<p>I got accepted into Clemson recently and I'd really appreciate any advice at all with regard to the engineering program and campus life in general. I plan to study mechanical engineering after general engineering and the anxiety of not knowing what to expect is driving me crazy.</p>
<p>Thanks in advance!</p>
<p>Hey JJ7645, get ready to put some hours in for mechanical engineering academically but it’s nothing that you can’t handle with good time management skills. Our most recent student body president is a mechanical engineering major and she is involved with a million things on campus. </p>
<p>Take a look at these links:</p>
<p><a href=“Clemson University (Inactive)”>https://www.studentlingo.com/clemsonasc</a>
<a href=“http://www.clemson.edu/collegeskills/INDEX.HTM”>http://www.clemson.edu/collegeskills/INDEX.HTM</a></p>
<p>Also there will be workshops at the beginning of the year after you move-in for some of the general engineering classes (Chemistry, Engineering, Math etc…) where professors will give you some tips on good study skills. Don’t be afraid to use any resources Clemson offers - tutoring, SI, office hours. Nobody’s going to think you’re stupid for using them.</p>
<p>Socially, get involved in something on campus! Get involved in a bunch of organizations and find something to commit to for the whole year. Student organizations are the easiest way to meet people and make friends.</p>
<p>Feel free to let me know if you have any specific questions/concerns!</p>
<p>I forgot to mention that I took the math placement test a month ago and I scored a 67. I need an 80 to be placed into Calculus. This confuses me because I have maintained an A minus in AP Calc all year, but my current placement would land me in college algebra. I’m sure I can bring the score up, but how strictly does Clemson follow the CMPT score? </p>
<p>If you have AP credit (3 or higher on the AP Calculus exam), that can replace your CMPT score. </p>
<p>Don’t be in a rush to place out of math…your course load freshman year will be challenging enough. If you are an exceptional science and math student, you will do well…assuming you know how to manage your time. If you are a good to above average student (by definition you are above average due to being accepted), you will be challenged by your science and math curriculum. Kids are always in such a rush…slow down and do well.</p>
<p>You’ve had AB Calculus, did fairly well in it, and didn’t even place into calculus? Presumably that means you got a 1 or 2 on the AP test. It would be a bit of a waste of time for you to repeat College Algebra since Calculus itself will allow you to exercise algebra skills, so good luck getting the extra points.</p>
<p>That said, if you’re getting only 1 or 2 on the AP exam for a technical course, I’d be concerned about your ability to complete an engineering degree. Maybe you just had some unbelievably awful days in testing? These are basic skills for an engineer, you need them to be rock-solid.</p>
<p>oniongrass, he’s currently taking AB Calculus…and AP exams aren’t until the first 2 full weeks of May. That being said it is concerning that you can’t place into Calculus via the CMPT since those test basic math skills and may indicate that the difficulty of math taught at your high school may not be up to par with those you’ll encounter at Clemson. MTHSC 108 (2nd semester math) at Clemson is one of the more difficult classes people in engineering have to take so I would just consider that when deciding what to do. See how you do on the AP exam first.</p>
<p>Sounds like OP hasn’t taken the AP exam yet, so speculation on possible 1s or 2s is a little bit unfounded</p>
<p>Thanks for all the help so far. To clarify, I am currently taking AP Calc and have done very well in the class thus far. That said my question was more in relation to how strictly my academic advisor is going to follow my CMPT score. That test by the way was mostly made up of material I haven’t really done since middle school and my freshman year it wasn’t so much that I was incapable but more that I didn’t remember how to do some of it haha. I don’t want to go straight to Calc 2 I just want to take the required Calc class in my freshman year instead of college algebra. </p>
<p>JJ7645, the answer is to get a 3+ on your AP exam. Better study hard and good luck on the APs!</p>
<p>JJ7645, don’t forget that you can take the CMPT up to 4 times if needed. You will be presented with learning modules recommended specifically for you based on weaknesses revealed by your test(s).</p>
<p>Yes, you’re right thank you TarCat. I completed the learning modules a couple weeks ago and I think I got a lot of old info back in my head. I’ll take it again after my AP exams wrap up so I can focus on some more reviewing first. </p>
<p>Ah well my age is showing - I didn’t know you could take the CMPT up to 4 times (we only got one shot back in the days…5 years ago haha). Well that definitely helps you out!</p>
<p>Oh I know it’s great! I guess they give you extra attempts since it’s not multiple choice anymore. </p>
<p>JJ7645, I just wanted to encourage you. DS, incoming ME, who has won multiple math awards, high scores everywhere, finishing up BC Calc also did poorly the first time around on the placement test. He said there was material he hadn’t seen since 6th grade. It wasn’t hard, just long forgotten. He took the couple days, blew through the modules, and did terrific the second time around. My advice to other placement test takers would be to run through all of your math skills before taking the test, or just plan on completing the modules after the first attempt.</p>
<p>Any advice for choosing a laptop? Looks like the Clemson recommendations are out. My son really wants a MAC since it is what he has been using in his high school computer lab. Not sure how the dual windows boot is going to work for the engineering program.</p>
<p>charlestonmom, I had a Macbook for my freshman/sophomore year (and then my 5th year - my macbook from high school died so I ended up getting a PC laptop from Best Boy that lasted 2 years lol).</p>
<p>There’s no problem really with the dual windows boot - more of an annoyance though because they use Boot Camp which means to switch from Windows to Mac OS and vice versa you need to restart your computer. I had the lowest end Macbook (not from what Clemson sells but overall, kept my laptop from high school) and Windows was a little sluggish. I’m not a computer expert but that might be fixed with more memory (I had 2 GB or RAM)</p>
<p>I personally wouldn’t get the Windows laptops though that Clemson suggests. You can easily buy something with similar specs for a lower price than what they are selling (while their Macbook prices are on-par with Apple Store prices). The on-campus warranty support is great though in case something goes wrong with your laptop. (<a href=“CCIT Web Site”>CCIT Web Site)</p>
<p>I think the Macbook would work out well for you - make sure you get something with decent RAM and I think you’ll be ok. A lot of engineering students actually have Macs and while in the past engineers have preferred PC’s, there’s really no difference between the use of those other than the fact that some programs only run on the Windows OS (and many of those programs are recently releasing Mac versions as well).</p>
<p>So glad you are talking computers! - What size do students typically get - 15" or 17". I only ask because someone is getting my daughter a laptop backpack for graduation and the laptop size will dictate what size backpack they order. Thanks!!</p>
<p>I don’t recall there being a typical size computer - whatever works best for your daughter! (I have a 13")</p>
<p>My daughter (engineering) got the smaller screen Mac option from the Clemson Apple store. She preferred the smaller screen simply due to the weight. No issues at all. And I wholeheartedly agree that you will want the warranty/service plan. It may seem expensive but it covers just about everything…</p>