Normal Freshman Eng credit hours?

<p>What is a normal amount of credit hours for a freshman engineering student? If the only LAC electives are 2 one credit music classes, the ES seminar for one credit and the 10 credits of required engineering classes for 13 credits, is that enough? Should there be a 3 credit LAC elective?</p>

<p>Is 16 credits too many?</p>

<p>My son is doing 14 for his first semester. He has 4 classes - a fifth would have put him at 17 hours which I think is a lot for a first semester freshman adjusting to college life/academics. From the scheduling guide it appears that lab science, math, es140, and 3 hours of electives are the norm.</p>

<p>Son has 13 hours as an engineering freshman. It is what the school of engineering recommended for the first semester.</p>

<p>S2 is Eng/Math Sophomore. He took 14 Hrs both semesters last year. The Engineering Modules first semester (3 Hrs) and the Freshman Eng Seminar (1 Hr) are not a lot of work at all.</p>

<p>^^^Good to hear because it sounds like all son’s other classes will be a lot of work!</p>

<p>The program is quite difficult and a lot of work. S2 told us that many classmates with perfect SAT Math scores and very high HS GPA were shocked at B’s and B-'s (and C’s) in the Engineering Math and Science based required courses.</p>

<p>Why is that shocking? They know that engineering is hard. The SAT was a multiple choice test. Most engineering, physical sciences, and natural science exams aren’t and in engineering, usually single or multivariable calc. is always involved (SAT reasoning does not even have Cal. 1). There will also be less inflation than their HS AP/IB classes, where I’m sure at many HS’s, most students enrolled in them get at least B+ before or after weighting. At places like Vandy, I’m willing to bet that 1/3 of a science course class getting A-/A is generous (and likely only happens after a curve. A C+/B average is normal in science courses at selective southern schools. Doesn’t really matter the incoming credentials, that never changes). How do students not expect this? Engineering schools/courses don’t mess around and the HS preparation is essentially meaningless at these places. Getting in only suggests that you have the potential to do decently in the program, not remain perfect as before. I think it’s well known that freshman should be careful with that first semester because of this. Only unusually prepared students can likely handle a heavier than normal load without a very high level of stress. </p>

<p>These are normally people who have probably done dual enrollment where they experienced an actual college environment where sections are large and curves harsh; not a difficult but relatively coddled AP/IB environment of maybe 10-30 students where many classes are taught directly to the test. Compare this to many science professors at selective institutions who intentionally design their own exams with very challenging curveball and applied questions that cannot be easily anticipated, but can usually only be answered by like 10% of the class. These folks are not trying to prepare you for tests. Also some of such won awards in some national/international science or math competition and are not your stereotypical elite student who loaded up on AP/IB credits, has a high GPA, and a great SAT score. The latter students are essentially average (yes, even those with an 800 math, especially if they got into the engineering school) at these places now.</p>

<p>I mean, the moral with engineering is: Don’t be arrogant, be careful. Pretend as if the HS record doesn’t matter (I know profs. and advisors at Georgia Tech flat out tell this to students; that the courses like math and physics are intentionally much harder than any HS equivalent).</p>

<p>For first semester, the fewer the better!</p>