<p>Hello all!
So I've been trying to figure out what I want to do in college in an effort to narrow down my choices of where to go. Many of the schools I applied to have engineering programs, and many do not. I don't really know a lot about engineering in college, but I really like science and problem solving. The issue is that I'm not really confident in my math and physics skills. I am currently taking AP Calculus BC, AP Physics B, and AP Biology (as well as other AP classes). My grades in bio have been consistently in the high 90s range, but my physics and calc grades are lower (mid B range). I really enjoy these classes, but it just seems like I'm not "as good" at them. Would it be a waste of time to look into engineering? Are many people in similar positions as me? Any advice would be awesome! And thank you in advance.</p>
<p>You should at least look into it if you think it’s somthing you like. I wouldn’t worry about your B’s in AP calc and physics. My high school didn’t offer AP classes and I only took up to algebra 2 and never took physics in high school and I am getting straight A’s in college engineering.</p>
<p>Thanks! So are you implying that high school math and science are somewhat irrelevant?</p>
<p>Well, if you do Engineering, you basically should retake all AP math/science courses anyway. Taking the courses in high school will help with getting familiar before you enter college, but it probably isn’t more beneficial than that.</p>
<p>It’s not a matter so much of how good you are, but what you love to do. You don’t have to be a math genius to be an engineer (but mathematical competence is, of course, necessary). Math is a means to an end for an engineer. If you love to solve problems and find solutions, then you are suited to be an engineer. Given that you are enjoying calc and physics, it sounds like this describes you. (You sound a lot like my son, who had similar worries, and is now doing fine in a very respectable state u. engineering program.)</p>
<p>Your B’s in your AP classes are fine. The folks who should avoid engineering are the ones who get a D in the AP classes and a 1 on the AP Calc exam. When you are a freshman engineering major, you will see that there is a percentage of the students who just can’t handle the math and physics and have to switch majors out of engineering.</p>
<p>Pretty much…in high school at least for me I never studied once and still got straight As. Most people can’t really do that in college unless they’re a genius. College is more about work ethic than being smart even though being smart helps. So if you really want to do engineering and work hard it won’t matter how you did in high school. I know people who got straight As through high school, but failed out of college and I know C students who are at the top of their college class. So I don’t think high school is a good indicator of how you will do in college.</p>
<p>I want to echo the comments dmt117 said and add;</p>
<p>High Intellegence and Good Grades does not always equal Good Engineer. </p>
<p>Problem solving is not a matter of what you got As and Bs in. Of course to be an engineer you will need to be able to learn and understand scientific and mathematical principals, but you will also have to learn how to apply them; this is not something you learn because you are good at getting high marks in theory based courses. Good grades represent your understanding of the theory, success in engineering (and most fields for that matter) is represented by your application of the theory.</p>
<p>If you like engineering because you like asking why something is the way it is or happens the way it happens then you are on the right track. If you like engineering because it challenges you to push the boundaries of generally accepted practices then you are on the right track. If you like engineering because you like to “figure it out” then you are definitely on the right track.</p>
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<p>While this is usually true for physics, since calculus-based physics is required for engineering, this is less often true for math. Students who easily got a 5 on the AP Calculus test should generally be able to move ahead in the university math sequence (except at some super-elite science and engineering schools); if they start over, they are likely to be bored unless they do so in an honors or extra theory version of the course. Students who got a 4 or (especially) a 3 on the AP Calculus test are more likely to benefit from starting over.</p>
<p>Some schools have specific courses designed for students with AP Calculus credit – e.g. completion of freshman calculus in one semester, filling in whatever gaps there may be between the AP syllabus and the university’s syllabus.</p>
<p>The student with a 5 in AP Calculus who moves ahead in math can also start physics a semester earlier, which can give a bit more breathing room in terms of arranging future schedules (e.g. some engineering courses may be at the end of a 7 semester course long prerequisite chain that starts with math and physics).</p>