<p>Is Engineering Physics I and II very different from the AP Physics C class? Should I claim the credit, or would it be better to retake for a more solid background? I’m doing BME and will probably be premed too and those are the only physics courses I need.</p>
<p>and also, is it a bad idea to take courses important to your major over the summer?</p>
<p>@Lesiva,
Hold up! You got rejected from Biology but accepted in to ECE? That’s very unusual. They must have saw all of your computer EC’s and thought you were applying for the wrong major. I don’t know what else to say. </p>
<p>I was actually in quite a similar situation as you. I am pre-med and was in EE for one year but transferred out after realizing that I was really shooting myself in the foot being in that major. Outside of physics and calculus, there is absolutely no overlap with the med-school pre-reqs. The only reason to be in there is if you are truly in love with the material, which you are obviously not.</p>
<p>From here, your decision needs to be based on how likely you will be attending medical school. As you pointed out, a BME, EE or anything-E degree would be much more useful for attaining a job than a biology degree. However, BME is considered one of the most rigorous majors on campus and should not be taken “because it sounds nice”. On the other hand, CS majors often get hired for the same positions as EE’s so it would seem like that would be a good direction for you. The engineering curriculum is just unnecessarily hard for a pre-med if you know that med school is where you want to be.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to imply that CS is easy or even easier by any means, but the natural sciences naturally harbors more pre-meds and you might feel more at home over here. </p>
<p>In terms of ease, transferring into Biology would be easiest, followed by CS and then BME. But before making any decisions, you need to find out what you plan on doing after graduation. Thinking about it now will save you a whole lot of time and trouble down the road. I promise</p>
<p>UT’s physics will go much more in depth than Physics C. However, the program here at UT is notoriously difficult and much of that reputation is credited to ridiculousness rather than the innate difficulty of the subject matter. The general advice is to take it at a summer school and many of those who do not heed this advice quickly do so after taking Physics I. </p>
<p>However, being pre-med jumbles things up. If you plan on attending top medical schools (top 20ish), then you’ll want to shy away from AP credit. Summer school is often considered acceptable, but not preferred. </p>
<p>To answer your last question, I don’t think you can take any BME courses over the Summer and those are the only courses I would consider to be “important” to your major. It is pretty typical to gain core curriculum credit through whatever way makes it easiest.</p>
<p>Thank you so much for you advice! another thing, how common is it for engineers to graduate in 5 years? Especially with BME/premed?</p>
<p>Thanks frever. Do you know if its possible for me to transfer during or before orientation? I really would like to be able to start on my degree without wasting a semester, as like you said there’s not too much overlap.</p>
<p>My only concern is that I was rejected from CNS during the admissions process, so I’m not sure how difficult that’s going to make it to transfer from inside the school. I honestly don’t know how I was accepted into Engineering but rejected from Bio, because I thought that engineering was much more difficult to get into.</p>
<p>Going along with that, part of me feels like transferring out of the school of engineering could be a disservice to my future because it’s difficult to get into. People on this board seem pretty upset that they didn’t get into the engineering program, and part of me thinks I stole a valuable spot from somebody who really wanted it. I feel like I got extremely lucky, and it’d be horrible of me to turn it down. </p>
<p>Meh.</p>
<p>Thanks again for the help frever. I think I’ll try to transfer to biology or computer science as soon as possible, but I’ll sleep on it for a bit.</p>
<p>Frever, when you say the “ridiculousness rather than the innate difficulty of the subject matter” with regard to Physics I and Physics II, what exactly do you mean? Is it doable at all at UT for the average engineering student? What courses would you take during the second semester of freshman year and first semester of sohpomore year in place of Physics? Are there other classes that you would classify the same as Physics that we need to consider, especially for mechanical engineering students? Thanks again for your comments!</p>
<p>Frever - just wanted to compliment on your thoughful and insightful responses.</p>
<p>@asdfghj12,
5 years is relatively common in engineering and especially BME. Most BME’s I know average 16+ hours a semester from the get-go in order to finish on a 4 year timeline. Considering the difficulty of many of those courses, that’s no light task. </p>
<p>Also, check out this link that Rice made [Medical</a> Schools Accepting AP Credit](<a href=“Undergraduate Resources | Rice University”>Undergraduate Resources | Rice University)</p>
<p>@lesiva,
I’ve lost touch with what goes on during orientation but in the past there have been opportunities to transfer prior to the Fall semester. I wish I could be more specific but you’ll have to ask them about that yourself. A call couldn’t hurt. </p>
<p>In any case, you won’t be in that bad of a position. If you want to transfer to biology, there is no GPA requirement and there is no application. Apply and you are in. For CS, there’s no GPA requirement but there is an application. I’m not familiar with CS, but anybody can enroll in the introductory courses that a bio major would take. The typical schedule is Bio I, Gen. Chem I, Calc I, and a UGS (you’ll learn about that class later). All of these courses are open to the entire university so you won’t be restricted from them. The only downside is that orientation may be less satisfying because you’ll be grouped with students of a different major and you may not get the chance to speak with CNS advisers while they are busy. </p>
<p>There’s no shame in transferring out. By leaving, you’ll be opening a spot for someone else to take. The purpose of your degree is to get you where you want to go, and being in the wrong major can lead to the opposite of that. I personally enjoyed EE but I did not plan on becoming an engineer so I transferred out. Now I am in biology and I can take courses like Human Physiology that are not explicit pre-reqs for medical school but are supplemental nonetheless. Had I not transferred out, I would not be able to finish my pre-reqs in time for this Summer, when I will be taking the MCAT early, nor would I be able to meaningfully participate in biological research.</p>
<p>There are ups and downs to each decision but what is an up and what is a down varies with what you are trying to accomplish. One quote that applies well here, “A sailor without a destination can have no favorable winds.” First, try to find out where you want to go and then dedicate from there. If you have any friends/family in engineering, CS or the medical field, ask them if you can tag along for a day. The second you step in the door, you’ll be much more aware of what it actually means to be a doctor or engineer than the great majority of your peers. </p>
<p>@planodad,
Thanks. I had a lot of questions as a freshman/high schooler and no one to answer them. It took a lot of work to figure out what I needed to do so I’m happy to help those who are now in a similar position.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s unbelievable that things haven’t changed in 30 years!! I actually complained to the head of the physics department about my physics prof, back in 1980, but it did no good.</p>
<p>@utengin,</p>
<p>I can’t recommend any schedules because that really requires first hand experience. However, I can tell you that physics is the only course that has that kind of reputation. From what I hear, it’s difficult because there’s a lot of work and a lot of tough, picky grading. I have not personally taken either course so I don’t want to make any further comments.</p>
<p>@MaineLonghorn,</p>
<p>What was your experience with physics at UT? I remember reading that you were in honors physics, is that right? How did you manage the situation? Did you find anything that seemed to help your efforts?</p>
<p>utengin, you have a good memory! Yes, I was in the honors class. It was quite large, and I found that the professors (one each semester) weren’t very helpful or interested in helping. I’m sure I went to the TA sessions. I ended up getting a tutor, which did help some. Maybe it was just me - I would look at each exam and wonder if I was in the wrong classroom! The problems seemed to have little connection with the homework or lectures. I made great grades after that class, so I don’t think it was all my problem. One of my friends switched out of engineering because of that class - maybe that was the intent. Of course, that’s ancient history now!</p>
<p>Thanks MaineLonghorn!</p>
<p>Like many people have asked, I was wondering how difficult the classes during freshman year are? What about the Calculus classes?</p>
<p>Thanks!
Sam</p>