Howdy! I was thinking about how I should plan my first year at A&M (since I’m aiming for a 4.0 my first year) and I’m looking for feedback or ideas to make my first year smoother. My only limitation is some of the scholarships I won require I take at least an average of 14 or more hrs per year for renewal.
Fall (15 hr)
ENGR 111 H
*MATH 151
*PHYS 218
*FILM 251
KINE 199
ENGR 181 H
Spring (14 hr)
ENGR 112 H
MATH 152
*CHEM 107 / 117
*THAR 201
KINE 199
Summer (6 hr)
MATH 251
PHYS 208
H = Honors
*= retake of a similar high school AP / IB class (hopefully for a better grade)
Any tips or recommendations would be great!
@lessonwitch2, The only recommendation I might have is to move ENGR 181 H to second semester. They encourage you to take it first semester, but there are an equal number of students who take it second semester. My son waited and was glad he did. While it’s pass/fail, it does take up some of your evening time once or twice a week and waiting on this class gave him more time to settle into a routine first semester and concentrate on PHYS 218 and ENGR 111. I’ve heard ENGR 111 has changed quite a bit (not even sure you build and program the robots anymore), but it was A LOT of work for a 2 credit hour class. For all your classes, much of the workload will depend on the prof. Also, I assume you have AP credit for ENGL 104 and POLS 206? Take THAR 201 (or 281) with Anne Quakenbush if you can. It will be a light workload.
@lee6666 Thank you so much! I didn’t even think about how much work ENGR 181 H would be for my first semester!. I plan on using credit for HIST 105, 106, PSYC 107, Pols 206 and 207 but not ENGL 104 yet (but I’ll find out this summer!) And if I need to take it I guess I can replace THAR with it. And thank you for the recommended teacher!
Speaking of teacher, I’d also love to hear professor recommendations!
@lessonwitch2 I’d try to get Amy Austin for Math 151, if she’s teaching it in the fall. She is not the easiest grader, but she will get you to know your stuff and yes, grades are very fair. She is the most popular math prof so it’s hard to get her. My son was fortunate to have her for 151, 152, 251. For ENGR 111 and 112, I see you’re taking honors. My son did as well and had Richey for 111 and Cahill for 112. Richey was a bit of an odd one and had students jumping through hoops all the time, not to mention that grades were awful the whole way through the semester, but he had a huge curve at the end, making it a fairly easy A (just be sure to get in a good team where everyone is going to pull their own weight). Cahill was more organized, but grades ended up lower in the end for most. You can check out the grade distribution reports. My son had Webb for PHYS 218 (University) and he was fair.
IF your thoughts are KINE courses are easy, think again. They are often very picky & performance based - with no wiggle room. They have removed the requirement of KINE from most (if not all) majors now, mine had to take KINE. If you go that route, be VERY careful which ones you pick – one of mine picked a sport they went to state championships in… THAT is the kind of competition you have in KINE. If you want some exercise, join a group in the gym or participate in an organization that does sport competitions.
@AGmomx2 , yes, I recall a friend of my son’s complaining about his B in bowling.
@lee6666
Thanks for the teachers, I will be sure to look for their section numbers! But OOC what do you mean by really fair?
@AGmomx2 I was hoping to take Archery and Self defense and maybe join the archery club after freshman year if I like it. Should I be cautious about taking archery? Because A&M has been the national champion for a long time.