Maybe it depends on the department - maybe some do and some don’t. Thank you both for your perspectives! I’m continually learning from all of you!
@chercheur Absolutely each department has their own rules, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all that some do and some don’t. Also, besides the supervisor of the advisors, not many have any leeway.
If it is possible for your timeline, consider taking the PPP course before your NSC and MPE4. If you have finished senior year in advanced math, had a gap year, maybe feel nervous, it is 225$ but it seems money well spent to do it before rather than after NSC.
https://ppp.tamu.edu/
The timeline won’t work for everyone, it is a shame this course isn’t started earlier IMO. I can’t find data for the fail rate for 2019, I think 2018 was over 40% of eng admits failed to get the 151 placement score at their NSC mpe4.
Other than the one practice test for the Math Placement Exam for Engineering Majors – what else can we use to supplement for reviewing the Math for the Math Placement Exam?
Are there any preparation books we can buy? Kaplan, Barrons?
So you can take this course before taking the NSC or is this only for those that fail the NSC?
Last year, there were two online practice tests the students could take (from their Howdy portal), but they had to be taken four weeks (?) apart. Also, there was a practice test that could be printed out anytime.
https://engineering.tamu.edu/academics/undergraduate/math-placement-exam/index.html
Not passing this test also prohibits students from signing up for Chemistry, if I’m remembering correctly.
https://engineering.tamu.edu/academics/undergraduate/math-placement-exam/preparation.html
this page has the practice exam
Th other thing to do is if you are going to have eng 102 (i think that is the number) is look at python coding. Some of you kids will know this stuff, but others will have never coded. Do some self teaching, look up khan academy, reddit, and the TAMU course reqs. Don’t assume the teacher will be actually teaching. I think this course caused a fair bit of angst. Make friends with CS kids LOL.
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So you can take this course before taking the NSC or is this only for those that fail the NSC?<<<<<
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So I don’t know the answer to that, https://ppp.tamu.edu/ppp/contact-us/
https://ppp.tamu.edu/
this was '19 but nowhere can I see it precludes taking in advance of the test.
I have seen this recommendation about Python. I told my daughter that I wanted her to learn it this summer (she doesn’t have any programming background). I just downloaded it myself and am learning it so that I can help her through.
As far as the professors not teaching programming, I can remember being a freshman in college (UTA) and having a terrible Fortran professor. Luckily, I had a great Pascal teacher in high school and Fortran was very similar. I can remember being in the computer lab and having classmates beg me to help them, though.
As an actuary, I can tell you that the future in almost all STEM fields is going to rely on predictive modeling and AI. The quicker the kids learn how to program, the better it will be for them in the long run.
And I will add that even though these kids are growing up around technology that most of us couldn’t even imagine when we were growing up, I worry that it prevents many of them from digging into how the programs actually work. They don’t have to build a program to do x because there is already an app that does it for them. The best engineers are the ones who are going to be able how to build a program for x… because x hasn’t been invented yet.
@Sybylla and @TexasMTDad Would you recommend any good Python coding camps for College Bound Freshman kids? I don’t want to put her in a kids coding camp. 
I think she took a programming class back in Freshman year and did very well, but not sure which programming language she learned. She refused to take any more programming class, as she was the only Girl and she said the class was boring. 
I don’t know any good camps but my son told me that there are many ways online to learn Python. Literally anywhere, that’s his words lol. Just search learning Python. I guess your daugther learned Java, which is basic class for HS. Just tell her to make sure to search for Python 3, I think.?There are also older versions of the program.
TAMU software recommends that you download Anaconda (which is the best way to install Python). From Anaconda main screen, there is a Python tutorial that can get you started.
I am teaching myself Python so that I can work with my daughter over the summer. I know several programming languages, so I am just learning syntax. The book I bought off of Amazon is called “Python Crash Course.” I had a similar book from the same publisher when I learned R and it pretty good. Walks you through step by step.
Thank you! It has been a while since I looked at programming (took some for my degree in college), I don’t work in development so my programming is rusty and probably cannot help my daughter.
Thank you for the recommendation. This really helps!
Watch The New Boston on Youtube. The Python teacher is good. Just download Python 3 and jump in and try it. TAMU tells you online how to download it.
Loved this thread. Come for the MPE, stay for the Python.
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