<p>i am currently a undeclared freshman. I want to know how hard it is to change my major to engineering. I tried through the message control but it said the time period for that has passed.</p>
<p>[UCI</a> Change of Major Criteria: Henry Samueli School of Engineering](<a href=“http://www.changeofmajor.uci.edu/CoM_Engr.html]UCI”>http://www.changeofmajor.uci.edu/CoM_Engr.html)</p>
<p>If you do well in your physics and math classes (like As and Bs), then the counselors will be nice to you and accommodate your change of major to engineering ASAFP. If you aren’t doing that great in your physics and math classes (like getting Cs and barely attaining the 2.5 gpa required in those classes) or if you happen to retake a math or physics class, the engr counselors won’t be nice to you, will be slow in changing your major and will try to discourage you in pursuing a major in engineering saying something along the lines of “I don’t think engineering is right for you” or “_______ (insert name of engr class) will be very hard and you need to do well in the class.” This all came from personal experience when I tried switching into engineering when I didn’t do that great in math and physics courses. I remember I (and my friend also) met the requirements for a certain engineering major change but yet the counselors still won’t consider it because apparently we either retook a math or physics class or our grades in math and physics weren’t up to their standard but still meet the conditions.</p>
<p>If you want to talk to an engr counselor, talk to Christy…she’s the nice one.</p>
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<li><p>Christy is nice, but the appointments full up fast. I’ve had to book my appointments (when I was still in engineering, switched to Chem) something like 6 weeks in advance; this has happened on about 3 occasions. </p></li>
<li><p>They are mean because they don’t want to let a bunch of kids in just to scrap by. Additionally, space is (supposedly) limited, so they probably want to save the few spots for the better achieving students, not the C+s. Many students want to transfer into engineering because of the career prospects. Additionally, many of the math/physics classes were full of kids who shouldn’t have been in engineering (or college in general…). there were plenty of kids who obviously have done well and probably will continue to. </p></li>
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<p>lesser tier schools like UCI tend to let kids into programs they shouldn’t have and kick them out after the first year or two (the correlation to math/physics occurs here…) as oppose to top end schools like MIT which kicks kids out in the admission process.</p>
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<li>Are you a freshmen as in you will start you’re first year in the fall or you just finished your first year (rising sophomore). If it is the latter, you need to go through the various forms and meetings/grades. If the former, you can change majors/schools at SPOP. Make sure to bring AP grades/SAT II scores (math IIC or whatever it is now and some sciences ones) and a high school transcript to show you have the right background. I think you need 750’s on all the SAT IIs for them to consider you. I’m not 100%.</li>
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<p>im an incoming freshman. I was planning to change during SPOP but I read somewhere that they won’t have that available this year. So i’m just planning ahead. </p>
<p>@ irviner: what is the difference between physic 3 and 7? </p>
<p>Calculus will be easy for me but i’m worry about physics since i took that in 9th grade.</p>
<p>also im thinking about taking math 2a during the summer. Will that be in conflict with my fall schedule?</p>
<p>if i were to have physic 7a and math 2b for fall</p>
<p>Man I hope they let us change into engineering at SPOP</p>
<p>and isn’t 2b offered winter quarter?</p>
<p>@ultex: math 2a and 2b are almost always offered. lots of people/majors need the class. there are probably about 8+ sections of both classes offered per quarter. some sections may be open only to certain majors (engineering, etc)</p>
<p>physics 7 is on a fairly rigorous schedule throughout the year.</p>
<p>@brayz: the math and physics are not made so that you must correlate them. you need to be at the correlative level in math or above. (math 2a = phys 7a, 2b = 7b, 2d = 7d.) if you are ahead in math (by any amount), its fine. you cannot be ahead in physics though.</p>
<p>@ flemmyd: thanks so much! btw are you an engineering major?</p>
<p>i was, but A. i hated dealing with Christy. 5 weeks in advancce to make appointments were too much. B. i want to work in a research lab when i get out of uci, so i switched to physical science (chemical eng–> chem). interesting because the lab i work in now does more engineering/physics then actual fume hood chem. even so, i think i still have an engineering mentality (if its not broken, add more features or make it cheaper. if its broken, fix it without taking any features out…) </p>
<p>additionally, the chem curriculum is really nice. its really small so most of the bio-chem/premeds can take all their other pre med classes/activities while the pure chems (like me) can spend their 4rd year taking graduate level classes and what not.</p>
<p>physics 7 vs. 3.</p>
<p>in my opinion, just take 7 unless you are dead set on being a bio major. which is hard to say if you take the bio class ur junior year like most bio majors. i knew some people who were bios and ended up liking chem. if you are engineering, you almost need to be in physics as a frosh to take the needed classes as a soph. </p>
<p>physics 7 is supposedly calculus based, but the only real calc comes in physics 7d-
here is the website from phys 7d with barwick which i took this spring: <a href=“EEE+ Home | UCI”>EEE+ Home | UCI;
on the midterm, there are only 2 calc problems: the end of problem 1 and the end of problem 2 (4 and 5 parts respectively.)
on the final, its part 4 and 5 of the very last problem.
as you can see, there isnt a heavy emphasis on doing calculus in your problems. physics 7a had no calc for me, many of the kids were taking their first calculus class ever, so they did about 2 proofs in the class and never saw it again. i was asleep for most of 7b and dont remember jack. just look up old class websites (via websoc) and look at test keys to see the kinda of questions they ask you.</p>
<p>additionally, if something happens and you want to go to bio, im fairly sure you can petition to count physics 7 towards ur physics requirement. im 99% sure it wont go the other way (phys 3 -> engineering/phys sci). </p>
<p>also, physics 3 does real physics labs apparently, with write ups and what not. in physics 7, you go in with a workbook and do some pages. nothing is expected for you out of class. </p>
<p>in terms of difficultly, i dont know anyone who has taken both (and who would?). physics 3 covers the same thing as physics 7 but in 3 quarters instead of 4 (phys 7 = a,b,d,e in total. some majors dont need e). i figure physics 3 wouldn’t cover as much depth, but thats my guess. i really doubt anyone would struggle in one and thrive in the other. dont worry about the grading scale. in phys 7, the grades tend to fall as they should (least for me they did). in phys 3, i dont know.</p>
<p>Oh wow FlemmyD, you are just like me…chemE turned into chemistry major. During my freshmen and sophomore year, I actually had Danielle as my counselor as she was super nice but then she moved to USC for another job.</p>
<p>But ya, 7 series is the physics for science and engineering majors. In fact, that’s the title of the book used for the series, physics for science and engineers. From my experiences in 7 series, I never really came across calculus in my classes even though the class is said to be calculus based. 3 series is what the bio majors and people who are premed take. From my friends tell me from bio, the 3 series seems to be extremely competitive…my friend told me that when he tried to ask for help, the person just either pretended he didn’t hear him or simply said “I don’t know.” However, I am not sure everyone is like that in 3 series since I never took it. He also told me his physics 3B class wasn’t curved last quarter…wth. All I know is that for 7, I never really came across competitive people who won’t help you in discussion if you ask for help. This is extremely evident in physics 7 lab when everyone will work together because they want to get the hell out of there ASAP. I thought physics 7 lab was a big waste of my time for a 1 unit class.</p>
<p>And oh yeah, flemmyd is right when he (maybe she?) said that a chem/engineering major cannot get away with the physics requirement by taking 3 series although I do have one chem friend who got away with taking physics 3 but then he has to also take math 2J (linear algebra and infinite series…yes weird and nonsensical combination) and math 3D (differential equations).</p>
<p>And ya, amen to the whole pure chemistry major thing. I don’t really see what the big hype about bio is…like practically all my friends in chem are also taking classes in bio. The whole bio-chemistry option in the chemistry major…ya, don’t care.</p>
<p>Btw flemmyd, which research lab are you in?</p>
<p>i actually really dislike bio LOL. its more of memorization and what not… I’m still undecided on which kinda engineering major im going for but most likely it will be civil. So i think i will take the 7 physics class. </p>
<p>and wow @ the people who just ignore others.</p>
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<li><p>why are you guys on this late? im watching the saved by the bell movie on tbs.</p></li>
<li><p>im on/off these forums. if i have nothing important to do, i end up playing games, going out, etc. if i have work to do, i put it off by going on CC. hah. </p></li>
<li><p>ive heard a lot of horror stories from the bio classes/phys 3 series. i know some people that are cool, but i try not to work with them academically because they tend to get competitive anyway. i doubt the whole class is full of jerks, but it only takes a few loud jerks to ruin it.</p></li>
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<p>@irviner: i was in the Nowick lab, but they kicked me out cause i a lot younger (just finished ochem) and they didnt think i had enough training to do my own projects. average cost of reaction in his lab is like 700… and funding is drying in a lot of the labs (heard shaka too). now im in the martin lab. all the other undergrads in the lab are doing like protein syn or something (gels). im the only undergrad who should be working on probes for her solid-state NMR. im still in training now, hopefully i can start really working in about a month or so.</p>
<p>also at brayz: i think some of the bio stuff is kinda interesting. in particular the bio chem, pharm stuff. unfortunately, most of the kids in the bio program are heavy for med school and dont really care to work on the material, jsut pad the CV/resume. the ochem profs don’t seem to like pre med either.</p>
<p>if i wasnt in chem, i might be doing civ eng. i like the transportation system stuff. hahaha wasted so many hours on simcity 4.</p>
<p>Same here with Sim City 4 LOL</p>
<p>Flemmyd, did you take chem 160? Cuz that’s the class that he wants everyone who tries to get into his lab to take. I tried applying for his lab (I also took 160 last qtr) but his lab was apparently “full” (wasn’t what he told me originally) aka he prolly thinks he can find someone better.</p>
<p>no. i just finished regular ochem, and wasn’t in the honors sequence. i just finished my freshmen year, so when i signed up at spop, the honors ochem was full for me. (so i couldnt take 160 instead of 52lc)</p>
<p>i got into the lab cause i had nowick for chem 51a in the fall 08. in the winter, i did some independent study and eventually moved into group meetings and lab. prof king said i couldnt take 160 being in the regular ochem sequence (shes in charge of that stuff). i think if i’d made a stronger push to professor nowick (that i wanted to be do my own projects), he would have just signed my add/drop card. i would have been in chem 51lc and chem 160. probably should have done it in retrospect.</p>
<p>part of the reason the lab is “full” is that he has like no grad students (2 3rd years and a 2nd year… and a post doc right now). compare that to some other labs, which have upwards of 10+ (weiss has 15 for example, jarvo has 11, woerpel has 17 for example). ultimately, its the grad students that need to teach you everything and work with you, so its more of if they have the time for undergrads, not the actual prof. most profs arent in lab unless theres a particular reason. something they dont tell you at UROP.</p>
<p>EDIT: i think we hijacked this thread…</p>
<p>For civil/material/structural engineers do you think they should take honors chem sequence?</p>
<p>^---- +1 wanna know</p>
<p>honors chem for engineering (outside of chem/matsci and maybe BME): not unless ur premed or are considering doing some chem cause you like it or something. you are required to take it as a general ed requirement-ish though. or unless its easier.
if my memory serves me right, the honors sequence has better teachers and a much better text (zumdahl) then the regular chem (some thing called Wiley. they dont even bind the book, just hole punch it and stick it in a binder). the curve might also be nicer too.</p>
<p>in terms of knowing the material better, that won’t look better in your major. but it may actually be easier. if you are trying to transfer into engineering (outside the 2-3 ones i listed above), it probably won’t matter there either.</p>