@NASA2014 what is your experience regarding extracurricular activities,Prom,and High school? I know I’m asking you personal questions but I need some advice with not only my academics but being involved! Should I take advantage of leadership training offered at school and use that to help me form my own organization or find something in the Communtiy to be involved in? I envy other people who did get to go to prom becuase I wanna get the experience someday! Were you involved in anything at your community college,high school, or plan to be at your University your transfering to? I was not involved in too much in high school either and didn’t do the greatest in high school,graduated with a GPA of somewhere between a 2.8 and 3.0 which is not high enough to get into a University!
@NASA2014 when I get to Chemistry and Physics,should I take introductory Chemistry before I take General Chemistry 1 and 2? Should I take Physics I(Triginometry based Physics) before I take Mechancs(Calculus based Physics)? I took Integrated Chemistry and Physics In High School but this course didn’t cover everything of a full Physics or Chemistry course! If I do,should I take Physics II and Introductory Chemistry 2 as well? Did it help to take introductory Chemistry and regular physics before taking the actual required courses? I hope you read my previous reply!
@SuperGeo5999 Yes, please take the introductory chemistry if you never had a chemistry background. If your college offers intro chem 1 and 2 at the same time take it. What I mean is if they offer Intro to chem 1 in 8 weeks and then you start intro chem 2 right away. I did this and the next semester I took General Chemistry 1. Got a B in Gen Chem 1 and C in Gen Chem 2 (due to summer session). You are on the right path. Yes, take Physics 1 BEFORE calculus based physics. I regret not taking Physics 1 before calc based physics 1.
The introduction to chemistry 1 and 2 helped me understand and made Gen Chem 1 is for me compared to other kids in my class.
@NASA2014 are extracurricular activities and high school grades important when transfering? Is there a difference between triginometry based physics and algebra based physics? Will I be fine in General Biology if I took regular Biology in High School? I may have to take Biology if I major in Environmental Engineering!
@NASA2014 were any of the Chemistry or Physics courses you took fun? What kind of labs do physics classes have? Will I be fine in General Biology if I took regular Biology in high school(not AP or Honors Biology)?
Not to butt in, but hopefully just to add another perspective:
I’ve taken physics 1 and 2; molecular biology; and general, organic, and physical chemistry. I particularly enjoyed gen chem, orgo 2, and physics 1 (mechanics), though this will depend on the person. Of course exams are almost never fun for anyone, but if you like the material and find it interesting, you can still have a fun time in the class.
Google “physics mechanics labs” or “physics electricity and magnetism labs” to find some examples from other universities. Mechanics topics might include experiments with rolling objects, projectiles, pendulums, rotational motion, maybe some waves, etc. E&M might be circuits, magnets, etc. The labs you find won’t be exactly the same as the ones at your school but they might give you an idea of the type of things you could expect to learn in physics.
@bodangles What is or what was your major/degree?
Chemical engineering, currently a rising senior. So I’m out of the prereq stage but not done with the whole thing just yet.
@bodangles what are the upper level classes In chemical Engineering like? Do you have to be perfect at math, chemistry, or physics to major in chemical engineering or any other Engineering? Did you have the opportunity to take honors or AP classes In high school to prepare you for this riguous program? I sure didn’t and that’s why I’m in community college! What kinds of Jobs are most geared to chemical engineering graduates?
- Based on a sample size of seven (material balances, thermo 1 and 2, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, biomolecular engineering, and an energy elective), some have been tough but fair, others fairly easy, and others so ridiculously complicated that I'm glad they ended when they did because I couldn't have absorbed much more information on the subject. All of them are a good bit of work. Most involve math in varying amounts.
- You do not have to be perfect but you do have to be proficient, in math especially. Material can come back when you least expect it. (Who knew heat transfer was usually taught with electrical circuit analogies??)
- I took one AP science (chem), dual enrollment calc 1, a few humanities APs, and the rest honors when possible. Having taken gen chem and calculus before was nice. I felt fairly well prepared. However, I have also heard of other students working their way up from earlier math / science classes, as you are doing, and going on to do well. Everybody has their own path.
- Chemical engineers might work as engineers in manufacturing (such as of food, or paint), pharmaceuticals, specialty chemicals, energy, waste management, automotives, oil and gas, etc. You can see there's a lot of overlap with other types of engineering.
How hard was Molecular and Cell Biology? Thinking of doing a minor in Biochemistry and Molecular biology
@bodangles which school do you attend? Is it a highly ranked engineering school?
@SuperGeo5999 Penn State. Not sure where it’s ranked.
@NASA2014 If you’re asking me, I didn’t find it hard but I did have to spend a lot of time reading the textbook and memorizing things.
@SuperGeo5999 you can look for weather related things in your community that are not associated with your school. y DH is a bit of a weather hobbyist. He attends Skywarn meetings, is a trained storm spotter and participates in www.cocorahs.org You shouldn’t limit yourself to what’s available at your school, you need see what available in your community and get involved. You don’t need to have a degree in meteorology to do fun things with weather.
Meteorology is very math heavy major. My DD is meteorology major at OU and when we were touring the school and met with the head of the department we were told that the number one reason that students drop the major is they can’t handle the math, he recommended that students have a minimum of AP CAL BC prior to starting the program most STEM majors involve a lot of math so you really need a strong foundation in math if that is the path you plan to follow.
Personally, I’m not strong in math so I chose a major that that didn’t involve much math.
Here’s OU’s degree plan for Meteorology I’m sure other schools will be similar:
http://checksheets.ou.edu/14checksheets/meteorology-2014.pdf
There’s so much required math that you only need one additional class for a math minor!
I think you should find a vocational counselor (I’d be very surprised if your CC doesn’t have one) they might call it “employment or career center” or something along those lines. You need to look at your strengths and weakness and interests and find a vocation that works for you. In any event you really should retake that Algebra class.
@3scoutsmom I will take your advice but I won’t let that information discourage me from going into STEM! A lot of STEM things were on the list of my Indiana career explorer account where I did an interest and aptitude test! NASA2014 did poorly in one of his math classes, retook it, and is now at university studying Meteorology. I’m sure we’re not the only people who did this and is now is at university studying STEM, a STEM graduate, or has a STEM Job now. There’s people who have failed multiple math courses and still got a STEM degree but it is still true that not everyone can be an Engineer, Scientist, or mathematician because you either got to be good at math or have the strong interest to be willing to fail and get better after doing poorly on a test, homework assignment, or entire course.
@NASA2014 @bodangles or anyone was General Biology 1 or 2 like a Zoology course? I know one of them covers Animal Behavior, Animal form and function, and maybe anatomy and physiology of animals but does it cover vertebrates or invertebrates? Does one of these courses do lab work with animals?
SuperGeo5999-at your CC there is an academic guidance counselor that is getting paid to assist students specifically students with IEPs. They have a lot of resources and programs you can check out. I will follow up with you after you have made an apointment and a meeting with one of them.
@Themathaw I have worked with the disability services at my school but it’s taking time to get a smartpen to help with information absorbing lectures! I already have extended time on my tests but it’s something deeper that I have a problem with becuase I have concentration issues and get distracted in the assessment center because of the background noise!
Are you allowed to wear ear plugs during testing/assessments to block out the noise?
@bodangles what labs and experiments have you done during your time in your Chemical Engineering Program? one of my favorite labs/experiments in chemistry class was seeing a liquid change to a gas or seeing a liquid change to a solid!