[DossarLX ODI]

For anyone that is considering STEM (Science/Technology/Engineering/Mathematics) it's important to understand what you are getting yourself into. As a Computer Science major I've also been around Electrical and Computer Engineering majors and the curriculum for STEM is very intense. To get an idea of the difficulty, 3.0 GPA or higher is considered good (this becomes important when looking for internships). Look at the curriculum for an undergraduate degree in the major on the university site to get an idea what your load will be.

Collaboration
Sharing work is also an important topic as it can literally destroy your chances of graduating. My roommate in the Spring 2016 semester was a Civil Engineering major and in his class there was an assignment near the end of the semester. Half the students in the class had the same exact mistakes, errors, and wrong answer in their submissions. I'm not sure what happened to them, but STEM becomes a whole different beast when it comes to integrity. When helping other students with material covered in class, be wary of them possibly using your work without your permission or consent (e.g. submitting the same exact work with no changes or very few changes that still make it look obviously your work).

And group projects...

Fuck group projects. Man, if you ever have to do these, be prepared for lazy students who don't respond to you in an appropriate manner. I am very assertive and punctual when it comes to group projects, and if I see any team members slacking, I will not let that slide. Don't let other people step on you.

Opportunities
Going to what Xiz said about opportunities, some universities provide internship programs. At my university (UMass Lowell) STEM students can voluntary decide if they want to do 3-month summer internships for a full 6-month co-op that overlaps a normal school semester. I happened to take the route of two 6-month co-ops and I can list some of the benefits:
- You get to see and work with industry-standard tools. Most of what you do in university is implemented already (e.g. there are already programs that can calculate integrals, but Calculus II is something all engineering majors have to take).
- You sharpen your communication skills with teams and become more comfortable asking questions to others.
- You enhance your resume and can reflect on what industries you like and don't like, giving you a better sense of direction in what you want to do upon graduation. I found that networking is not an industry I want to get into (and that's good! You don't want to be stuck in something you don't want to do).
- Depending on what your university's policy is about income from an internship, it's also a good source of money. Good universities will allow students to withhold internship income when managing loans (effectively, the student pockets the money).
- The "pushed back a year" statement means nothing when you consider the work experience gained. I can also tell you that it's a nice break working at a company for a semester without having to bombarded with exams and homework. There was a meeting for students that were considering co-op and one of the Chemical Engineers that presented mentioned how most students get burnt out after Sophomore year -- taking a break to work out in the industry at a company was not only a breather, but also provided important skills that are not covered in the academic curriculum.

There may also be work opportunities available on your university campus if you aren't already working a part time job. One of the best campus jobs in my opinion is being a tutor for a course (usually it requires an A in the class and a recommendation from the professor you took it with). Having a tutor position can help build your resume, especially when applying for internships. On that note, there should be a Career Services department in the university that you can consult if you want tips on making a good resume.

Following the Curriculum
Pay attention to your major's requirements starting freshman year. You do not want to be that guy who enters Junior or Senior year realizing that you took classes that don't count towards your major requirements or needs to take 6 classes in a semester. In some cases it may also be a good idea to take summer courses to lighten the load during the Fall and Spring semesters. Ultimately that decision is up to you, but please consider this.

I should also note that most if not all universities require STEM majors to do what is called a Senior Capstone to graduate. This is a substantial project that targets a particular issue and it usually lasts for two semesters. For example, a Computer Science major may take a project sequence involving databases and then for the Senior Capstone create a website with a database that handles something for the university.