<p>Congrats to Longhaul’s DS! Has to be such a relief for him - a B+ is nothing to sneeze at.</p>
<p>DD had Monk as well, and said that anyone who did not have AP Physics C in HS would struggle a bit with Monk’s style. DD ended up teaching the underlying physics material to several of her group mates so that they could understand what Monk was asking of them in projects, homework, etc.</p>
<p>She did agree that attention to detail was critical to avoid losing points.</p>
<p>MereMom – Wish DS was in your daughter’s group! He only had 1 year of non-AP Physics in high school. I am proud that he worked his way through the class. Maybe Monk’s style will mean he is a bit more prepared going into Physics next semester.</p>
<p>He struggled with 1 non-STEM course too, but overall, given his learning disabilities and adjusting to living far from home and friends, I am relieved and proud of his transition. He’ll never make the Presidential List, but that is fine with me. </p>
<p>Thanks again to all here for support and advice!</p>
<p>I am re-reading this information on ENGR 103 and CALC 227 (Calc III). My DS received credit for Calc I & II so is choosing to start with Calc III. He was not aware that skipping ENGR 103 was an option. It is being discussed on the FB page now. </p>
<p>From reading through this thread it sounds like ChemEng and Computer Science might take the option to skip ENGR 103 (if they have the AP Calc BC credits), while MechEng may gather good information from this class. Is that an accurate assessment?</p>
<p>What are the specific reqs to skip ENGR 103 - where is a link that states these officially, please? At our BB there was talk about skipping a thing or two, but it was written on a piece of paper that was handed out, not on the UA website anywhere official. Please post so that everyone knows how you qualify for skipping ENGR 103. Thanks!</p>
<p>Thank you, @aeromom - I have not seen it in writing, either so was just going by what the OP and other responders were talking about. </p>
<p>This reminds me of someone who posted somewhere else recently about Prof Monk and the poor ratings for the class, etc. The theme seems to be that the absolute foundations of physics need to be present in order to succeed in this class, and that students who didn’t have these foundations going in, struggled. I’m now putting two and two together and am interested more than ever to see/hear what specifically allows someone to skip out of ENGR 103, when so many students had trouble with it over the past year. I don’t do FB, or I’d look there myself.</p>
<p>@aeromom - someone on FB found the wording for Chemical & Biological Engineering. Still wondering about MechEng. Seems like it would be a good foundation for MechEng.</p>
<p><a href=“http://che.eng.ua.edu/files/2013/09/A-BASIC-GUIDE-TO-CHBE-SEPT-2013.pdf”>http://che.eng.ua.edu/files/2013/09/A-BASIC-GUIDE-TO-CHBE-SEPT-2013.pdf</a>
Page 21:
MA 227 Entry Flowchart:
For students entering UA and starting with Calculus 3 or higher (i.e., highly advanced
freshmen and many transfer students), ENGR 103 is neit
her required nor recommended. In the place of ENGR 103,
these students should select one additional elective course from the ADV SCI EL, CHE EL or ENG EL lists.</p>
<p>“…nor recommended.” That’s interesting language to use.</p>
<p>This is an older thread that people should also wade through about ENGR 103 - loads of opinions and advice.
<a href=“Exempting ENGR103 a good idea? - #2 by MereMom - University of Alabama - College Confidential Forums”>Exempting ENGR103 a good idea? - #2 by MereMom - University of Alabama - College Confidential Forums; </p>
<p>Fall 2013 was the initial year for ENGR 103. </p>
<p>At 2013-2014 Bama Bound a flyer was included in the package for Engineering students stating if AP credits for Calc BC, then they would be exempt. Kids who opted out had it show up in Degree works after an override by advisor.</p>
<p>DS opted to take anyway.</p>
<p>At 2013 OA dinner with faculty he sat with Dean Karr. Dean Karr and a few other engineering professors were not aware of the “skip out” and did not seem to be fans.</p>
<p>DS opinion - thinks ME, EE and AEM majors should take it; Computer Engineering and Chem E should not.</p>
<p>DS believes he would have done better in Monk’s Honors ENGR 103 if he took Physics 105/125 in Fall and then ENGR 103 in Spring. She expected the kids to know more Physics than the pace set in classes his suitemates had with other professors.</p>
<p>Also – ALL upperclassmen told the kids that ENGR 103 should be easy since it was just pulling together 3, 1 credit classes that were easy. NOT THE CASE. ENGR 103 was not just a pull together of the old 3 credit courses.</p>
<p>IMHO - Bama has been tweeking the Engineering program as they grow the program. The foundation courses I believe will continue to be tweeked. I appreciate the fact that the department continually evaluates the outcomes of changes and tries to approve.</p>
<p>Thank you, @longhaul for weighing in! What you said makes sense, and my DS will definitely continue on this path - ENGR 103 (honors section) and Calc III (having passed AP Calc BC with a 5). </p>
<p>For those in ChemE or CS it sounds like a good option to skip it if they are able to.</p>
<p>Totally agree with Longhaul’s post!</p>
<p>I am currently enrolled to take ENGR 103 Honors and MATH 227 Calc III for the fall semester. I passed the Calc BC exam with a 4 and was not aware of an option to skip ENGR 103. As a Mechanical Engineering major, it seems ENGR 103 would be a good class to take. However, I never took AP Physics C in high school, only AP Physics B. Would it still be recommended to take ENGR 103 in the fall semester even though I’ve only had limited physics in high school? (Currently enrolled in Physics 105 for the Fall semester though)</p>
<p>You will be fine in ENGR 103. My son had only had regular high school Physics and was taking Calc I in the same semester and he did well in the Honors class. He worked hard, but went into it with a lot less background than you have.</p>
<p>What about ENGR 103 for a kid who’s still undecided on his major? He’s leaning towards comp. sci., but it could also be Chem E or EE . . . or none of the above!</p>
<p>What he needs are classes to help him figure out what he wants to major in. If he eventually decides on EE, he can do ENGR 103 then, if he really needs it. (He has the AP credits for an exemption.) I hate for him to have to spend a semester struggling through ENGR 103 now unless it’s going to give him the information he needs to decide on a major . . . and my understanding is that the one thing it does not do is provide specific information on the different fields of engineering.</p>
<p>I’m thinking he’d be better off spending his first semester doing several of the 1-hour intro classes (intro to Chem E, intro to ECE, etc.). Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Uhhh . . . just wondering if maybe we’re dealing with outdated information. I was just told by someone in advising that ENGR 103 is now required for all disciplines, including Chem E, despite what’s posted in the Chem E flowchart (which is apparently due for an update). Confirmation, anyone?</p>
<p>We need info from someone who has already been through BamaBound, and hear what their experience was with this exemption. I, for one, am pleased that it is no longer an option to skip. It does give one a taste for what is req for engineering, and if you fail and/or hate it, you best find it out your 1st semester, than later.</p>
<p>Going back to @dodgersmom’s original question, what courses do you all recommend for an undeclared engineering major who’s not even positive he wants to study engineering, to assure that he gets exposure to all the various disciplines? </p>
<p>Is ENGR 103 the primary “weeder” course for engineers? And is this information on the website about the Freshman Engineering Program still reliable?</p>
<p><a href=“http://students.eng.ua.edu/programs/fep/”>http://students.eng.ua.edu/programs/fep/</a></p>
<p>This thread has left me wondering about my ds as well. Based on the description people have posted, he has the physics and math background to do well in the class. But what he is really wanting is a course to help him decide if he wants to keep the engineering major. His plans are a phD in physics, but a double major with EE was recommended. He is unsure about the EE major. Should he take the intro ECE class or engr 103? </p>
<p>Mom2physicsgeek - I’ll weigh in on your post #57. If I remember correctly, your son is pretty far along in the college math and science sequences. My son was too. Because my son was a EE major and had finished all calcs, differential equations, and the first two physics classes in his high school years, he took ECE 225, Electrical circuits, last Fall (He also took ENGR103 and ECE101 that Fall as well). </p>
<p>He liked both classes but the Circuits class is the foundation for all EE classes and really showed him what EE is. It allowed him to be in a class with sophomore and junior EE majors (Many students in his 100 level engineering classes ended up transferring out of engineering). THe circuits class challenged him and he thrived on that challenge. My son knew he wanted Engineering, but was unsure of EE at the time. The 103/225 combo confirmed for him EE as a major. He’s glad he took ENGR 103 but the circuits class really clicked for him and sealed his choice of major. </p>
<p>I wouldn’t recommend the ECE101 class - it’s an ok class but it’s pretty lightweight and I don’t think it offers much insight into your son’s decision.</p>
<p>That’s the long answer…The short answer is if he’s trying to decide about EE as a second major then I think taking ECE 225 this fall would help him make a more informed decision than taking ENGR 103 or ECE101. </p>
<p>Aren’t each of the engineering 121 (125 in ChE) classes required for the major? Each branch has its own introductory course for this reason: for students to at least initially see themselves pursuing that major. While these may be considered ‘lightweight’, they are 1-2 credit hours (so not all that time consuming), and you get to meet a subset of students also interested in the same major. Seems like a win-win to me. I would not skip an engineering 121 course in your field of interest.</p>