<p>He’s enjoying his classes, met with adviser who is re assuring him. First calculus quiz next week. Says he is learning calculus with physics, other kids in class doing same. Something about derivatives…some other word I don’t remember… Applying, then interviewing for a semester in Bonn, Germany. If he drops physics, some other class will be out of sequence, …asking ME about when he can take an elective. I am continuing to wear away at his confidence (sad face…).</p>
<p>
Vectors, perhaps. Tell him to hang in there! We believe in him!</p>
<p>Limits?
…</p>
<p>“If he drops physics, some other class will be out of sequence,” - Yes, physics would be a prereq for other course sequences. That’s the kind of thing that makes it tricky to get out of the groove in Engineering. </p>
<p>Per dorm philosophy, there is a lot to be said for having an eclectic mix of friends. But I’ve also seen the benefit of a kids living with other students with approx the same There are pros and cons either way.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I don’t want to scare anyone but I think I need to tell the truth (at least from my experience): Freshman engineering classes are easiest. The concepts in math, physics, chemistry… classes during the first year are concrete, easier to understand than the ones in higher division classes.</p>
<p>I think the ease of Freshman year depends a lot on hs prep. The students who skated through hs based on brains and test-taking skills are the ones that have to make the most adjustment. </p>
<p>Another factor is whether there are “freshman flunk” courses, where all students struggle and test averages are low. At my college it was Physics 1 (phew I had AP Physics - my Physics 3 class was easier… I know this to be true because almost everybody Freshman on my floor was taking Physics 1, lamenting about the homework and tests). At CO School of Mines, I hear that Calc 2 is one of the hardest courses on campus, and some student flunk it twice.</p>
<p>Agree with the above. This is one of the reasons we let S choose to repeat the courses he had done great with his APs, so that he would have confidence and cushion when he had the tougher courses. It worked out fine for him.</p>
<p>If they have solid preparation (especially math, calculus & some CS) and GOOD work habits, form & collaborate with a study group, they should be fine. If it doesn’t work out, perhaps they are destined for a different major. There are a LOT more folks who start engineering than those who end up with engineering degrees.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Berkeley claims that 80% of freshmen who start in engineering graduate in engineering (though there is the possibility of some switching to a different engineering major; overall campus graduation rate is about 90%). However, Berkeley is probably not representative of schools offering engineering overall.</p>
<p>Yea, I think for many reasons most would agree that Berkeley engineering is NOT representative of overall engineering schools. For one thing, it is considered THE BEST or ONE OF THE BEST UCs for the field. Many impacted majors as well, so students can’t as easily swap majors.</p>
<p>Actually, most non-engineering majors at Berkeley are not impacted. Switching out of engineering is easy; switching into engineering is what is difficult.</p>
<p>OK, but still think given the competition of getting into Berkeley engineering, they are NOT representative of many engineering schools.</p>
<p>" Switching out of engineering is easy; switching into engineering is what is difficult." - Very true. </p>
<p>I often recommended that students start in engineering if they have that interest. But a caveat - I’ve read about students with low engineering gpa (typical) sometimes have trouble switching colleges within universities.</p>
<p>Have also heard that if you don’t switch out fairly early, many of your engineering courses will NOT apply toward other degrees & may prolong your time earning your degree.</p>
<p>Low GPAs always reduce options available to students. One of S’s friends transferred from engineering to psychology, which he seems to like a lot. He got a bachelor’s & master’s & is now looking for a “real” job per his folks.</p>
<p>Any sense of what “fairly early” might be?</p>
<p>According to the engineering dean, she said it was pretty easy to transfer out after the 1st year or AT THE LATEST after 3rd semester. Any longer and they probably are looking at longer to graduate because courses get more engineering specific. Actually, they recommended kids in engineering choose their specialty no later than end of 3rd semester as well or it could take them longer to graduate than 4 years. There are a LOT of very specific requirements per each specific field (at least there were at S’s school). Other schools may be different but she was pretty firm about this with us.</p>
<p>She also discouraged engineers from double-majoring, since there are already so many required courses. She suggested instead that they take the general ed requirements and then take a few courses they were INTERESTED in. Some engineers did double-major anyway, but they had to be VERY focused.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Depends on the major being switched to.</p>
<p>To math, physics, or statistics: probably up to the end of the 4th semester
To different engineering major or computer science: probably up to the end of the 2nd or 3rd semester, depending on which the from and to majors are, but may be up to end of the 1st semester if switching to chemical engineering (due to additional needed chemistry courses)
To chemistry or biology: probably up to the end of the 1st or 2nd semester, unless switching from chemical engineering, in which case it would likely be up to the end of the 2nd or 3rd semester
To humanities or social studies: depends on how many prerequisites (which the student may have taken as breadth courses), but often up to the end of the 2nd or 3rd semester (or even later if the student had used breadth courses as an engineering student on the prerequisites for the target major, or the target major has relatively few needed courses and short prerequisite sequences)</p>
<p>Wow! You are so helpful!</p>
<p>All of you are!</p>
<p>It’s a wholly different world for us, so I paid close attention. The dean of engineering was very nice and quite talkative at orientation. I had tons of questions because I don’t know any engineers all that well and had never known about the college & requirements. I know not much about D’s major either but HOPE she’s getting good advice & will graduate as scheduled this spring because it’s VERY expensive to keep paying her tuition. 
Good luck to you & your S as he figures out his path. D is taking 5 years total to get her degree–IF she gets it in May. She’s faster than her dad who took 7 years to get his accounting degree eons ago.</p>
<p>Look what I found!
From the American Society For Engineering Education website.
Anybody familiar?</p>
<p>[Loyola</a> Marymount University - 2010](<a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5010/screen/19?school_name=Loyola+Marymount+University]Loyola”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5010/screen/19?school_name=Loyola+Marymount+University)</p>
<p>(I think they mixed up the 25th and 75th reading SAT range)</p>
<p><a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5010/screen/23?school_name=Loyola+Marymount+University[/url]”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5010/screen/23?school_name=Loyola+Marymount+University</a></p>
<p>and</p>
<p><a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5010/screen/20?school_name=Loyola+Marymount+University[/url]”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5010/screen/20?school_name=Loyola+Marymount+University</a></p>
<p>If this is LMU in Los Angeles, we did visit the GORGEOUS campus and one of the scouts who was in S’s troop got his engineering degree there. His main issue was that the program was small and that the faculty member didn’t know as much as the young man had hoped. He has since graduated & gotten a job in his field in LA, last we heard. S decided that for HIM, he wanted a larger program, which he did get at his U. There were 200 freshmen EE students in his program. His program also had a larger % & # of women engineers than most, which S also liked.</p>