<p>A few posters asked for an update on my DS once some time had passed to see where he ended up. Well, here goes. </p>
<p>After being kicked out of his ME program a year ago for low grades, he visited a professor in another engineering program (at the same school) to talk about his situation. That professor felt that my son was in good shape overall (overall GPA around 3.0) and was happy to accept him into that program. After a year in his new engineering major, DS has had semester GPAs hovering in the 3.7 range (and this is with all engineering courses – no electives) and is doing extremely well. He is on track to graduate next year, and is working to bring his GPA up high enough to get him into graduate school. He has joined some engineering clubs and is very active in those clubs, plus has developed relationships with some engineering faculty who have taken him under their wing.</p>
<p>So, my response to all the people who thought that his early mistakes meant that he wasn’t meant to be an engineer, I can happily say that his passion to be an engineer is alive and well, and he is thriving in his new program. He still accepts that his earlier problems were his own fault, but has learned from that (no more procrastination!) and is constantly working to excel.</p>
<p>For those of you who offered the supporting words, I can’t thank you enough. He just got off to a bad start, but redirected himself (with the help of several caring faculty members) and is now an excellent student who will one day be an excellent engineer.</p>
<p>Thanks for taking the time to write this very encouraging update, Mum! It sounds like your son has been successful in finding the right place for him.</p>
<p>Thanks for that feedback - it’s great to hear it’s working out well for him. This may all help him in the long run once he gets into the working world - he learned that engineering projects usually take longer than expected and may be more difficult than expected so it’s best to get an early start and be prepared to do the level of work required to get it done. </p>
<p>Your update may help some others who encountered an ‘adjustment period’ when hit with the level and difficulty of the work for an engineering major.</p>
<p>This is a great thread to read and I appreciate the update. D “survived” her first year of e-school and has now hit her stride. There were times that she and I both wondered if engineering was the right path for her but it now seems that it is. What a great update and congratulations to your son.</p>
<p>Glad to hear the happy ending. It sounds like your son has a real zeal for engineering and good that there was a professor who recognized this. I say…hooray for this second chance. Your son clearly learned how to manage his engineering courseload and the commitment he made was HIS. Congratulations to him.</p>
<p>I have a slightly different question about this. Four disparate pieces of info …</p>
<ul>
<li>Son “loves” engineering … </li>
<li>Son in hot water because of 2.45 GPA in core engineering course</li>
<li>Son has 2.9 overall GPA …</li>
<li>Not sure what % of his courses are these core courses … but if it 50% then his non-core GPA is something like 3.35</li>
</ul>
<p>I understand the OP’s son “loves” engineering … but I’m wondering if with a 2.45 core GPA and 3.35 non-core GPA if engineering is really for him?</p>
<p>He clearly is capable of excellent academic work but the core engineering courses have not brought it out … I’m wondering if some related fields might be a better fit? Is there something in that 3.35 world that could bring him into the engineering environment without being an engineering (management of a technolgogy or manufacturing company for example)</p>
<p>Yeah! It’s always nice to hear a happy ending. And congratulations to you too, mum. I know it’s hard to keep up a happy face, but you deserve credit too for believing in your son and for your encouragement to keep his passions going.</p>
<p>Great news, so happy your son was able to regain his focus in his passion.</p>
<p>Our talented but immature high school son many years ago thought practicing his scales was boring…and assumed he would coast into his desired colleges.
His dad supplied him with a quote from Aristotle that has motivated him since:
You are what you repeatedly do. Excellence is not an event – it is a habit.</p>
<p>Helped him see that what he actually did each day would determine his success.
He’s now a graduate music student doing very well.</p>
I know this is a very old thread, but I stumbled across it when I revisited CC after a few years (with child #3 approaching college admissions this fall). So I decided to give another update on my son who got kicked out of his engineering major a few years back. It’s hard to believe that was more than four years ago! After my last post, he got involved in campus engineering societies and joined concrete canoe club – those of you in engineering will know that makes him a Civil Engineer. He graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering, and because of his work in his last two years of college, he was offered a full ride for a MSE program in Civil Engineering with a significant research component. He was awarded his MSE 1.5 years ago, and was then awarded a fellowship which provided him with a full ride for his doctoral degree – again in Civil. He has two years to go, and has a goal of teaching afterward. Several CC members were very supportive when I first reached out for ideas to share with him. I appreciate that very much, so for you, I offer this happy “ending!” Not all kids who get off track are on the wrong path – sometimes they just need to refocus, find the trail, and get themselves going again.
