<p>Incoming engineer here. Could you give me some advice on how to succeed in engineering? Also, how is Analytical Physics, Calc, Gen. Chem?
Did you have to pull any all-nighters?
Did you have any room for social life?
How much did you have to study?</p>
<p>I finished my first year this spring, and it was quite a challenge.</p>
<p>My advice to you would be to focus on studying, but reward your hard work with some fun. It’s good to be very serious about your work, but also join a club to keep you busy. It makes you value your time more, and will motivate you to study more too. Just because I was busy with classes and studying, that wasn’t the only thing I had time for. Make some time to bond with your floor, or friends :)</p>
<p>Now about the classes:</p>
<p>Analytical Physics: This class wasn’t bad. I took AP Physics in high school so I knew most of it. It is just more demanding and challenging than AP. If you study and do the mandatory online homework, you’ll be fine. Do the practice exams too!</p>
<p>Calc: Which calc will you be taking? I’ve taken 1 and 2 already, so which one would you like to know about?</p>
<p>Gen Chem: This was the most difficult for me. If you’re good at chem it should be ok, but I had to study the most for this course. The professor switches mid-semester, so I went from having an amazing helpful professor to a boring and confusing one. Read the book inside and out for this course and do the practice exams.</p>
<p>If studying, when in doubt, do practice exams! They are from previous semesters. Professors generally post them online.</p>
<p>I haven’t pulled an all-nighter yet. If you choose to put off all your work and party every night, you’ll be going through plenty of them. But if you budget your time and study well in advance, you won’t need to. I’ve stayed up late several times, but nothing close to an all-nighter. I think 4 hours was the least amount of sleep I got.</p>
<p>The amount I studied is a little more than my non-engineering friends had to. During the day, I was always either at class, studying, or doing homework. Majors other than premed, engineering, and pharmacy tend to have more free time.</p>
<p>If you have anymore questions about courses, other courses you may be taking your freshman year are: Calc 2, Engineering Mechanics: Statics, Chem lab, Engineering Orientation, 1 or 2 humanities electives, and Intro to Computers for Engineers (Matlab).</p>
<p>What is Statics all about? What exactly do you study? How do I do well in that class?</p>
<p>Also, is it wise for me to be exempt from Expos? I am able to be exempt, but I don’t know I should because as someone who’s preparing to go to med school after college, I heard English was very important. On the other hand, I also heard that Expos is the only class that you DON’T want to take since it’s annoying and will impact your academic performance on other classes. What do you think?</p>
<p>Make some friends for matlab. Anal. Physics was a joke but I had already taken AP physics, if you don’t already know the material I suggest spending a lot of time on the hw because you don’t get any other examples. Gen. Chem was easy, an A was like an 80+ and all the exams are cake. Plus the first half doesn’t deal with any thing particularly challenging (and neither does the second but its certianly more challenging than the first). I don’t know about 1 or 2 but multivariable from what I could discern looked very easy non-honors. Basically read the book and do the homework and you can get away with never going to lecture (assuming you like math at least a little).</p>
<p>I pulled zero all nighters, its really not that bad at all. Finals week I studied a little more than usual but they give you free days to do it. On a typical day I spent maybe 4 hours in class and studied for ~2 hours, sometimes more sometimes less so I had a TON of free time to socialize and do ****. Ended with a 3.72 cause of matlab. Have fun, don’t stress!</p>
<p>Anybody knows how hard are biochemistry, genetics, physiology, biochemistry, and other upper level science classes?</p>
<p>I am a chem major here at a brookdale and have taken gen chem I and II, gen bio I and II, Organic chem I and II, Gen physics I, and calc I. I will finish up calc II and physics II here and get an associate degree. So far I have found everything to be not too difficult. I study a lot but the materials aren’t very tough. Am I in for a schock at RU when I take those upper level science courses I listed above?</p>
<p>@Sixflags</p>
<p>Statics is basically a more advanced physics course. You study vectors, forces, and torques in different types of structures. If you plan to study civil or mechanical engineering you may enjoy the material, but I found it kind of difficult.</p>
<p>For expos, it would be better to take the AP credit and use that time to take another course. You can take a humanities elective or something easy :)</p>
<p>@needsmorsleep</p>
<p>Assuming that you got a B+ in the matlab, could you explain what caused you to get the grade you didn’t want? What makes the course hard and what do you there? As for making friends at matlab…what’s the purpose of it?</p>
<p>I can answer your question partially.</p>
<p>The matlab professor wasn’t good. She gave us difficult projects and was a little harsh at times too. The purpose of making friends is so that you can work together on assignments. Trust me, you may need to work with other people.</p>
<p>This may be the most embarrassing and disgraceful question one could ever ask as an engineer. What is a matlab?</p>
<p>Ah, it’s Intro to Computing for Engineers. I heard that the professors don’t let the students program with Java or C++. Is this correct? What kind of projects do you do in Matlab?</p>
<p>Yeah it’s a programming language.</p>
<p>The projects were really random. To name a few: designing a parking meter system for Newark Airport; make a GUI (graphical user interface) that can upload a sound file, play it, and display the graph with sound waves; and the spring semester class had to make a gradebook for the course.</p>
<p>The projects are pretty interesting, they’re just really hard to work on all by yourself.</p>
<p>Yeah, everything drexeler said</p>
<p>Here is my response:</p>
<p>Matlab: Easiest class ever, it’s the only class that made me loose track of time, because it was so interesting. I spend countless hours in front of the computer and try to code my project, and I never thought of it as an annoying class. Professor was terrific, in my opinion. </p>
<p>Calc 1 & 2: Must find a good professor who can teach the material well, if not, you’re on your own. I had the luck of having both Calc 1 and 2 with a great professor who knew how to teach and I learned a great deal. Exceeding AP standards. It is truly an engineering version of calculus, the complexity and the depth the class goes into, it exceeds most regular calc classes that is offered. </p>
<p>Physics: Like Drex said, it was a bit challenging, they really brought a new meaning to Analytical Physics :)</p>
<p>Chem 1 & 2: If you did well in AP Chem, this should be so easy for you, I personally think the class is a joke in terms of difficulties when compared against Gen Chem for arts and sciences.</p>
<p>Chem 1 and 2? Well, unfortunately, I will be taking General Chem for engineers. I don’t know if that’s what you took.</p>
<p>And quite frankly, unlike you said, I heard from many that Gen Chem for engineers goes into much more detail and complexity compared to SAS Gen Chem. It also sounds as if you’re understating difficulties of some of the courses you described. Nothing to be taken personally, of course.</p>
<p>There is Gen Chem 1 and 2 for engineers. You will take 1 in the fall semester and 2 in the spring. The professors are the same. If you want to major in Electrical or Computer Engineering, you won’t need to take Chem 2.</p>
<p>As difficult as I found Gen Chem for Engineers, I have SAS friends who had even HARDER chem courses; they were of a slightly higher level. </p>
<p>Chem can be really easy if you are really good at it, which I assume Xu is. Unfortunately, I wasn’t and struggled quite a bit in the course. I still got a decent grade after hours of reading the textbook.</p>
<p>@ Sixflags, Most Engineers who did take Gen Chem for Eng 159/160 thought it was difficult probably never saw or use Gen Chem 161/162 's practice exams as an additional aid resource. I have and I can’t believe how in depth 161/162 goes into versus 159/160. They go more in depth when compared to Chem for Engineers not only in individual topics, but they also go into topics Chem for Engineers omit, such as Stereochemistry, Coordination of Complex compounds and some Pre-organic chemistry contents. (**Which I can see why, because the only engineering major that would need to know these topics are Chemical Engineers, and majority of the students are not in that track, so no need to teach such topics if only 10 or 15 people goes onto Organic Chemistry) </p>
<p>I used 161/162’s practice exams as an additional aid to prepare myself for Eng Chem, and it worked very well. The complexity of 161/162 exam pushed my understanding of Chem beyond boundaries and made Eng Chem’s exam a breeze, because if you can handle the complexity of 161/162’s exam, there is no way you can’t ace the Eng Chem’s exam. In truth. </p>
<p>I suggest you try this when you start Gen Chem for Engineers, look into 161/162’s practice exam before your own exam, it will help ALOT. </p>
<p>@ Drexeler: I hated our textbook… I sold it back after the fall, and went through with spring without a book. Ahahahaha, that book is poorly written and bad at so many level. Too much unnecessary information 
(I ended up reading 161/162’s lecture notes)</p>
<p>Thank you for the tip, Xu701zero. Was your chem book written by Silberberg? Also, how hard is calc 1 and 2 at Rutgers? I got BC credit, but I decided to retake these courses to maximize my GPA. How much did you have to study for it?</p>
<p>Also, if Chem for engineers is really that easy, what makes the engineering school so hard? Chem, just like Physics and Calc, is a major engineering course; if Chem for engineers is very doable, then why are people crying about their GPA?</p>
<p>The book I had for the first semester yes it was Silberberg 2nd edition. </p>
<p>Engineers take more intense version of Calculus 1 and 2, and they are not easy, however, I worked really hard and it felt super rewarding in the end and it paid off. Since you already received BC credits and is looking forward to maximize GPA boosting, I recommend you take calculus 1 and 2 over then, it really is different than AP versions. Calc for Eng and math majors go in much more depth, especially since rutgers do have a good math reputation, so take it over again if you want to maximize GPA. (But do beware, I have heard from others that those who got a 5 on BC still found calc 2 to be somewhat difficult, but you’ll see for yourself)</p>
<p>Chem for Engs was an enemy for many people because they did not study. In truth, the lecture size went from first day being 400 people to almost only 30 people by the end of the term, because people think they know everything and don’t need to show up, and in the end their grades did not exactly reflect their arrogance. Plus like Drex said, there are very few engineering majors require you to take Chem for Eng 2, so most people just view the class as <em>I want to get this over with, and just do average or enough to pass so I don’t have to take it anymore</em>. Even those who do need to take Chem 2 for Eng, they also have this idea that they won’t need to move onto Organic Chemistry, so no need to really care about how well they do in gen chem, which is true, only Chem Engineers move onto Organic Chem, as it is part of the core requirement. For Biomedical Engineers, it’s an Option, not a requirement. </p>
<p>I hope you work hard in all classes and ultimately find it to be a rewarding experience just like I did. </p>
<p>*<em>Note: Chem for SAS people is tough for another reason: over 2000 students are registered for that course 1 and 2 every semester, it’s a way for the Chemical Biology department to *weed</em> out the competition, because they can’t have 2000 people majoring in the same thing, so they make the introductory chem very difficult for general arts and science people. Our engineering version can’t be weed out type because we only have 400-500 people. and only 78 went onto something related to Chemistry. </p>
<p>-Statistics from 2010 major enrollment into Chemical Engineering program. 78 people. No idea how many this year, it is presumed to be much less.</p>
<p>**NOTE:: if you want to retake calc 1 and 2, don’t send in your BC result for credits, if you do, they will not allow you to register for calc 1 and 2, they’ll just put you directly into Multivariable, in which case, I SHALL SEE YOU THERE! AHAHAHA =)</p>