I’m a chemical engineering major, I have to take organic chemistry, physics 2, mass and energy balances 1, and calculus 3. How do I approach this and pass all these classes? SN: This is my second time taking orgo. Last semester, I took orgo, calc 2, and physics 1 and couldn’t really handle it. I passed physics… but didn’t do so well on calc 2 and failed orgo. But I don’t have any other choice but to take all these classes or I’ll be behind in my major by a year.
Ca’t you use summer semester? Calc3, physics 2, should be available even at CC. Is there a CC that has a relationship with your current school? Summer at your uni?
I already have 14 credits of classes to take this summer, in order to catch up with my major. And these classes are prereqs for the ones ill take over the summer. If not ill be behind by a year
Maybe you could take some time over break to figure out how to study more effectively for orgo next semester?
The alternative to taking more time is that you won’t graduate at all. Where are you at school? And what is your GPA? Are you direct admit to chem eng?
How were your high school stats? If you have 14 credits to take over summer (not doable IMO) plus the load you have this semester, something is not working. You are a soph?
Calculus 3 is going to be very heavily dependent upon what you have learned in calculus 2 (as well as calculus 1, precalc, trigonometry, and algebra). You might want to use the next few days to brush up on these subjects. You need to focus on understanding the concepts. It is not sufficient to just try to memorize formulae.
Are you taking calculus based physics? Personally I found physics a lot easier to understand with calculus, and having the two at the same time was good because at least where I went to university the physics and calculus professors were obviously coordinating their lessons. They would teach something in calculus, and then a few days later we would be using this same thing for understanding some form of motion in physics class.
You need to try to stay ahead in your classes. Always attend every class. Always sit near the front of the room and always pay attention. Start to try to do the homework the day that it is assigned. Then seek out help early if you have any trouble at all doing the homework. Do not fall behind.
I agree with @Sybylla’s comment that “something is not working”. I think that there is more that you haven’t told us about how you managed to fall behind. You are in a subject area where keeping up and fully understanding the concepts is very important. I suspect that you have some distractions or some weaknesses in the background that is needed for you to do well.
Your college most likely has peer to peer tutoring and /or math /chemistry/physics help groups. Use study groups. Do your homework in them so you can ask the tutors for help as your doing your homework. Go to office hours… That’s what they are there for.
Summer classes are usually shorter and somewhat accelerated. 14 credits for summer is to much of your having problems now. Talk to an advisor.
You should probably clarify your progression so far, and what advice you have been given. You could be an odd soph or a badly advised freshman.
This is a very typical engineering schedule of classes. You’ll need to master handling this level of rigor, going forward. All of the standard advise would apply in your case.
1. Time management is key. Plan on spending the required time to master the material. You really have to spend more time studying and doing homework/labs outside of the class room than many other majors. Get into the habit of going to the library, several times a week, and in-between classes. It's fine doing EC/fun stuff, but don't let it take too much time out of studying. Don't let yourself get behind, stay up on the work.
2. Study Groups, Study Groups, Study Groups! I can't recommend them enough. Find/make a few friends in each class and schedule time to get together and study, do homework, etc. I would recommend the library, but Starbucks, etc, work just as well. Study Groups are also a great way to reduce stress and make new friends.
3 GO TO OFFICE HOURS!. You're not going to understanding every concept in class, make sure you take advantage of your prof's office hours and get help. Ask Questions! Then you can be your study group's hero, having all of the answers... :P
4. Take advantage of any tutoring opportunities offered at your school, and attend every class (if possible, you will run into schedule conflicts). Ask Questions!
5. Do have some fun. It's fine going to a basketball game, or a party, but it should be done only a few times a week. Also, it's fine joining a design team or doing undergraduate research, but it then becomes even more important for you to manage your time.
It all boils down to time management, study groups and taking advantage of office hours/tutoring/etc.
Good Luck!
Chemical engineering is a brutal degree. My D2 is a ChemE. Can you delay Orgo to later in your program so that you can master the other 3 subjects. In my daughter’s program Orgo 1 was a prereq for Orgo 2, but it wasn’t a blocking prereq for the required ChemE classes. On the other hand, physics, math, and mass and energy balances were all required to progress within the program and since as you know, certain courses are offered in the fall and certain others in the spring, you really want to make sure you stay on track with the ChemE courses and their prereqs. You can take Orgo 1 and Orgo 2 over some summer, even if it’s not this coming summer.
At the end of the day, if you overload and don’t master the material of your foundation classes, your foundation crumbles. I also don’t think it’s criminal if you don’t graduate on time. Go see an advisor and have them help you plan out a schedule that you can actually do.
If you don’t pass the classes you’ll be behind by a year. And SO WHAT? It is okay to take longer (if you can afford it) and you may be a better engineer for it.
I had lunch yesterday with old classmate. She’s a civil engineer but decided at the beginning to take 5 years because she wanted to take courses that interested her, including some music. She’s very successful. She said that she retook calc and other classes like chem and physics to get a good foundation, and she wished she would have suggested that to her daughter (eng. at Notre Dame). Why struggle so much?
I attend Florida State. I graduated high school with about 25 credits in AP classes, unfortunately most weren’t classes I needed. I had a 3.6 gpa… my gpa is now a 3.1 due to failing orgo. I am behind because at my school the engineering degree starts at Calculus 1. But I had to take Pre-calc and trigonometry my freshman year. And didn’t take calc 1 until last summer. You can’t enter the ChemE major until calculus 2 is done. I finished Calc 2 last semester, so now I have to catch up with all the engineering classes that I should’ve taken last semester and this semester. Which accounts for these classes that i’m taking during spring, and the 14 credits that ill be taking over the summer. If I don’t do these classes between now and summer… I’ll be set back a year because starting junior year, certain classes are only offered in fall and certain classes are only offered during spring and summer. If I don’t do these classes now, Ill have to wait until fall 2019 to take them… which will set me back a year.
Can you write down the prerequisite tree for your program?
What is the financial picture? Do you have bright futures? What is the massive time issue? You just won’t achieve your fantasy of catching up in this time frame. your GPA isn’t terrible at all for this stage of Chem eng, many kids take 5 yrs to do eng and you were behind from the beginning becuase of your math. 14 credits over summer doing what? IMO this is just not possible. You should never have thought 4 yrs was going to work when you had to do pre calc math classes. Your option can be accept the long game. Clarify finances, do you live on campus? Do you have a scholarship that has a minimum credit requirement? You are in in state student? Do you have a job?
And to reiterate gato, this is what eng looks like. Chem eng is brutal. Your first year was light, because of being behind, this is the normal.
To enter the chemical engineering major, you must have chem 1, first year engineering lab, calc 1, and calc 2. Also, typical English, humanities, ethics, and diversity which are prereqs for any school. All my prereqs are done.
To progress to the junior level courses… I have to take mass and energy balances 2 (4 credit hours), process analysis and design (4), intro to biomedical engineering (3)… which ill take over the summer.
Also, mass and energy balances 1 (3), orgo 1 (3), physics 2 (5), and calc 3 (5), which ill be taking in spring. And bio, which I’ve already taken.
I also plan to take orgo 2 (3) over the summer, to get it out the way, which accounts for the 14 credits ill take over the summer.
My plan was to put off orgo but unfortunately its a corequisite for mass and energy 1, along with calc 3
Are these classes even offered over summer? (org2, mass/energy etc), and what has your adviser had to say?
Yes, and my advisor is out of the office due to break
What is Physics 2 a prereq for?
To enter the junior level courses, its a corequisite for phy2049