How hard is the Engineering at TAMU? I’m a junior thinking of going into Computer Science here, and I’m sure I have a good chance of being admitted, but how hard are the classes/major? I’ve never been amazing at math, around 640 on the Math Section of the SAT. My school district was never too proficient with math. I’m not sure I’ll be taking Calculus my senior year, as it is the same teacher who “taught” me Algebra 2 and Pre-Cal. Will I be overwhelmed? I know TAMU has a great reputation for Engineering. Will it be too hard?
It depends on how you define hard. If you’re referring to the workload, then yes, like any ABET accredited engineering school, it will be time consuming. Learning the concepts, however, is pretty straightforward, and I have to say, the math department here is great, they give you so many resources to get easily get an A as long as you’re a dedicated person. The only exception to this is physics, I saw people spend 10 hours a day on physics (I’m not exaggerating) and only end up with a B, hard is an understatement, a better word would be insane, but not something for you to worry about since computer science majors aren’t required to take physics. It just depends on how much you are willing to put into it.
You might want to re-think that Calculus choice. Most engineering schools require all admits to have already taken calculus in high school. So if you don’t take calculus, you will be shutting yourself out of a lot of engineering schools. Although if you’re only interested in CS and not engineering, you can still find good CS schools in the liberal arts colleges.
@rektmani TAMU Engineering if very difficult to get into if you are not automatically admitted. Look into the admission requirements for 2017 and apply early. If you are not an automatic admit, I would say you would have to take Calculus to be have a competitive profile to compete with the other holistic review candidates. Class rank is also VERY important at A&M so don’t look at SAT scores only.
I agree class rank is critical for getting admitted in general to A&M - you need to be in the top 10%. They do not look at how prestigious / difficult / highly ranked your high school is for admissions. Could you take Calc at a community college and get a better teacher?
I am currently a Freshman and most likely I will declare Computer Science as my major. Engineering at TAMU is difficult. If you are not willing to put in the work then do not bother coming here. I came in with no prior calculus experience. I got a 690 on SAT math and 31/33 on my math placement exam. That will likely determine if you are ready for Calculus. I ended up with B in Calculus 1. I did not find the concepts to difficult to understand but I did struggle in some areas. Currently in Calculus 2 which is to me a lot more difficult to understand. There is a lot of homework that will take you hours to complete for both math classes. As for the Science classes I took Chemistry for Engineers and now taking Physics. The science classes here are pretty difficult and required me to take a lot of time to study. The homework takes forever to do. Roughly takes me like 5-6 hours to do sometimes a couple days. The concepts sometimes are not clear therefore requiring me to read the textbook and watch videos over those classes. I took Engineering 111 and the class was not too difficult it was just a lot of work. The robot project took up most of the time. If you are put on a good team then the workload should be fine in that class but if you do not have a good team that can split up the work then you will overwhelmed. Right now I am taking Computer Science 121, the class does require previous programming knowledge. It is a lot of homework and reading to keep up with the class. The computer science classes get more difficult over time and become more project based. The tests in all the engineering, math, and science classes are the things that kill your grade. I spend about 25-40 hours a week on schoolwork. From a social life standpoint, I do not really go out much because of some assignments. I occasionally will hang out with people. There is a lot of work. The transition from high school to college is a big jump. You will be surrounded by very smart people. My recommendation to you is to take as many AP classes as possible. Take the advanced Math and Science classes. If you want to do Computer Science take a programming class. The workload is a lot. They do not hand out engineering degrees. You have to earn it and be willing to put in the work. There will be nights where you will be up for a long time trying to do your work. It is all about your mindset. Be determined and do not lose hope. Always make a schedule and be good at time management. You will not be the only one struggling. The most important thing is to not give up. Always look for help. Professors will sometimes clear up a misconception you have. There is off campus tutoring like A+ that will help you with your math and science classes. Work with your peers. The road to become an engineer is full of challenges. It is very important not to lose hope and just keep trying. There were times I would not study for hours and I would not understand a thing. But then it just clicked. Just keep pushing. In conclusion the engineering program is rewarding because you will graduate from a top engineering school and also the alumni network is very strong. If you have any more questions feel free to message me.
Bro, c’mon. No one wants to read that huge wall of text. Paragraphs, man.
I say just take the calculus class.
Because at A&M you may have a horrible professor for certain class, so you may as well learn how to deal with them and get a good education. If you really want to know the material then take an online class over calculus while concurrently taking the calculus class. It will improve your grade in the class and give you twice as much exposure to the material.
Here is a free one. http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-01sc-single-variable-calculus-fall-2010/
Best of luck