<p>In college, is calculus and diff eq the weed out classes for engineering, in particular mechanical engineering?</p>
<p>I assume it really depends on both college and students. Ones I am aware of, it is usually the physics courses that eliminate more engineering students than other courses, although chemistry can do some damage as can calculus and differential equations</p>
<p>It’s usually physics from what I see. Test averages for physics usually are in the 40-59 range while the averages in chemistry, calculus, and differential equations are in the 60s-70s.</p>
<p>I definitely thought the physics classes were. Once you get past the first or second calc class everyone is math-capable enough to pass the rest of classes it is just whether or not they put in the effort.</p>
<p>It’s usually the physics courses from what I’ve seen.</p>
<p>I’m a little confused. Why would math or physics be the weed out classes for a particular major? Wouldn’t that major’s classes be weed out classes? Making math or physics weeders would affect everyone doing science.</p>
<p>At many if not most universities, lower-division math, physics, and chemistry classes come before the bulk of the engineering classes. My engineering major required three semesters of calculus and differential equations, two semesters of physics, etc. before I could even begin my actual major classes, which were only junior and senior level. By that point most of the students still in the program know what it takes to succeed, so there’s comparitively little “weeding out” by the major classes.</p>
<p>For mechanical engineering, thermodynamics was the weed out class at UIUC. People dropped after math and physics and chemistry, but that reached across all departments, and wasn’t en masse like some people here are suggesting (at least not for us). Thermodynamics was the first major ME course we took, and was taught and graded much differently than the math and physics courses. As such, it became the class that really started filtering out people who really didn’t have any business in ME.</p>
<p>They can be, it just depends on the school. But they will try and get you some how. I’m in ME, and at my school physics isn’t that bad, and calc just depends on the professor. Can be hard but it can also be easy.</p>
<p>They get us with statics & dynamics. My school combined the two classes into one 5 hour class and teach it using the “scale up” model (where the professor acts more like a coach rather than a lecturer). Needless to say that a good portion of the students get to enjoy the class more than once.</p>
<p>whats the scale up model?</p>
<p>physics is usually a weeder course, but not the only weeder. hehe…</p>
<p>If you pass physics with at least a C, does that mean that you are capable of getting through an engineering major? (provided that you remain focused or even get better at studying with time)</p>
<p>It depends. If it was an extremely hard professor, or you gave a half ass effort you will probably be fine. If it wasn’t that hard and a good porition of the class got A’s & B’s, it might be an indication. </p>
<p>It just depends if the student is struggling with the class. If he is, its only going to get worse. Also, once he is in industry, he is going to be expected to compete and work with people who got through the classes no problem. Just something to consider.</p>
<p>In CS it’s the CS classes that do the weeding. I agree with ‘slorg’ that it would tend to be the major courses that would do the weeding but everyone’s different and for some it might be math, physics, or something else.</p>
<p>I’d agree that physics and calculus are the weed-out courses for engineering in general. Each specific engineering discipline then has it own weed-out course(s), usually the first principles course(s).</p>
<p>Retention is becoming a more important statistic in engineering rankings, so some schools are moving toward a “teach” model, rather then a “sort/weed out” model. Statistical data sometimes reflects the older, no longer used model. </p>
<p>An alternate approach is that taken by Memorial University of NewFoundland. One applies to the engineering school in second year, after a year of math and science. AP allows you to bypass this year. </p>
<p>Missouri S&T used to be a weed out school. Now they are working hard to really teach the very qualified students they admit.</p>
<p>If students where not qualified to handle the work, why did the school admit them in the first place; seem rather sadistic.</p>
<p>Toadstool–seems that a lot of schools admit students that are not qualified to do the work; not just engineering. I’m not pushing SAT/ACT, but it seems that there is a reason that schools have minimum standards with regard to admissions. Why would a student want to attend a college with minimum standards in place, yet that student does not really demonsrate thru admissions testing that they can perform at those minimum standards? There again, not looking to turn this thread into something else, but it happens and at a lot more schools than we are lead to believe!</p>
<p>^ Not for everyone.</p>
<p>To the OP: No, physics commonly is used as the “weed out class.”</p>