@bryanlane7208]

I did travel the world btw, meaning not just travel but also living for years at a time. It wasn't as great as I thought. I don't know if this is a "grass is always greener" situation or not. But I think Zach did it better. I'm envious that he was more curious scientifically and less curious sociologically.

[@ethanboulanger9984]

0:39 ayyy that’s where I’m going to next fall to study both compE and compSci. I actually really hope to be on the solar car team while I’m there!

[@johnmachenzie1613]

10:25 That would be dope

[@StEvUgnIn]

I read quite a lot as well

[@jmguevarajordan]

Networking is very important along all your education. As you go into masters or phds degrees grades are lesser important (everybody gets A) and networking becomes vital to survive. If you fail at networking you may end with a degree and no job. That is sad because many brilliant people have problems with their social skills.

[@Xerceis]

Dude! Not sure if you remember but I was undecided a year or so ago. I have picked mechanical but Im still interested in the other disciplines. I thought about using my electives to specialize in controls or thermo-fluids but hearing what you say about taking a breadth of electives for more exposure sounds more fulfilling then being specialized. I guess that’s why there’s a masters degree.

[@zachstar]

I do remember! You kept going back and forth haha. But yeah I hope this provided you with some guidance on that. Note what I said was totally personal preference. Some people may only want to dive deeper into their field, but yeah since it was just a bachelor's I would've liked to learn about a wider range of subjects.

[@rohankishibe8259]

First year in my college, almost two weeks and I finish it, and I wish I've seen this sooner, I didn't participate in clubs, volunteered a little, definitely made good connections with my professors so that's a plus, had a bad teacher that I just decided to skip his classes and focus on the rest, even tho I loved mathematics he was just a prick, only few students attend his period, sometimes only one or none, definitely planning on doing an internship this summer, my college granted me one in the middle of the year, passed the tests related to that internship in my college, so I secured a very good score for that internship and I don't need another one, it won't add any score to my previous one and the college will not notice it, but they gave us the opportunity to have a volunteer internship for the ones who want, definitely taking it even though I'm clueless where to work, this is supposed to be a prestigious one of a time internship that normal people struggle to get without experience, without my college i won't be able to join, so this is an opportunity I don't want to waste on an easy accessible job... Even tho I'm doing great as a first year, I think I could've done better, definitely having some regrets. Edit: studying mechanical engineering.

[@uchoobe1876]

Respect genna

[@redondoj]

Good point buddy with FRIENDS, hahahahaha. Good memories, (Y)

[@jacobbryan1934]

What do you think about majoring in biomedical engineering? I've been attending community college for five years since my junior year in high school. At first, I was premed but then took my first calculus class and loved it, so I switched to biomedical engineering. Being at community college for so long, I've explored all the sciences in as much depth that you can get at community college (I've taken organic chemistry, cellular biology, circuit analysis, diffy Q's, vector analysis, electronic, mechanic, and thermo/wave physics, c++, plus some more) and physics is my favorite branch so far. I applied for transfer this year. Most schools I applied for bioengineering, but one school I applied as a physics major because I love it. I also love bioengineering because it is multidisciplinary. However, I'm worried I'll be too broad and not have enough depth for graduate school. I would love to here your thoughts.

[@GabiN64]

I would space out the difficult courses more. Join study groups...

[@maisoonazzam8830]

I wish I could go back and correct my stupid mistakes. I feel so awful .

[@ankitminz5872]

I'll never think of it

[@ivi122]

Amazing video. My 17-year-old son will be a senior this year and would like to go into engineering. I will show him this video thank you for the tip about doing some engineering projects dyi. You said you can even get free projects, where?

[@neenaparikh5252]

Can you do a video on quantum computing and what majors needed to get into the field?