<p>Following Saugus's lead, I just finished my first semester in Engineering and would be glad to answer any questions about my experience for those who are curious.</p>
<p>Well, I’ll be at the college of engineering next year, so if you can answer any of these that’d be great.</p>
<p>-Did you stay in the freshman dorms? If so, about how long did the walk to the engineering campus take you? Also, how bad is this in the rain/snow?</p>
<p>-What math/science courses did you take, and how difficult were these compared to high school classes?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Congratulations and welcome!</p>
<p>Yes. Freshmen live together on North Campus. Though the walk from my dorm to the engineering quad is not short (about 1 mile), keep in mind that freshman engineers take classes all over campus. If you take chem, that’s in Baker Lab, which is the closest building to North Campus. Physics is in Rockefeller Hall, which is about 100 yards farther. Math lectures are in Malott, which is near Rockefeller. First-year writing seminars (you need to take 2 w/o AP credit, 1 with) meet in various locations, depending on what department offers them (most are in the English department, which is in Goldwin Smith, near Rockefeller). Really, the only classes you’d have in the engineering quad as a freshman are your Introduction to Engineering, Computer Science, and Math discussion group. Plus, you probably won’t be going back and forth between your dorm and the rest of campus more than once a day (libraries are conveniently located around campus). As for walking in rain/snow, you just walk faster or walk through buildings along your route to stay warm.</p>
<p>I had lots of AP credit, so last semester, I took MATH 1920 (multivariable calculus for engineers), CS 1112 (programming with MATLAB), ENGRI 1170 (introduction to mechanical engineering), and a writing seminar. The most challenging thing about all of the classes is that they are structured differently than high school classes. Most of your grade in any class is based off off 2-3 prelims (midterm exams) and a final, so you get less feedback on how you are doing and need to keep up without constant tests. It’s just one of the many changes you experience going off to college.
- MATH 1920: continues where BC leaves off. Mostly concept-based, but some concepts can be challenging.
- CS 1112: even if you haven’t programmed before, the class is manageable. The professor is excellent, and the class stresses thought and quality of work over quantity.
- ENGRI 1170: very physics-based. Some concepts are challenging, but they make sense if you understand the physics. Every introduction to engineering is different, so I’m not sure about any others.</p>
<p>I know many people who took CHEM 2090 (general chemistry) and PHYS 1112 (mechanics). Compared to their AP equivalents, they are more challenging, especially when it comes to labs.</p>
<p>For all of these classes, there are plenty of resources if you need help, which makes things a lot more manageable and fun. Professors and TAs all have weekly office hours, and CS 1112 even has undergraduate assistants available 5 evenings a week. Plus, though your dorm will likely be a mix of majors and colleges (which is a great experience), you will make plenty of friends in the same classes as you both in class and in your dorm. It’s great to be able to go down the hall to ask a question, and I’m always glad to help someone who stops by my room.</p>
<p>Please let me know if you have any more questions!</p>
<p>Wow, that was a very thorough answer, thanks. I should have lots of AP credit too (assuming I do well on the exams this year), and I think I’ll be able to skip an intro to CS course because I’m majoring in it and I know how to program (plus have AP credit). Anyways that’s pretty much all the questions I have, so thanks very much for your time. Maybe I’ll see you at Cornell next year!</p>
<p>You’re welcome. Good luck on APs.</p>
<p>I was just accepted early decision to Cornell Engineering and I have a couple questions about it. From what I hear, the workload is very difficult at Cornell Engineering. Based off of your experience from the first semester, how manageable is it? If I manage my time well, will I have a good amount of free time? Any tips for getting work done? Also, so far, how have the professors been?
Thanks!</p>
<p>The classes are challenging, regardless of where you’re from, but the work is definitely manageable. The workload gets heavier as the semester progresses as exams and due dates become more frequent, but you will still have some free time. Depending on what you choose to do outside of class (clubs, project teams, research, sports, etc.), you may have more or less time than others. Also, remember that every semester is different. Sometimes, you’ll get a harder mix of classes than other semesters, and other times, you’ll have an easier mix of classes.</p>
<p>My best advice to get things done is to start early. The beginning of the semester is not as difficult as the end, but you should keep up regardless. Few classes have homework, labs, or projects due more than once a week, so you get to manage your own time. If you like to party on the weekends, that’s fine. If you have meetings certain nights, you can still go. You just need to develop a schedule (written or not) that describes when you’re going to get things done (if you fall behind, it’s hard to catch up).</p>
<p>I had excellent professors and a great writing seminar instructor last semester. They are eager to help if requested, and keep in mind that they work for Cornell because they like to teach their subjects. If you make the effort to seek help and ask questions, you’ll get answers and learn a lot better.</p>
<p>Is Cornell Engineering’s strategy really to “weed them out” as I heard?</p>
<p>Out of curiousity, what AP classes got accepted for you? I can’t seem to find a definitive list online for the engineering school.</p>
<p>Also, I know I already asked some questions, but how does AP credit in liberal arts classes work? For example, if I get credit for APUSH, lit, and Spanish, do I then just need 3 liberal arts electives instead of 6? Or does it just mean I get to take 6 harder liberal arts classes?</p>
<p>@Peppino: I really don’t think so. The people who transfer out of Engineering discover that they don’t want to be engineers.</p>
<p>@firecy/@Bullride You get the ap credit that engineering lists, plus the english for a writing seminar, plus the liberal arts as arts and sciences states. If you have AP credit for a class, your transcript will say that you got x score on the exam and receive a pass as if you took the class at Cornell. If the class it replaces is liberal studies, you have to take one less for every AP exam. You still need to count the credits to make sure you have at least 18 and count the categories to make sure the classes fit in at least 3 of the 7 categories.</p>
<p>Though your requirements may be slightly different from mine, the current undergrad handbook with major requirements and other good info is online: <a href=“http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/academics/undergraduate/curriculum/handbook/upload/Cornell-Engineering-Handbook-2012-13.pdf[/url]”>http://www.engineering.cornell.edu/academics/undergraduate/curriculum/handbook/upload/Cornell-Engineering-Handbook-2012-13.pdf</a>. You’ll get your version at orientation.</p>
<p>How impossibly difficult would it be to have a major, minor, and a language?</p>
<p>It really depends on a few things: how much AP credit do you have, how heavy a load can you handle, and how many years are you willing to spend on your undergrad?</p>
<p>It is incredibly important to not overbook yourself, especially your first few semesters. Classes may seem deceptively easy, but your commitments do add up as the semester goes on. Plus, you don’t really know what you want to do until you’ve taken a few classes. The freshman engineering schedule is pretty much set, so you could take some classes as liberal studies if there is time (see my note about overbooking yourself) to see if you are certain that you want to do the language and/or minor.</p>
Is it feasible to Study Abroad as a BioEngineer. Engineering requirement are notorious for not being flexible
@rayznsunz if you know you want to do it early on, almost anything is possible, especially with AP credit. The key is preparation. If you plan ahead, you can move classes around or take summer classes to make it work; plus, in a lot of places, you can use courses for liberal studies requirements. Your best bet is to talk to engineering advising or the Bioengineering Undergraduate Coordinator. The staff in each department is amazing!
“Is Cornell Engineering’s strategy really to “weed them out” as I heard?”
I doubt it. But since Cornell Engineering students are all academically capable (SAT Math 25%-75%: 750-800; ACT 25%-75%: 34-36), every student who plan to attend the school should expect the outstanding work from all of their peers. As long as one is prepared for that he will be fine. I think you will find that it is an honor if you were one of them!!
For The CS111x requirement, I see three options, one intro MATLAB, one advanced MATLAB, and one intro Python. Having no prior exp with MATLAB, the advanced course is out of question. So which class do you recommend for engineering in terms of future usefulness? And does it matter which one i take? Btw, I will be majoring in ECE (may change later though, who knows).
@cchanged Here’s an article from the CS department on the subject: http://www.cs.cornell.edu/undergrad/FirstCSCourse.
As an ECE, here are the courses you’ll need to take: http://www.ece.cornell.edu/academics/undergraduate/major/requirements.cfm/. That should give you the info you need.