First year ECE — what I actually learned vs what I expected

When I joined ECE I had a rough idea of what to expect. Circuits, signals, maybe some programming. I thought the first year would be mostly theory — formulas, diagrams, exams — and the real learning would come later. Some of that was right. Some of it was completely wrong. What I expected I expected most of the year to be sitting in class, copying notes, studying for tests. I thought hands-on work would come in later years once I had enough theory behind me. I also thought I would mostly be work