<p>Although I haven't gotten accepted yet, I've been reading on UIUC's weed out classes and they've got me scared ****less.</p>
<p>I am currently maintaining a B+ average in AP Calc AB my senior year, I don't find it particularly difficult but it's definitely not a walk in the park for me either.</p>
<p>I never took AP Physics, got an A- in academic Physics but had an incompetent teacher/bad class environment so I really didn't learn much from the class. Actually, I learned barely anything. Chemistry was the same story - got a B+ but didn't learn anything because I had this same incompetent teacher coupled with a class that would literally talk the period away instead of attempt to learn.</p>
<p>So now, reading about Calc 2 and the essential Physics/Chemistry classes that all engineering students must take(I applied to CS), I'm starting to panic. I have a decent work ethic and I consider myself pretty smart in terms of picking stuff up quickly, but I am still really scared. I heard these classes are graded on an unforgiving curve and without having a solid foundation on all of them that so many of my peers will probably have, I feel like I'll die.</p>
<p>Since a lot of people seem to wonder about this, yes I do really wish to pursue this CS degree and am willing to put effort in for it. But, will I be overwhelmed by the weed-out classes without prior knowledge of them?</p>
<p>UIUC gives placement tests as part of the acceptance process to determine your proper placement in various subject areas. Use this link to read up on them. Let me emphasize that you should not attempt to do anything other than rudimentary brush up study for them. They measure the amount of preparation that you have in various subject areas, and will be used to match you to the appropriate course level where you should start your study of the subject in question. If you fudge on them, you risk placing your self into a class above your current preparation. That would be, in effect weeding yourself out.</p>
<p>Your first sememster of college is a tough transition from high school for many. Information is thrown at you twice as fast. You need to not only get used to that pace, you need to make sure you’re placed in the proper class levels. My son hadn’t taken physics since his sophomore year in HS, and was very rusty when he took the Physics placement test. He was placed into Physics 100, which was great prep for the University Physics sequence of courses. He never got less than an A-, and is now in his Junior Year in AE.</p>
<p>[New</a> Freshmen, Center for Teaching Excellence, University of Illinois](<a href=“http://cte.illinois.edu/testing/placprof/freshmen/newfresh.html]New”>http://cte.illinois.edu/testing/placprof/freshmen/newfresh.html)</p>
<p>Thanks a lot Balthezar, that seems to calm me down.</p>
<p>Just wondering, is there a list of all the required classes that engineering students must take? I know Physics and Calculus classes are required, but I’m not sure about chemistry and others.</p>
<p>Lancaster29, if you google “university of illinois urbana programs of study” and choose “courses.illinois.edu/programs”, it will give you a suggested class schedule for all 4 years to obtain your undergrad degree. This particular page only goes thru 2011-2012. I know there is a more updated schedule somewhere because I found it just prior to my son registering for classes in August. My son applied priority admission last year and found out that he got into Mechanical Engineering about this time last year. He was so excited. He also felt that he was weak in Physics and Chemistry due to poor teachers in high school. He postponed physics until 2nd semester so that stress wouldn’t add to his adjustment to college. He is doing fine in calculus and chemistry…and knows that he will have to work hard in physics, but is prepared to do so. You are not alone in feeling you had poor prep in the sciences. My son will get thru it and so will you. Don’t stress over the placement test. Just take it and go with your placement. You will be assigned an Engineering Professor as an advisor and he will be very helpful with selecting appropriate classes, too. You don’t need the very highest physics class to be successful. Go with the placement. You can do it.</p>
<p>Also, don’t feel as if you have to jump to a higher level of Calculus. Start again with Calculus 1. It won’t be long before you have completed a review of all of the concepts from your previous calculus class and are moving to new material. (Both of my kids had two full years of high school calculus, including IB Calculus HL, and received A’s. They both took Calculus 1 as college freshman…and they are glad that they did.)</p>
<p>Yes that is the same link that I referenced above but you provided the link in a more direct way. Thanks.</p>