<p>My son is up to speed with Pre-Calc/Calculus AB and Chemistry/AP Chemistry having had them the last two years of high school, but he hasn't had Physics since his sophomore year. In taking the placement test for Physics at the University of Illinois, he just said "Dad, it's a placement test...What I remember, I remember". Good attitude, I thought. But, sure enough, it placed him into PHYS 100, instead of Mechanics. Since he's got a bunch of AP credit, taking PHYS 100 won't hurt him in terms of getting out in 4 years, and I think it'll help him hit the ground running with Mechanics in the spring. Do you guys think it's understandable that after two years out of HS Physics, that a prep course like PHYS 100 will give him a good shot at blowing out the cobwebs, and putting him on the right track? He aced Physics when he took it, but I'm assuming engineers will have to remember physics for more than two years after they graduate. Thanks.</p>
<p>I was also pretty much in you’re sons shoes 4 years ago. I registered for Physics 211 (Mechanics) but soon after starting the class I began to have a difficult time. After the 1st exam I decided to drop the class as I wasn’t doing too good. I ended up taking Physics 100 the next semester. Phys 100 DEFINITELY helped me out and prepared me to take Physics 211 again the following semester. I strongly recommend taking that class if you haven’t had too much physics in high school. I just wish I would known about the class before I signed up for 211. It would’ve saved me some time. However, I’ll let you know that I didn’t have AP Calc in hs.</p>
<p>I took physics 100 last quarter, it helped immensely for the calc-based mechanics class. Everything I knew about physics up to that point was mostly non-classical mechanics, and learned from texts written for the lay person without math, not the student.</p>
<p>This only applies to computer science majors (not CompE)…</p>
<p>A CS major can actually delay Physics I/Mechanics until after taking Calculus III or whichever Calculus will go over vectors. It will not harm your schedule because in most programs, all you have to take is Physics I & II and neither is a prereq for advanced CS courses.</p>
<p>I know I’m resurrecting this, but my son is going to be all done with his Gen Eds due to AP credit and two Social Science courses he’s taking in the fall, and he’s also placed out of the degree required Chemistry and Calc 1. So, Spring is looking like a prerequisite crunch. He’ll have Physics: Mechanics (4hrs) and Calc 3 (4hrs), but he can’t take any other degree requirements until the prerequisite of mechanics is done. So looking at this situation as an opportunity, his advisor says go for a Math minor (He’d only need 3 more courses that would use up some free electives), or take a non-aerospace sequence that might complement his AE degree like Atmospheric Sciences-General Meteorology followed by Atmospheric Dynamics. Or he could just lighten his 1st Semester load to 13 hours and drop one of the two Social Science courses, in order to take it in the Spring.</p>
<p>I’ll tell you one thing. The hardest course you take in college looks like Degree Management 101. Any ideas that might help him turn this lemon into lemonade? What would look better to a recruiter (besides the AE degree itself)?</p>
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<p>i know you aren’t being serious here, but i’d see how well he does in his regular classes before tacking on extra subjects and minors.</p>
<p>math 347 is a good class to take to see if he’ll be interested in a math minor. it’s a course that helps students get used to the language and style of college math. it has no real prerequisites, other than a willingness to spend time & think a lot about math problems.</p>
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<p>i wouldn’t do this to start with, but this is definitely an option if he is feeling overwhelmed his first semester.</p>