Updated June 15, 2021

Welcome to the Johns Hopkins University and the Department of Mechanical Engineering! We look forward to meeting you at our New Student Orientation for Freshmen and Transfer Students.. The date, time, and location will be announced soon for 2021.

• Orientation Schedule (to be announced soon)
• From last year…
  • Zoom Recording of the 2020 Orientation
  • 2020 Orientation Presentation

View this important information…

• Websites to See

  Please view these websites for information:

  • The University’s Student Orientation page
  • Info for new Whiting School of Engineering students
  • Mechanical Engineering Academic Advising (including advising manuals and checkout sheets)
  • Math Placement Exam (to select your first math class, though not required, it’s strongly recommended)
  • The Mechanical Engineering “Top 12” for Undergraduates page with all kinds of info for undergrad students.

• Facebook

  Facebook
  Check out and “like” the Mechanical Engineering Facebook page!
  

• Read this Letter

  Check out this welcome letter and other useful information from our Director of Undergraduate Studies, Prof. Steven Marra, the instructor for EN.530.107 MechE Undergraduate Seminar, EN.530.111 Intro to MechE Design and CAD, and EN.530.115 MechE Freshman Lab I.

• WIN a $50 Gift Card! Take the Challenge by August 16, 2021

  Take the Undergraduate Advising Manual Quiz Challenge! You could win one of two $50 Amazon gift cards!

  ENTER THE CONTEST!

  Visit the Undergraduate Advising Manual Quiz Challenge and answer the questions. Answers can be found in our Undergraduate Advising Manual.

  HOW YOU CAN WIN

  Quizzes with all correct answers will be entered into a drawing for the Gift Cards to be awarded at the Freshman Orientation on Wednesday, August 19. If no one answers all questions correctly, those whose quizzes have the most correct answers will be entered in the drawing.

  ENTRIES ARE DUE MONDAY, AUGUST 16!

  Don’t delay! Play today and have fun!

• About the Introductory Chemistry Requirement

  Please register for the course 030.101 Introductory Chemistry.  This course will fulfill the intro to chemistry requirement.

  Neither the Mechanical Engineering nor Engineering Mechanics degrees require the Intro to Chemistry Lab, so it is not necessary to take the lab section of the course.
  

• What Computer and Software Should I Buy?

  The Mechanical Engineering department recommends PCs over Macs.  This is because many of the software programs used in our curriculum will only run on the Windows operating system. Mac users would have to create workarounds for some programs, usually partitioning their hard drives, which can create other problems.

  Our alumni recommend these attributes for your computer:

  • RAM: at least 8 GB and preferably 16 GB
  • Hard drive: Solid-state hard drive (SSD) with at least 512 GB
  • Video card: A dedicated graphics card (e.g. NVIDIA GTX) is better than an integrated card, especially for CAD work
  • Monitor: A 13-inch screen is fine, and a large second monitor for use at home is ideal
  • Mouse: You must have a wireless mouse for CAD work

  The University offers a discount student rate for laptops and other hardware.

  Suggested software:

  • Microsoft Office or an Open Office equivalent.
  • Solidworks
  • Matlab – you can download a free copy from the University.

  Visit the JHU Mechanical Engineering “Top 12 – Undergraduate” page’s section on Computing and select the “Computers and Software” tab for info on this software.

Questions?
Contact Academic Program Manager, Mr. Mike Bernard at me-academic@jhu.edu.  Also, Zoom office hours (and in-person office hours beginning in mid-August 2021) will be periodically created. If you or your family would like to have an individual meeting, contact Mike to schedule one.