<p>I know this questions has probably been asked hundreds of times on here, but I'm beginning to apply to colleges and now I'm really starting to worry about whether or not I'm intelligent enough to be an engineer. I've heard horror stories on the internet about how 4.0 students flunked out of engineering school even though they put forth their maximum effort simply because it was too hard. </p>
<p>Here is a little info about myself. I have a 32 composite ACT with a 30 in math. I'm a senior in AP chem, physics, calc AB, english, human geography, and stats. We're only a 3 weeks into school, but so far chem is extremely easy, calc is easy but we haven't yet done any calculus.. we're doing the prereqs first. Although, I taught myself about half of calc 1 over the summer. I understood most of it except optimization problems were pretty tough. Physics is quite hard, but last year's seniors told me that it begins extremely difficult then becomes easier. Anyway, I'm a straight A student. Last year I had a 98% in alg II/trig and a 97% in physics (both were honors). I'm a hard worker and have no problem putting in hours each day if it is the difference between an A and a B. </p>
<p>Could any current engineering majors or engineers tell me if I stand a chance at a top school (currently deciding between Rose-Hulman and UW) if I maintained a strong work ethic? Basically, what has me frightened is that AP physics is quite difficult right now, and there is another student in my class that also wants to be an engineer who is breezing through all of the problems. Now, the entire class is having difficulties (except the person I mentioned), but it worries me that the other future engineer is preforming better than I. I'm seriously doubting my abilities right now. That being said, if you have knowledge on this subject, please be blunt we me. I want to know your honest opinion. Thank you to anyone who answers.</p>
<p>I know what you are going through, however, as someone who has already been through this before, I can tell you that you’re really overstressing this. </p>
<p>You probably won’t quite understand this until after you graduate and get your first job, but the key to becoming a good engineering student is to not take it too seriously. I realize that sounds confusing and counterintuitive, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen average students excel in engineering, and strong students flunk out or change majors. The reality is, engineering IS an intense major, and those who take it too seriously or obsess over perfect grades all of the time are usually the ones who burn out in their second or third year. </p>
<p>What you need to succeed is balance. You can’t be a self-perfectionist as an engineering student, as you will likely burn out. That doesn’t mean you can’t work hard though, because you should. However, you need something outside of engineering, something fun, to take your mind away from the intensity of it all and to help put things in to perspective. And by fun, I don’t mean joining an engineering association or club, I mean something like mountain biking, building model rockets, or rock climbing. By finding a way to reduce your everyday stress, you’ll find that you’ll be able to think more clearly and have a better attitude towards things, which will help you do better.</p>
<p>To better answer your original question though, for engineering, intelligence is not as important in succeeding as the right mindset and attitude are. As long as you stay motivated you’ll do fine.</p>
<p>You can not obsess over there being another student who seems smarter than you in your class. Even very smart students, when they get to college, rarely find that they are the smartest student in all their classes. You do not have to be the smartest student in your class, just one of the better ones.</p>
<p>You are fine. Breath, work ethic is 80% of Engineering school to me. Be disciplined with everything, this includes time for friends, and exercise.</p>
<p>I treat engineering school as an 8-5 job. I don’t do any work after 5pm and I have a 3.833 GPA from a pretty great program.</p>
<p>Unless you’re extremely naturally talented, there will always be someone who, despite your best efforts, does better than you. Unless you’re a premed, there’s no need to treat it like a competition.</p>
<p>I really like what fractalmstr wrote and would add that the " boy math nerd" that everyone thinks should be an engineer often doesn’t make the best grades in college. I think it is partly because he hasn’t learn to really study, work hard and manage his time well. I also think it can be great to be with friends with students in other majors. Some engineering students tend to act like they are smarter or better than other students, hanging out with the pre-meds or students from different cultures can really balance this attitude. Also the 4 year graduation rate is often much high for female engineers.</p>
<p>I’m not freaking out just because I’m not the smartest in the class (sorry if I came off as arrogant), it just worries me that out of our class of ~30, I only know of two people who will major in engineering: me and my classmate who understands everything we’ve done. Obviously two people wouldn’t be a representative sample, but I suppose I’m worked up because technically I’m the worst of the future eng. majors (yes, I know that’s a horrible way to look at the situation). Could any of you share your test scores/GPAs from high school and how well you did/are doing in college? Thanks!</p>
<p>I think there are different types of intelligence. In high school you focus on many straightforward skills like algebra. Engineering is at times clear cut, but often requires abstract thinking to really visualize and understand the concepts, just like different physics theories.</p>
<p>In my experience, most people would be capable of a 4.0 if they applied themselves. It’s not really that hard to get all A’s unless there’s an odd grading scale. However, some of these 4.0 students stress out majorly, and will even “overstudy”. These types of people don’t have much, if any, real life experience. They also can be socially awkward or unable to communicate effectively. Engineering is a lot of math and science, but in the end you’re expected to create a real product, and often to work in a team to accomplish your goals.</p>
<p>I guess what I’m trying to say is that you have to be more rounded. You can’t quantify everything. If you take apart and rebuilt a car engine, you’d learn far more about how it works than if you read a book about them or took a test on how they function. Don’t take grades and all too seriously. Work hard, but give yourself time to have fun and expand your horizons, and you’ll be successful.</p>
<p>Stop being scared. You can only try your best. Our high school test scores are going to do nothing for you. The only people I have literally seen fail out of engineering school are the ones who dont know how to manage their time. If you don’t have your priorities right, you will fail.</p>
<p>Good ACT and good GPA = you have the potential for success in your engineering studies. All that remains are good study habits and a good work ethic. Of course, if you freak out at the first sign of difficulty then you’ll probably start out in the college of engineering as a pre-business major. </p>
<p>Rose-Hulman has very small class sizes and may offer more support to students who encounter some difficulties at some point in their studies. On the other hand, if you think you may drop out of engineering then UW offers more alternatives.</p>
<p>Had I studied better and managed my time better, I might have had more doors opened for me. Still, I was a sub-3.0 math/CS major and have managed 22 years in the software engineering field. That includes being hired into a large defense company right out of school (with my lowly GPA).</p>
<p>True, I did not have the credentials to attend grad school immediately but entering the workforce first allowed me to accumulate experience which made getting admitted to graduate school even easier…and WITHOUT a GRE.</p>
<p>No need worry about if someone has better grades than you, they cannot apply to all the employers in all 50 states and the US-owned territories. Plus, there is always somebody who wants their own engineering firm, so you will have those options too.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies everyone. I’ve calmed down a bit. I’ve talked to my parents about it and they basically just told me to chill out too. I’ll just take some time and make sure engineering is what I really want to do. I think it is, but econ is still in the back of my mind. Thanks again.</p>
<p>You need to learn how to solve problems. AP Physics is an ideal opportunity for you to learn how to do it. Once you figure it out, you will do fine as an engineer. You need to do problem after problem after problem. Don’t study the physics, study the solutions to problems and learn how to break down complex problems into simple ones. Once you do that, it will click. </p>
<p>Go get help. There’s a book called the Physics Problem Solver which has a lot of worked problems. See if you can find a study guide to your text book. Go get help if you need it. Physics is not a subject you learn by watching or reading. Only by struggling with increasingly complex problems. Every effort you give it will pay big dividends.</p>
<p>I think it depends on your undergrad. At Cal, a lot of engineers were really smart, but some were more mediocre, while everyone I knew at Caltech and MIT were borderline geniuses. The latter scored 5s on every AP test they took, took Calc 3 and Linear Algebra in high school, and half of the class gets a perfect score on the SAT. “Remedial” math at Caltech is Calc 2 since almost all of the admits, even bio majors, take classes past Calc 2 in high school. You don’t need to be extremely smart to get an engineering degree and do well, but it largely depends on which school you go to as well. And the good thing about engineering (at least certain engineering specialties) is that grades don’t really matter that much in terms of getting a job outside of the most prestigious positions.</p>