<p>spidermc25, The walk from Lee to Reynolds is not bad, esp. given that you should be in great shape for ROTC. It’s only a couple of minutes more from the Tri-Towers, and keep in mind that Lee is right next door to Fountain Dining Hall. I would think the benefits of living in WISE would be worth it.</p>
<p>I’m in ECE at NC State right now. I’m in my first year, but I am technically a sophomore due to AP credits. I saw that you wanted some more information and I can provide some. What do you want to know?</p>
<p>Just to give you an overview. ECE is the biggest engineering department at State. A great part about the program is that you can get a double major in EE and CPE extremely easily. If you major in CPE, it only requires 8 extra credit hours to get a double major. It’s very doable in four years. </p>
<p>You will only have one real ECE class first year, unless you try to get ahead. You will follow the general first year engineering curriculum, where you take chemistry, calc, physics, etc. The ECE class you will take is ECE 109, which is relatively easy. The “weed-out” classes come during your sophomore year. ECE 200, which is EE, and 209, which is CPE, will let you know if you are cut out for ECE.</p>
<p>The class sizes in ECE vary. I saw you were concerned about that. In some of the more general classes, like the aforementioned ECE 109, 200, and 209, you will be in a class of about 100 students. However, each class has a lab or a problem session of about 20-30 students taught by one or more TAs where you can get individual help. Additionally, professors are great about office hours. One of my professors seems to have office hours almost all day every day, both in person and online. He is also extremely quick at replying to emails and posting on the class message board. If you need help, you can get it easily. </p>
<p>If you have any specific questions, let me know!</p>
<p>I will say one drawback to the large intro classes could be the testing. In my d’s physics class, the exams count for a huge percentage of the final grade, and a large portion of the exams are comprised of multiple choice questions - thus no partial credit given if most of the work is done properly but the wrong answer is arrived at. You only have to miss a few of those and your grade plummets. I suppose they have to do it this way in order to grade so many exams quickly. Some schools with smaller classes might not have such a heavy use of multiple choice questions. Something to be aware of.</p>
<p>There are two types of the physics classes. M and N. </p>
<p>I assume your daughter was in N, as those exams are heavily MC. The class size is definitely the reason why they are like that. The professors will tell you they prefer free response, but it is just not feasible. The other type of physics class, M, has mostly free response exams. The class size is the same, but I believe there are less sections, which lets them do this. </p>
<p>The thing is, many will argue that MC exams are easier. This is actually the main reason why the professors don’t like MC exams. It is true that your grade will plummet if you miss a few (5% per question), but you have to remember that the professors create the exams to fit a distribution curve where the average is about a 75%, so there is no guarantee that an all free response exam would change one’s average grade anyway. This is shown by the fact that M and N classes have essentially the same grade distribution.</p>
<p>I really want to thank you all for the helpful advice and information you’ve all given me! I’ve decided though that I won’t be attending NC State. After careful thought, I feel that Rochester will be a better fit for me during my undergrad years. I may end up at State someday maybe for my master’s or PhD. Thanks again for all of your help. =)</p>
<p>Best wishes! The Wolfpack will always be here to welcome you home.</p>