<p>bump...bump///bump</p>
<p>jeffl- do you think the mentorship program works? do you know anyone in it? it seems that having a mentor in my area of concentration would be a way to make a large campus small...do you know anyone that works with the solar powered car project?</p>
<p>i dunno anyone with the mentorship program, the solar car team is too huge. i used to have an interest in it, but there are other student teams that are just starting, which means u can contribute more.</p>
<p>I have a few questions myself Jeff, if you dont mind. I'm going into Michigan mechanical engineering next year (fall '05)</p>
<p>How many classes do you generally take per semester? Is it difficult to graduate in 4 years?</p>
<p>I'm taking AB Calc this year, I know you talked about what the Calc1,2 classes were like at UMich, but do you recommend skipping Calc 1 if you get a 4 or 5? I dont want to enter second semester calculus and realize that I'm actually way behind//there are things not covered in the AP that were still prerequisites to 2nd semester calc.</p>
<p>Do your recommend self-studying anything, or taking community college classes over the Summer in preparation for next academic year?</p>
<p>How much studying should I expect to do during my first year at Michigan?</p>
<p>Is it easy to transfer between schools if I find engineering to not be what I ant////If I decided I want to go into business (a second interest of mine) can I apply tot he business school after second yea rof engineering, or are there specific requirements?</p>
<p>Thanks a lot, I appreciate it!</p>
<p>18 credits is max. before u have to pay extra tuition. 4 classes is usually the typical semester, sometimes u have a lab on top of it. i would try to not take physics at michigan, especially physics 240(E&M) if u get credit for calculus or anything, take it. u won't be behind, calc 1 and calc 2 are totally different. there are no requirements besides the application and essays for business school. typically u apply to business school in the second semester of sophomore year. studying: a lot more than u did in high school. </p>
<p>school started again, so i have to study, but leave questions if u like i'll come and answer any i can.</p>
<p>it's been awhile- been busy with school- biology IA projects/ data collection etc...i'm really tired of school right now- everyone feels the same that i can see..i remember alexandre saying that it took him 1 year to get use to u of m..sounded like that was true for you too..That really bothers me...i know you really looked into the school for the best fit (considering value etc). Would you say many of the freshmen have a hard time easing into U of M...or is it just the type of courses we take that really are hard and create "self-doubt" to those who were top of the game in hs. You freaked me out when you talked about calculus 1 and 2..and i believe i have a good foundation from the IB math class i'm taking. (But i have thought about taking the advanced credit or the community college thing...) what is the name of the book that is used in claculus 1 and 2? Has you paper been published yet- your research project?? what other tidbits can you lets us know about. what do you know about south quad? i hear most of the engineers live on the hill...</p>
<p>Jeffl,
My son is a high school junior and has been informed that he will get the RPI medal. He is considering RPI & Cornell in NY; Brown, Tufts & Olin in New England; CMU & Bucknell in PA; Case, UMich, UIUC, Purdue & Rose-Hullman in the midwest; U Md, JHU, Duke, VA Tech, Vandy & Tulane in the South. We have visited both NY schools and he liked both (he eliminated Syracuse and Union). </p>
<p>STATS:
NJ Resident
680V 700M (November SAT I),
Just took new SAT (Preliminary Kaplan Scores have been
730V 800M 670W
3.7 GPA, Some Honors and AP's, but not full load.
No AP or SAT II exams yet.
Last Summer took intro to Engineering at U Md. - "A-"
Fell in love with Engineering
Works 30 hours/wk
A few honors and various clubs.
Not much to note other than VP of Computer Club</p>
<p>Please give suggestions as to where you think he should apply. Especially where he should visit this Spring break. He is more inclined to go with a mid-sized school. The Midwest U's are very large and R-H, Bucknell and Olin may be too small. That is what he didn't like about Union. Any comments or suggestions on any of the above schools would be appreciated. I know there are a few Reaches and Big Reaches in the list. Of particular interest are your comments on Vandy, Case and RPI, since they are at the top of his list right now, especially with the merit aid they give. You decided against each for the prestige and quality of UM. Approach the search from the poit of view as $ and size is a main concern. Thanks for any help</p>
<p>congratulations PLANTREE on S's RPI medalist status. i am a RPI medalist from my school and recent admit. I think i will be going to um due to the quality of engineering program. but it's hard to turn down merit money.</p>
<p>there are a few schools that I can suggest, schools that I overlooked when I was applying. Rice University, their engineering program is not ranked very high, but the education quality is superb. This is one of the only schools in the country where u don't see a lot of recruiting efforts. One thing I like to tell people who are applying to colleges with an intend to major in engineering is to NOT look at the USnews rankings too carefully. As long as your school is in the top 50 in engineering overall, it has decent departments. SAT IIs are very important for engineering majors, and don't overlook the essays. at the top schools, if u have a 3.8, 1400 sat and a very good essay, it is often better than a 4.0 1500 with a bad essay. I would urge him to not try to be too creative, this is the mistake I made when I was applying to colleges. Just stick to something that shows his passion for learning and a person who knows what he wants to do in life.the key word is SHOW, NOT tell. okay getting back to the schools, I would recommend applying to some ivy caliber schools like cornell, duke, and northwestern. These schools are all very strong in engineering, some departments like rice's are small, this contributes to their low rank in engineering. schools like vandy, umich, uiuc, case, they will accept him most likely. i'm not a big fan of liberal arts schools, i think mid-sized universities are better.</p>
<p>Thanks for mentioning Rice, we will have to look at it further. Ranked 20, same as Duke and RPI. My son is very intrigued by Tulane. They would be a safety, but there ranking will probably go up in the next few years with Dave Filo's infusion and notariety. They also have a lot of merit aid programs. I am reading a lot of comments, including yours that a top 50 program will give him the opportunity to get a great education. Obviously, as the old adage states, you only get out what you put in. Therefore, if he performs at any of these schools he can go to most any graduate engineering program, i.e MIT Caltech, UM, etc. to gain the status he wants.</p>