First Semester classes for a Mechanical/aerospace engineer

Colleges & Universities A-Z University of Florida
1

<p>At Preview i was kinda confused as to what classes I should take. I had different opinions from everybody.</p>

<p>I have many credits transferring from highschool:
AP US History (3 on exam)
AP Bio (3 on exam)
AP Chem (projecting a 3 or 4)
AP Calc AB (projecting a 5 on exam)
DE Micro Economics
DE Mass Media
DE Government
DE Spanish</p>

<p>with that being said, i am taking 5 classes with a total of 14 credits:
ENC3254-professional writing for engineers
ANT3520-Forensics (elective)
MAC2312-Calc 2
CHM2095-Chemistry 1 for engineers
EGN1002-intro to engineering</p>

<p>i am not sure about the calc and Chem classes. </p>

<p>Being a mechanical/aerospace engineer, chemistry is not needed so much as it would for something like chemical engineering. </p>

<p>-I originally had physics with calc 1 instead of chem but i was told it was too much for my 1st semester, and i shouldnt do it until im in calc 3. Is Chem a better choice? and also do i want to go with chm2095 or 2096? (chem1 for engineers or chem2 for engineers)</p>

<p>-Also i was told to take calc 1 despite what i get on the exam because calc 2 is the hardest course to take. Am i better off revisiting calc 1? what about some class i heard about calc 2 for AP students? theres so many different options i dont know what is the best way to go.</p>

<p>Any help is greatly appreciated!!!!</p>

2

<p>Can maybe help a little … first off, the intro to engineering class is nothing in terms of work. Show up and that’s it. BTW, you very rarely go the full time allotted for class, usually ends early. D had that her first semester. She took the tech writing for engineers last semester. She hates writing, loves anything to do with physics or math. Now, I don’t mean she can’t write (aced ap lit and lang w/ 3 and 4 on the exams), but it’s not her cup of tea at all. It was a super easy class for her. Some small group writing projects, preparing resume, writing intro and thank you letters, an instruction manual … etc., but overal, an easy A. As far as the calc, can’t help you there … she started with Calc 3. (she aced AP calc bc and got a 5 on the exam). Her roommate took the chem for engineering series, starting with Chem I in the fall, then chem II. D started with chem II (2047 and lab). Her roommates course did seem more accelerated then D’s, but D did very well in the chem II. Both girls had to work in these classes. D didn’t take chem her first semester as she started with physics H2060 (honors enriched physics I). She followed in semester 2 with h2061 (but she didn’t take the lab as she had the ap credit for it). She took the chem II 2047 with lab at the same time. She worked harder in the chem than in the physics because math is her strength … so the physics wasn’t a problem. She started as mechE, but after completing the intro to engineering class she switched majors to ChemE, deciding it appealed to her more. Hope this helps. </p>

<p>I will say that the physics prof she talked to, and honors advisor, also suggested she not take calc (in her case 3), physics and chem her first semester in order to acclimate to the university and have a life (i.e. football and finding EC’s she was interested in) so she took 14 hours her first semester. For her … that was easy in the end. She took 16 spring semester and she’ll have 16 this fall, too. Good luck. :)</p>

<p>zebes</p>

3

<p>If u can AP out of any class, don’t retake it. I have no clue why they recommend it to everyone. Definitely don’t take Calc 1 over. I APed out of it and went straight to Calc 2 but I hear that Calc 1 is unreasonably hard at UF. Also, I believe that the only difference between calc2 for AP students and regular calc2 is that the previous meets more often. No1 told me about calc2 for AP so I took regular calc2 and I had no problems. </p>

<p>I think chem1 and physics 1 r about same difficulty, so take w/e u want. Do MEs even need to take chem2 or can u substitute that with a biology class?</p>

<p>Another thing to consider is that with all the budget cuts, there is not a lot of classes u could take over the summer. Tech writing is one class I would recommend leaving for the summer. I am not sure if UF now offers it completely online, but even if it doesn’t, during summer when u r away from gainesville u could take it online from a florida community college and then transfer the credit over. That’s what I did with that class and it worked out great.</p>

4

<p>I took chem for engineers 1 and 2 (2095 and 2096) and wouldn’t really suggest it to others, unless they’re chemE. I have some ME friends that have taken chem 1 and chem 2, and I’d suggest just taking 2045 and 2046 (unless you choose to switch that chem 2 for bio or something). CHM2096 is unnecessarily difficult and I spent more time on that class than I wouldve preferred. I had friends breeze through 2045/2046 and though I passed the chem for engineers series (A in 2095 and B in 2096), I would’ve rather breezed through it. It’s hard and definitely “do-able,” but you’ll spend a lot of time reading/studying for that class. If you want to put in the time and effort, go for it; if you’d rather get the easier A so you could have a higher GPA at the end of the year, just take 2045. </p>

<p>OH and the 2095/2045L is really weird. You’re supposed to be supplementing what you learn in lecture with the lab, but in 2095, you’re not learning what you’d be learning in 2045 and thus the lab is pointless. </p>

<p>Last year (my freshman year) was the first time they did 2095 and it caught everyone who signed up for it by surprise. They might change it a little this year since A LOT of students dropped out, so I suggest going to the first one or two lectures of 2095 and going over the syllabus. If the topics arent the same as 2045, then you’ll be in for a ride. You could drop it during drop/add week if you don’t like it. Keaffaber will probably be teaching it and he’s really down-to-earth and wants to make it easier for students, but he’s still pretty tough.</p>

5

<p>S is also majoring in Mech Eng FAll freshman…Doesn’t know whether to take Calc 1 or 2…Is Calc 1 a relatively easy A if you got A’s in AP Calc and think you did well on the AP test? S got a 21 on the Calc Readiness test (17 Algebra/4 Trig score) Maybe it is better to take Calc 1 while it is your first semester and not get in over your head?? Son received football lottery ticket…wants a life…Took Calc honors and AP Calc in high school so definitely has mastery, but isn’t it a good idea to get some easier "A"s (ENC 1101, Calc 1) to average out some C’s that may come along the line?</p>

6

<p>I’m a senior Nuclear Engineer, spent my first 2 years as an aerospace so I know my way around the classes.</p>

<p>1) Are you set on aerospace, or are you interested in exploring other engineering majors? Intro to Engineering takes you to each of the engineering departments and gives you a little presentation about what that department does. If you’re set on Mech/Aerospace, no reason to take it, it’ll just waste your time.</p>

<p>The rest are comments about if myself, as a senior, was making the schedule for myself as a freshman, so your mileage my vary.
2)I would take CHM 2046, since CHM2045 is pretty easy, if you’re placing out of 2045. CHM2046L is a little bit hard, but so long as you look up the schemes and work dilligently in lab you’ll be fine.</p>

<p>3) Start at Calc 2, Calc 1 is harder then it has to be, and you won’t learn anything. Calc two is the place to start so long as you know simple integration/differentiation.</p>

<p>4) I’m gonna be frank here, if Chem 2, Calc 2, or Physics 1 , or all 3 together are “too much” for you, You probably want to consider another major, unless you plan to graduate in 6-7 years. It’s only gonna get worse, if you think taking calc, chem, and physics together is a lot, try taking like heat transfer, dynamics, mechanics of materials and materials together. (ANd that isn’t senior load).</p>

<p>5) Is the elective counting toward some Gen Ed you havn’t completed? Straight up electives that don’t satisfy any degree audit requirements are absolute killers to easy courseloads and on-time graduation. If you take a bunch of true electives, you either need to be prepared to take 18 credits a semester, or be prepared to take extra time.</p>

7

<p>I think the best thing is to really know your particular student and realize what’s best for one might not work for another. S, who’s a senior at UCF this coming year, would go nuts in gen ed classes, putting in less time because he was bored. We saw this in high school, too. So for him, whatever he had AP credit for, we did not encourage him to re-do, knowing his tendencies, and that worked. With D who’s a sophomore at UF this fall, she has retaken some (specific to her major)… i.e. the physics and the chem II, but she feels better when she’s got a good foundation, and if she’s bored, she’ll do the work anyway, as she wants great grades and will do what she has to in order to achieve them. Two very different kids with different ways of doing things … ya know? </p>

<p>zebes</p>

8

<p>ok thanks everyone for your comments.</p>

<p>zaersz:</p>

<p>1) I have intentions of going for a duo-degree in mechanical and aerospace engineering because their tracking courses are so similar, however i am still open to looking at all the different engineering fields. It would be good to have a first hand experience of what i would do in all the different majors than just relying on what i’ve read or been told.</p>

<p>2) I have a few options here. I would not take CHM2046 because I talked with an engineering professor and he said I can substitute PHY3101. According to the Guide to Majors (supplied at preview) I would not do that anyway until the 5th semester. Do I even need to take the CHM2045 since i will have AP credit? And if i did take Chem 1 over would you recommend I take 2045 or 2095?</p>

<p>3) thanks i think i’m going to stay in Calc 2. If worse comes to worse I can always drop back within the first week if i feel it need to go over Calc 1 material.</p>

<p>4) I never personally felt that this was too much of a work load. I planned on at least taking chem, calc and probably another ‘hard’ course. I only got that impression because of everyone else at preview said i should go easy my first semester to get acclimated to college life in general. I ran into Dr. Barfield who went through this whole thing about how i need to take it easy the first semester and not even think about physics until i complete calc 2. Even though the are 2 physics classes, Physics with calc 1 and physics with calc 2. Even the Course Guide says i should take the first physics my second semester. I understand its not going to be easy, i just don’t know what what classes I should actually take each semester.</p>

<p>5) I only took this course because i was told I needed 12 credits and I needed another course to take to get to 12 credits. Should I take a course specific to my major instead?</p>

<p>possible 1st semester:</p>

<p>Intro to Engineering
Professional Writing for Engineers
Calc 2
Chm2046 or chm 2095 or chm2096?
Physics 1??</p>

<p>Also is there any way to know how many Gen Ed credits I still need?</p>

<p>boohahaha:</p>

<p>I don’t need to take summer classes because I carried enough credits over from highschool…so i was told.</p>

9

<p>U should consider taking summer classes, especially the once u could take online while away from Gainesville. If u r thinking about ME and AE, it would take u more than 4 years to graduate, so that’s just something to think about. </p>

<p>If u can AP out of chem1, don’t bother retaking it. U will never use it in ur engineering classes anyways.</p>

10

<p>ok thanks yea that might be a good idea taking summer courses then. So with Chem 1 out of the way…am i better off taking chem 2, chem 2 for engineers, or don’t do chem at all because i can take Physics3 instead?</p>

11

<p>I am Electrical Engineering, and for us we r allowed to take a biology class instead of chem2 which is what I did(And there r some extremely easy bio classes), I am not sure how it works for MEs. From what I hear chem2 is easier than chem1, and u probably don’t need to take chem2 lab. </p>

<p>From what I can find, phy3101 has phy2049 as a pre-req, so I don’t think u can take it ur first semester. </p>

<p>Also, to clarify, physics with calc 2 does not require calc 2, it’s just the second physics class. If u r not taking chem first semester, I would just recommend taking w/e physics class u need the first semester and then see from there. U will do just fine in physics classes if u APed out of calc1</p>

12

<p>Alrighty, hopped on my degree audit so I could be definitive in my comments. So the info I have about aero/mech comes from that.</p>

<p>1) Think about nuclear, we’re awesome :stuck_out_tongue: </p>

<p>2)According to the degree audit, you can take chm 2046, BSC 2010, PHY 3010, or AST3018. 2046 wasn’t bad, but I can see some people having trouble with it. I’ve heard 3010 can be a hassle though. I would do CHM 2046 over 2096, if you chose to do chem.</p>

<p>3) I personally use summer courses as a backup, if I mess up on scheduling or need to drop something, I can throw it in for summer so I dont’ fall behind. Or once I took a class that seemed hard over summer, just so I could take it by itself and give it my full attention. Otherwise, internships would be great. Major companies or national labs are ++.</p>

<p>4)Do you have access to isis.ufl.edu yet? If you do, you can just go to degree audit, view complete degree audit, and it will fill in whatever you have, and don’t have. It’s a little confusing to read at first, but the classes with red x’s are what you don’t have, and if they’re filled in, you have them. That’s the easiest way to see what your gen ed’s are. I would personally drop in something that fills in one of those. They’re often the most annoying classes yout ake (since you learn stuff you’ll never use outside of that classroom). </p>

<p>5) In my opinion, preview is a terrible experience, and often times extremely misleading. You’re told by people who think pre-calc is hard that you’re gonna have a difficult time taking the classes that you HAVE TO take. One of my regrets is I listened to them, took a couple fluff courses, and then the last 3 years have not had a single choice in what I can take, unless I didn’t want to graduate on time. Woulda been so nice to through in fluff course in the fall to go with reactor dynamics; too bad I listened to the preview people.</p>

13

<p>Well that’s the beautiful thing about leaving a class like tech writing for the summer, u can easily take that class on-line while interning(that’s what I did). That class is perfect for that situation since the class is really easy and doesn’t take much time.</p>

14

<p>Anyone out there searching for info on chm2095 should be fairly WARNED!! Don’t take it!! My son is great at science and math, but has mild ADD (which he takes meds for) like a huge percentage of college kids, these days. He was forced into signing up for CHM2095 under bad advice at preview, even though he had already earned a B in 2045 at community college. Professor gives 14 timed quizzes (ridiculous 20 minute timer) and even with tons of studying and knowing the materials, my son could not answer that quickly (maybe due to mild ADD, 300+ kids in the class AND a ridiculous timer). As a result, he had to drop a class he really enjoyed and I am hit with $454 tuition bill that I really can’t afford to save his *** GPA!!! This class is NOT REQUIRED and should not be forced on ANYONE!!! The professor - there is only 1 teaching 11 sections by way of MANY TA’s - should either be pressured to blow up his timer or this class should be ditched entirely! It’s not JEOPARDY for GOD’s Sake, it’s COLLEGE!</p>

15

<p>So sorry that your son got steered in the wrong direction. Keep on top of this community…we give good, practical advice…we’ve been there, done that. Now that preview is over, you will probably not get bad advice anymore. Your son will get an advisor for the next semester…the freshman advisors are not always the best. If you have a question, ask it here! Most here have great advise-tried and true.</p>

16

<p>I would have to disagree, Dr. K’s quizzes are quite fair. You learn a lot from him, and he isn’t a boring lecturer. From what I hear from 2045 students, it is a waste of time.</p>