Engineering School info needed.

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Wisconsin
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<p>Hi guys, i am admitted into school of engineering, and i just wanted to ask a couple of questions. I hope you people can help me. Being an international student i have no clue about the education system in american college.
So do i need to study really hard in engineering school during freshman year to get a good GPA (>3.6)? Do you guys have hard classes in freshman year? I heard people don't get as much time to study in college as they think they would because of involvement in a lot of other activities. Is this generally true?
Can any engineering student briefly explain and name the courses i would have to take during my first year? That would be great.
I know its a vague question, but i will ask it anyways.. How hard is it to get an A+ or A in american education system(particularly in uw madison)?
And The Most Important Question: my writing skills are really bad. American high school seems to emphasise too much on writing. In my country, we don't really have to be really good a writer to succeed. How bad is it all going to be just because of my bad writing skills? I still have 3 months before i start college and i am willing to improve my writing before i come, so if anyone could give me a few suggestions and tips on how to improve my writing, i would be so grateful. </p>

<p>Thanks in advance. :)</p>

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<p>First, congrats on your admission to UW! It is a wonderful university, and you will indeed be distracted by all that goes on. </p>

<p>Although my son is not engineering, I can answer a few of your questions. UW does not give A+. The grading options are A=4.0 AB= 3.5 B= 3.0 BC=2.5 and so on. The numerical score required to get each grade will be posted on the course syllabus. It may vary in engineering, so take this lightly, but in my son’s courses, a 93 or 94 is typically an A. Sometimes a 93 is an AB. This grading scale helps the kids who are on the lower end, what would be a B+, or a 3.3 at other schools, but get a bump when they slide in to the AB range, and get a 3.5. It has hit my kid the other way too, a 92 would have been an A- somewhere else, for a 3.67, but becomes a 3.5 at UW. </p>

<p>You will need to work hard at UW. Good study habits – doing the work before class, going to the TA/prof with questions, taking advantage of study sessions will get your there. It is the students who think they can treat university like high school, maybe cramming before a test, or who go overboard on the new-found freedoms by staying out drinking all the time, who get surprised by their grades. </p>

<p>At SOAR, your advisor will work out your fall class schedule with you. As an international student, you will do SOAR the week before school begins. Based on any AP/IB scores and placement test scores, your advisor will recommend classes so that you can be successful. My advice for fall freshman year – do not overdo it. This is not the time to double up on credits. Studying in the university level is a challenge and you want to get some success before you push yourself to take on more. </p>

<p>As for writing – I am not familiar enough with the engineering curriculum to know how much of an issue this could be. There is a writing center on campus (with offices all around campus, I think) and you can sign up for mini-classes and tutorials to help you throughout the semester. In the meantime, perhaps give yourself an assignment that, once a week during the summer, you will write a 1 page, or 3-5 paragraph essay about anything – something in the newspaper, something happening around you. The goal is to focus on clarity – simple, straightforward sentences. I do emphasize writing skills in my work, and am continually telling people that good writing is clear and easy to follow. Forget the multi-syllable vocabulary words. Simple, clear. </p>

<p>Again, congrats. And I am sure you will get lots of good advice here. </p>

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<p>Thank you so much @Midwestmomofboys‌ :slight_smile: </p>

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<p>You do not need to be involved in those extra activities, especially at the expense of your academics. As an entering freshman you are admitted to the university as a whole regardless of your proposed major. This means you can change your major at any time. Technically you are preengineering- you need to meet the course and gpa requirements at UW to be admitted to your engineering major. You will meet with a SOAR advisor from Engineering to help you sign up for classes to meet your goals.</p>

<p>US schools do NOT put too much emphasis on writing/communication skills. Knowing the technical aspects but not being able to put forth your knowledge and ideas so others can understand them is useless in the workplace. You will improve your grammar and vocabulary vastly once you are here and immersed in American English. You will take the courses you place into to meet proficiency requirements. These skills will last you a lifetime.</p>

<p>Do try to learn as much as you can in your courses, master as much material as you can. Do NOT expect to get all A’s. Almost all students, including those with all A’s in HS, will not get all A’s. It is better to stretch your mind than to only take courses you can get an A in. Engineering has different graduation requirements than L&S but all students need to take some courses outside of their field to satisfy breadth requirements. This is a good feature of a US education. My Indian husband states I took a class in everything (impossible as there are hundreds of different fields to choose from) whereas he was only taking memorization/learn the facts/solve the problem set types of courses. Now retired he enjoys discussion classes for Great Books, as does an English raised man- both this man’s wife and I did enough of that in HS and college. We were expected to discuss, think and challenge ideas presented. UW has the “sifting and winnowing” of ideas, not just learning what is presented. btw- I was a Chemistry major, the other lady a business major at another school.</p>

<p>There is so much more to life than just your profession/career. An engineer can enjoy the arts as well. UW has some good courses such as Art History and Symphony electives to round out your education. Do not be afraid to indulge in nonessential courses for the fun of learning something you won’t have the chance to later on. Likewise find time to indulge in activities that interest you- UW has hundreds of organizations for this.</p>

<p>Your international student orientation (SOAR) just before classes start will be helpful.</p>

<p>Hard/difficult classes depend on the course and the individual student’s previous exposure to the material and aptitude/ability. Some will find the Calculus to be easy, others may find it difficult. Likewise with other required classes you need for engineering. You may find your school prepared you very well in some areas but not in others. Use the time saved in courses you know more of the material to become more familiar with US/UW culture and to study hard in the classes more “foreign” to you.</p>

<p>Remember to go outside of your comfort zone and try things you wouldn’t in your home country. One reason you are coming to the US is to not only get the technical education but to get educated in ways not available in your home country. Do not let your parents dictate your course schedule. They may question why you are taking a course they feel is frivolous but learning about more than just one field is the mark of an educated person.</p>

<p>The advice I stressed with my son (a math major, then he added computer science as a second major) was- KEEP IT LEGAL. Try things, but only lawful ones. If in doubt, find out from a more reliable source than the person suggesting it. Laws are to be obeyed in the US. </p>

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<p>Thank you so much @wis75‌ these words mean a lot to me. </p>

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<p>Congrats Badger101 for your admittance to University of Wisconsin. Students are admitted into the U of W and then they apply for the engineering school their sophomore year. So it is very important to do your best during that Freshman year so you will have a gpa high enough to get you admitted into engineering. You should be able to contact the school and get a list of the classes that you will be taking Freshman year but they will go over all that with you in Soar. Soar might also be a good place to ask about getting extra help for your writing. Best of luck to you!</p>

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<p>Thank you. You definitely are awesome :slight_smile: @YouAreAllAwesome‌ </p>