<p>I am a freshman in college, and I just finished my first semester attending Embry Riddle Aeronautical University as an Aerospace Engineering major.</p>
<p>I am nervous about my grades. I received a C in calculus and a C in physics. I worked pretty hard, and I still got these grades. Now, of course I have plans to change my study methods to see if I can study smarter, but Im still concerned about my GPA.</p>
<p>These classes weighted the most, so my GPA is looking like it will be a 2.7 this semester. My question to those who read is, do I still have a chance at being successful? Before you respond with "yes, just get a 4.0 every semester", I ask that your response is more realistic. For example, it is unreasonable to assume that I can get a 4.0 every semester.</p>
<p>One thing I can say is that my work ethic could be considered unmatched among many people I know. I definitely work hard in class, and turn in all my homework. </p>
<p>So, assuming that I learn to study better, is there a chance that I could still be a successful engineer and have a successful career? Or should I just start taking lower-level courses and possibly switch majors?</p>
<p>Second Question: </p>
<p>Is it normal to see a college student get below a 3.0 in their first semester, and then bring it back up in following semesters? Is this a typical pattern that one might see on a transcript?</p>
<p>Thanks for the help!</p>
<p>Answers:</p>
<p>1) Yes, you still have a chance. I have always heard that in engineering you need a 2.5 to get a job, 3.0 to get a good job or get into grad school, and 3.5 to get a great job or get into a good grad school. It is of course more complex than this - companies will be hiring you for your knowledge in very specific areas, so you may be able to get away with a low GPA provided you have good grades (and knowledge) in the areas they care about. Likewise, there are plenty of people with 3.50+ gpa’s who have trouble finding a job because they lack non-gradable skills or because their grades are not reflected in their actual knowledge.</p>
<p>2) It is not uncommon to see a trend in either direction, nor is it uncommon to see a rough first semester or year. College is very different from high school, and a lot of students struggle at first. Besides, it is far better to start rough and improve than it is to start well and slowly decline…</p>
<p>3) (I know, you only asked two questions) Chill. Seriously. You’ve been in college one semester, don’t bail on your major quite yet. Try and figure out what went wrong with those courses, and try again next semester. If you are still really struggling in the core areas after your first year, have a serious talk with your advisor about whether or not it is a good idea to continue in engineering. But give it at least a year, and if possible try to make it into an actual engineering course or two - some people struggle in the prereq’s but then shine in the core courses.</p>
<p>Good luck!!</p>
<p>2.5 first semester…
correct your mistakes…
3.5 next semester.</p>
<p>= 3.0 GPA Freshman year PLUS you have corrected your methods.</p>
<p>Definitely do not back out.</p>
<p>Yo man, this first year is going to be very hard cause most of the classes you’re taking are probably weeder classes. I just finished a Che10 class, my chemical engineering weeder class during my 2nd year in college, where the class basically cuts prospective chem e’s in half ( our class went from 80 to 40). I lucked out with a B in the class. Don’t stress too much, I am sure you’ll do well in your Aero E classes. Keep your head up man.</p>
<p>Ok thanks. What’s a good GPA that an aerospace engineer should graduate with? Realistically I mean, is a 3.0-3.3 good for a graduated AE major? I’m just dissapointed in myself.</p>
<p>Yes, in general, anything above a 3.0 is considered good for engineering. Many job openings have a 3.0 gpa requirement, so you want to stay above that. Elite positions tend to have a requirement of 3.5 or something, but few have that high of a requirement.</p>