<p>I was undecided before I decided to pursue engineering. After speaking to an advisor, apparently the only way for me to enter the department was to sign a contract saying that I had to make a 'B' or higher in each of these courses...</p>
<p>I like to think I have good study habits and I got A's in both Cal I and Cal II, but because I had never taken any physics or chemistry, they had no way of knowing how I would do in those courses (hence the contract to keep tabs on me). </p>
<p>Is this possible for a second year soon-to-be engineering student? Any advice (like useful websites) besides swearing off netflix? </p>
<p>Most engineering colleges require that you finish General Chemistry I prior to enrolling in University Physics I.</p>
<p>So, you’re saying that your school requires satisfaction of a preliminary curriculum prior to being admitted to the engineering department? Not an uncommon situation but it can be nerve-racking for some underclassmen seeking to enroll in engineering. By the way, make sure you signed up for Calculus-based Physics, usually called ‘University Physics,’ as opposed to ‘College Physics.’</p>
<p>Calc III is Multivariable Calc. You should be able to handle Calc III, Chem I and Physics I in the same semester. It’s all hard work. Try not to enroll in more than 3 STEM courses at a time (as you start your academic career).</p>
<p>Actually, it is calculus 1 that is most likely listed as a prerequisite for physics 1. Course plans often do list general chemistry 1 in the student’s first semester concurrent with calculus 1, since the student needs to wait until second semester to take physics 1 (due to the calculus 1 prerequisite), while general chemistry 1 typically just has high school chemistry as its prerequisite and is often a required course for the major.</p>
<p>There is no theoretical problem with taking both general chemistry 1 and physics 1 at the same time, but the workload may be relatively high, since both are lab courses.</p>
<p>From the title, You have to take all four classes in one semester? That will be rough because I’m sure your Chem and Physics class will have lab components probably between 2-3 hours each. It’s possible, but you really need to be diligent about coursework. All the classes can kick your butt if you don’t focus. </p>
<p>Assuming that you’ve earned those A’s in Cal I and II in a college course, and not in high school, and assuming you were a full time student or a part time student with a full time job when you were taking them, then yes, I would say you have a good study habits, which is an imperative habit for all serious-minded students. The Eng Dept advisor gave you the contract to get B or higher on all highly demanding courses (as opposed to liberal arts) to find out if you are really serious in being an engineer and because you have the potential to study well as exemplified by your A grades. That being said, the answer is yes to your first question, and you may find that many others before you have done that same route before. As you get to upper division courses, all your four courses will be in the math and engineering departments. Physics I will teach you mechanics, the basic stuff that mechanical engineering is made of. Elementary Chemistry will teach you all about the elements and all those nice drawings for something like H2O. Physics and Chemistry are both applied sciences (as opposed to math) so you will have to pass their lab experiments portions also. You will need to write on lab notebooks to write your reports on the experiments. The main thing to know in Physics is knowing the concepts and their formulas. In Chemistry, its knowing the elements, their attributes, and their interactions with other elements to make different substances like H2O. You will be needing Calculus for Physics I, but in Chemistry, Algebra will suffice.</p>