Is this course load doable?

[LPFanVGV]

Hello all,

I’m currently a freshman community college student enrolled at a Texas community college, and I’m currently looking for some advice and tips for my second semester of college. Right now I’m finishing up 12 hours with classes being placed on two days of the week, and I’m not failing any of them, since they are mostly introductory course and I’ve seen some of the material in high school. However, I really want to have a solid foundation of courses when the time to apply for transfer admissions rolls in, so I’m planning on taking 17 hours which is 5 courses. I wanted some insight since I want to transfer to an in-state university for computer or electrical or mechanical engineering; for example, UT-Austin, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, or UT-Dallas.

Here’s what I’m planning to take:

MATH 2413 - Calculus I, this will be an online course.
CHEM 1311 - General Chemistry I
ENGL 2322 - British Literature I
HIST 1302 - U.S. History 2
PSYC 2301 - Introduction to Psychology

So, I will be taking Calculus I online and taking my other classes in person. I also want to start the Calculus I-III sequence and finish all three in 2017. All these classes are core curriculum classes that match up with UT-Austin’s transfer guide. I don’t work or party, and I will be having the online course throughout the week and the other courses Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday.

Do you guys think this is doable? I know it’s going to be based on factors such as the academic rigor of the professors, but either way, I’m still questioning myself on this schedule since I’m only a first year student. Thanks!

[boneh3ad]

That is a light semester by the standards of typical engineering programs.

[LPFanVGV]

Oh really. I’m taking those non-engineering major courses as core curriculum, and I’m just now able to be qualified to take Calculus courses. After this semester, I’m planning to take Calculus II and Engineering Physics I - Mechanics over summer 2017 12 week course, then Cal III and Eng. Physics II over Fall 2017. Do you think this is doable as well, or would it be difficult either way. Thanks for replying!

[JAMCAFE]

You should check the transfer requirements for your major. For example UT engineering says:

2. Only courses listed in the student’s engineering degree program, or equivalent courses accepted by the department chair and approved by the dean, may be counted toward an engineering degree. A course may therefore be accepted for transfer credit but not be applicable toward an engineering degree.
3. Transfer students must have completed at least the equivalent of:
   Mathematics 408D or M 408L or M 408M
   Physics 303K
   Physics 103M (lab)
4. Transfer applicants must also complete four technical courses (math, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, computer science, and engineering).
   The above listed courses in #3 may apply toward the four technical courses.

TAMU mechanical engineering says:

RECOMMENDED COURSEWORK FOR ADMISSION
MATH 151
MATH 152
ENGL 104
PHYS 218
PHYS 208
CHEM 107/117
All Required Coursework listed above must be complete or in progress at time of application.
Competitive applicants will have at least all of the Recommended Coursework completed and have earned a grade of ‘B’ or better in each of the above courses.
PHYS 208 must be complete or in progress at the time of application.
*Students attending an institution without an equivalent to CHEM 107/117 can transfer an equivalent to Fundamentals of Chemistry II (CHEM 102/112 – CHEM 1412) to fulfill the CHEM 107/117 requirement.

[boneh3ad]

Taking two technical courses at once is a fairly light load. Once you get into the meat of an engineering program, taking 3 or 4 is more typical. Taking 2 at once over the summer is a heavier load since those tend to move more quickly. I wouldn’t take any more than that but taking that is certainly doable.

[LPFanVGV]

I’ve already checked; they have course transfer guides for each school:

UT-Austin’s Engineering Transfer Guide for ACC (the college I go to).
https://admissions.utexas.edu/apply/transfer-resources/acc-transfer-guides

I’m looking at the Cockerell School of Engineering one.

For TAMU, I’m looking at this one:

https://admissions.tamu.edu/admissions-staging/media/Main/pdfs-transfer/ENG-Electrical-Eng.pdf

Since we don’t have CHEM 107 equivalent at my CC, I have to take two semesters of CHEM to meet that…

[JAMCAFE]

17 credit hours is a normal full load but you should note that lit, history and psychology taken together may entail a lot of reading. If you are ok with that you are good to go.

[LPFanVGV]

I’m mainly worried about the literature class, as the last time I took an English course was Spring 2016 as Dual Credit in high school and I barely squeaked a C for credit. This was partly due to how tough the professor graded, though.