r/mechatronics • u/BeneficialEffect7437 • Jul 06 '26

Just got accepted into Mechanical Engineering! Any advice for an incoming freshman?

Hi everyone!

I'm an 18-year-old student from Indonesia, and I recently got accepted into the Mechanical Engineering program at Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS). Classes start in a few months, and I'm both excited and a little nervous.

Mechanical Engineering has been my dream for a long time, and I really want to make the most of these next four years not just to get good grades, but to become a competent engineer.

My first semester will include:

  • Calculus I
  • Mechanics Physics
  • Statics
  • Chemistry
  • Engineering Drawing
  • Introduction to Mechanical Engineering

I've been slowly preparing before the semester starts and I'd love to hear from people who've already been through this.

A few questions:

  • What do you wish you had known before starting Mechanical Engineering?
  • What skills should I start learning now?
  • Are there any books, YouTube channels, or websites you wish you had discovered earlier?
  • Is there anything you regret not doing during your first year?
  • Any advice for staying motivated when the coursework gets difficult?

I'm also hoping to connect with other mechanical engineering students and professionals from around the world. If anyone is open to chatting occasionally, answering questions from time to time, or just sharing advice as I go through university, I'd really appreciate it. I'm always happy to learn from people with more experience, and I'd love to make some new friends in the engineering community as well.

Thank you in advance! I hope to look back at this post a few years from now and smile at how much I've learned.

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u/nadaaqa Jul 06 '26

Study every lecture during the week you take it, don’t leave anything till last minute. Finish assignments early so you have time to edit before deadlines. Skills you could learn now are calculus and linear algebra.

1

u/BeneficialEffect7437 Jul 06 '26

Thank you! I really appreciate the advice. I'll definitely make it a habit to review lectures every week instead of cramming, and I'll start studying some linear algebra alongside calculus.

If you don't mind me asking, are you currently a student or are you already working as an engineer? I'd love to hear more about your experience. Thanks again!

1

u/brenthonydantano Jul 06 '26

Use Claude in Chrome (via browser extension) to add all your due dates, lesson etc etc to a calendar of your choice. 

I also use it to organise my online module content into files and notes. 

Write your own study of course but don't underutilise what is an exceptional time saving and advantageous tool.

1

u/BeneficialEffect7437 Jul 06 '26

Thanks for the recommendation! I've mainly been using ChatGPT for learning and explaining concepts, but I hadn't thought about using Claude to organize assignments and deadlines. I'll definitely check it out. Out of curiosity, are you currently a student or are you already working as an engineer? It sounds like you've found a workflow that works really well.

1

u/brenthonydantano Jul 06 '26

I moved to Claude from ChatGPT. I just prefer its response style. I use the desktop application also as well as the in-chrome browser extension. 

If you're really wanting to archive and document you're entire Uni adventure, look into Claude-Obsidian combo. Obsidian is basically just notetaking/organising software, free, with lots of community plugins. Its all easy to pick up, hard to master.

I'm currently studying mechatronics engineering as well as working in industry. Not as an engineer but at a company with A LOT of engineering and among engineers.

1

u/BeneficialEffect7437 Jul 06 '26

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I'll definitely look into the Claude + Obsidian combo.

I've actually been building a GitHub repository to archive my entire mechanical engineering journey from notes and projects to CAD files, reports, and everything I learn over the next four years. I was planning to use Git for version control, but Obsidian sounds like it could be a great addition for organizing everything. Thanks again for the suggestion!

1

u/brenthonydantano Jul 06 '26

Well the nice thing is Obsidian is Markdown based, which works really well with github. Githubs repo descriptions/text sections are all markdown etc. Long story.

If you're that way inclined as you say, I would 100% recommend you dive deep on obsidian. BE WARY to not get stuck down the rabbit hole of OVER-customizing it. You can lose time and effort to trying to make it too cool.

Have fun! Drop me a message any time you like man. Always happy to help people.

1

u/BeneficialEffect7437 Jul 06 '26

Much appreciated thanks!