Got some questions, would really appreciate some advice.

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>Man, I don't even know where to begin. I'll try to make this as short as I can, basically I graduated High School in 2005 and went right on to a Community College. Because of family issues beyond my control, I dropped out and got a job to help out, I didn't even finish my first semester. Fast forward to 2013, the opportunity has presented itself for me to be able to go back to college and it so happens that after all these years I would like to pursue a Petroleum Engineering degree. Now I have some questions and I'd be grateful if anyone could answer or at least point me to the right direction. Keep in mind that I would be doing this Full time and with a (not messing around) attitude.</p>

<p>First things first, catching up. I haven't touched a book (or solved any advanced math) in years, I am currently studying/preparing to retake SATs since I've been out of school for so long, but from what I understand, Engineering degrees are quite hard (or demanding if you look at it that way), and I have no clue what I should be doing to get up to speed other studying online. Should i be taking remedial classes at a local College before I even attempt at going in?.</p>

<p>Now, I know that I should at least go in with some College Calculus, Chem and Physics since it relies a lot on these, are there any other courses that I at least should touch on before enrollment?</p>

<p>To be honest I wouldn't be surprise if I didn't get accepted to any school that had this degree (since i know these are fairly limited) and I'm putting everything I've got into these SAT tests, but is there any way I can increase my chances? or should i try to get my GPA higher through community college and then apply to these somewhere down the line (It was around 3.2 if that even matters).</p>

<p>I've done some research but I'd rather hear it straight from someone in the field. Are the 4 years of school as hard as everyone makes it out to be?, also I am 26 so I would be finishing this by the time I'm 30, what I'm worried about is that the age gap would work against me at the time of actually looking for a job, since most likely everyone will be younger than me. Would this be an Issue?</p>

<p>As you can see I intend to put the time and effort and go through with this and I understand that this ended up as a wall of text, but any answers would be a deciding factor on this issue so it would be great if i could get some help. Thanks in advance.</p>

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<p>Yes they are hard. What you need to understand is that to study engineering is about learning about analytical methods of analysis and design. You will learn the concept of abstraction where you can break up problems into smaller and smaller idealized problems that you solve, and you build up the solution of the complex problem from the solutions of the smaller simpler problems. To that end, your toolbox is primarily mathematical. You want to understand math because math is your friend. You want to understand algebra, algebra II and precalculus, including trigonometry cold. Geometry is nice, but not really essential. </p>

<p>How you achieve this is up to you. There are many great online resources, Khan Academy, for example. Do a lot of problems, don’t just look at lectures. </p>

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<p>People always emphasize math and science, but they should really emphasize math. </p>

<p>Science is nice, and it would be beneficial to have a high school level of understanding in both chemistry and physics, but especially in physics, you will learn it better once you have the calculus math background. You can study Calculus and calculus-based physics at the same time in college. It’s actually very synergistic. </p>

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If you learn better having the time pressure, maybe. But to be really successful as an engineer, being able to teach yourself is ultimately your goal. </p>

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<p>I would be surprised if your high school or community college record matters an iota. I think that studying for the SAT is worthwhile. It’s especially important to get a high math score because it provides an indication that you can do the work. </p>

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<p>Most people go to college and get a general or business education and it’s not really a professional degree. Engineering is one of the few areas (Nursing is another) where you can get a professional degree at an undergraduate level. As such, it’s much harder than a general degree because there is a lot of material to pack into 4 years. </p>

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<p>It shouldn’t be. Many employers would prefer to pay someone an entry level salary who has above average maturity, so I think it would be a plus. Much more important is how well you do and what your capabilities are. I often think it would be beneficial for more people to take 5 years and do a better job in the courses and learn the material. It all depends on how much of the material you really need for the job. </p>

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<p>I think getting yourself to the point where you have mastered at least Algebra, Algebra II and the Geometry that you need for the SAT is a prerequisite for the SAT. Then mastering the precalculus is a prerequisite for attempting an engineering program. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>Hey there ClassicRockerDad, I appreciate all the advice you’ve given me. I guess that this will be a lot more reliant on Math and problem solving(not that it’s a bad thing) more than anything else so I guess I better hit those books. Thanks a bunch!</p>

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<p>Do you want to enter a four year university at the frosh level, or start at a community college and then transfer to a four year university (usually at the junior level)?</p>

<p>If you want to enter a four year university at the frosh level, check carefully their rules about who can apply for frosh admission. Often, there are limitations on attending any college or completing any college courses after high school graduation. Check this before enrolling in any college courses (and check whether your previous community college attendance disqualifies you from frosh admissions at the four year universities you are looking at).</p>

<p>You can assess your readiness for calculus with these placement tests on algebra, geometry, and trigonometry topics:</p>

<p>[Calculus</a> Diagnostic Placement Exam | Department of Mathematics at University of California Berkeley](<a href=“http://math.berkeley.edu/courses/choosing/placement-exam]Calculus”>http://math.berkeley.edu/courses/choosing/placement-exam)
[Placement</a> Test](<a href=“http://math.tntech.edu/e-math/placement/]Placement”>http://math.tntech.edu/e-math/placement/)</p>

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<p>Hello ucbalumnus, Honestly I think I’d be better off going to a CC and then transferring since I’ve been out of school for many years, that said, I have no clue how credits would transfer since there’s no accredited schools for this specific degree in AZ(where I reside). So I will eventually need to move to another state and enroll as an out of state.</p>

<p>How could I go about doing this, I plan on checking the necessary courses to make sure I pick accordingly, but I’m also thinking that since most of the Engineering Majors are similar, maybe I could try to go with a typical course selection from say Mech or Chem Engs. How do other Eng Majors’ classes compare to Pet Eng Majors specifically, I wouldn’t want to transfer my junior year only to find out that I’m behind everyone else because they’ve been there since their fresh year. Also thanks for the replies guys.</p>

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<p>There are 17 schools with ABET accredited petroleum engineering majors. You may want to go to their web sites and check to see if they have course articulation agreements with your local community colleges (not that likely, but you might as well check). If not, check to see what the most similar other majors are in terms of frosh/soph courses, then use the frosh/soph courses for those other majors at UA and ASU as your template for choosing courses at your community college (since UA and ASU should have articulation agreements with your community college in AZ).</p>

<p>Another option is to explore the types of petroleum-related jobs and how other engineering majors which are offered at UA and ASU may be a way in. This may be necessary if the out-of-state or private universities with petroleum engineering majors are too expensive (check their net price calculators). You may also want to check how difficult it is to establish state residency in the states where public universities offer petroleum engineering majors (since you are 26 years old, you need not worry about your parents’ state residency, which applies to students under 24 years old).</p>

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<p>Also, if you intend to do the transfer route at the junior level, you may not need SAT or ACT scores, since your admission would be based on your college courses and grades (however, if you intend to transfer at the sophomore level, you probably will need SAT or ACT scores and high school records). Check the transfer admission web sites of the universities of interest.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the advice, I really appreciate it. I more or less have an idea of how to proceed for now at least, I am definitely going through with this, I think that even if I need a student loan, it would be a fairly good investment in the long run. That said, would it be alright if I could bother you guys with some PMs if I have any other questions regarding this?</p>

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<p>ClassicRockerDad gave you a lot of good advice. One place where I differ is that I think that geometry is important in most fields of engineering including I would think, Petroleum Engineering (although it isn’t my field, so I can’t say for sure).</p>

<p>I am now retired, but I was a manager and hired several engineers who were older and just getting their degrees. One guy got out of HS and got a technician type job and then he decided to better himself and got his BS degree. Another flunked out of college the first time, worked for a while, then went back to college (a different one than before) and was more willing to put the work into his studies and did very well. </p>

<p>Did you take the SAT test in HS and, if so, what were your scores? I am not sure all colleges will accept SAT scores after you have attended college classes. Kind of puts you on a different footing than the other applicants.</p>

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<p>HPuck35 I did take the SAT back in High School, but honestly I can’t remember my scores, all I remember is that the adviser from college back then told me I didn’t do too bad. Regardless, I ended up contacting some Community Colleges around here and it seems that I’d need to retake these tests in order to re-enroll at any of them. Thanks for your advice though, I’ll make sure to take a look at some Geometry just in case.</p>

<p>Also, I’ve thought about what ucbalumnus said about applying for state residency in one of these places. So far I think the most realistic choices for me are Colorado and Texas, in which case I don’t know if It would be best if I just moved and got into a local CC and transferred over to the actual school a couple of years down the line. Would this make it easier for credits to transfer over instead of out of state? would anyone advice against this?, also would it be harder to secure things like an internship in places like Texas where there’s multiple schools that specialize in the field?.</p>

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<p>Transfer credit between community colleges and state universities is usually easier if they are in the same state. They often have articulation agreements of pre-approved transfer equivalencies within the same state, but less often for out-of-state community colleges. Of course, you should check the residency rules carefully to make sure that you can get residency, at least before you transfer to a more expensive four year school (community colleges also can have higher out-of-state tuition, though probably not as much as four year schools).</p>

<p>As far as internships for petroleum engineering, I would expect them to be most available in places where there is oil, such as Texas, Louisiana, Alaska, Montana / North Dakota, Pennsylvania / West Virginia, etc…</p>