First Impressions of the Program

          I have to admit, when I was coming into this program back in January, I was a bit nervous.  At my last college I had heard, from other students, perceptions of what Iron Range Engineering was like.  From what I had heard, IRE’s program had a lack of direction and that due to the way the program is set up, that very little is learned.  However, after being a part of this program for a semester, I can confidently say that this isn't the case.  I will admit, initially, the program was hard to adapt to.  Going from a program that consisted of lectures that would last two to three hours, multiple times a week, to a program that uses, for the most part, one hour lectures a few times a week, was a drastic change for me.  However, after a few weeks in the program I realized why the program is set up the way it is; other programs that are made up of multiple hour lectures, give so much information that it is hard to determine which information is truly fundamental to understanding the subject being taught.  However, with IRE’s program the information being taught in these shorter lectures, or learning conversations, is information which is crucial to understanding the main concepts of that subject.  Most of the information learned applies directly to your group’s project.  This does require the students to do more independent research on the aspects not taught in lectures; but through this way of teaching, the waters aren't muddied by too much information, and it becomes clear which information is necessary knowledge and is needed for the core understanding of the subject.   With this type of educational guidance, the more you put into it, the more you get out of it.  As a new student, as long as you apply yourself and understand the reasoning for the way the program is set up, you should have no issue completing the program and becoming a technical and professional engineer.

Written by Sterling Szymonowicz

Proofread by Justin Magnusen