Advice for an incoming engineering freshman

<p>Back to the original topic, here’s some advice for being an engineer, at least for your first year (since that’s all I’ve been through, and I got to watch others going through it).
Whatever you do, don’t fail calculus. Hopefully you got the AP credit, but if you’re really shaky, Calc II will not be fun at all. I think about 1/3 of my Calc II class were there as a re-take to get above a D and about half dropped, with probably several more kids staying although they knew they were failing. You can get through it though, just do practice problems and lots of them. That’s all I did (read: 8 hour day before the exam of doing every odd-numbered problem in my textbook) to study and I got an A. Which was a lot compared to Calc I, which I slept through.
Also, don’t fail your other two-semester classes. I can’t tell you about physics, but Chem is not that hard if you prepare for tests. And make sure to study for the ACS if that’s your final – the national average is ~50%, but the curve may not make up for it. I don’t believe the curve is national (I could be wrong),but you’ll be screwed if one person does very well compared to everyone else. Aim to be the curve killer.
And most importantly, DONT be afraid to seek help if you need it!! Everyone needs it at some point. It’s not like highschool where only the “struggling” or “dumb” kids stay after to get help.
Oh and finally, your professors are there to help you. Talk to them, they might surprise you. I started off a class hating one of mine, but by the end of the semester we were on a first-name bases (not that special, but I think you understand what I mean).
Most of all, good luck.</p>

<p>Calc II is a real struggle at Clemson. MTHSC 108 is one of the toughest classes at Clemson. Definitely agree with mitec12, don’t be afraid to ask for help. You may have been one of the top students in high school but everybody is a “top student” at Clemson. It’s not a competition, it’s about doing the best you can to succeed in your major and don’t let your ego get in the way of that. The professors at Clemson are great and all are willing to work with you if you need it.</p>

<p>1080 has ended the dreams of many an aspiring engineer…</p>