Physics difficulty at UT Austin?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

At this point, I’m pretty sure I’m going to UT in August. I just have a few worries about the major I chose: Mechanical engineering.
So, I heard from a student there and plenty students online, that physics is incredibly difficult (not just at UT but everywhere). I suck at physics. I’m taking AP physics C right now. It’s been a year, and I still have so much difficulty understanding concepts and how to visualize certain ( or all )problems even basic things such as pushing a box up an incline. To give an example: all the practice AP exam multiple choice that my teacher gives … Most problems I have no clue what to visualize, where to begin, or what formulas to use or even what formulas there are to use. Maybe my brain just isn’t good at grasping concepts like these ?? I don’t know, but it’s incredibly frustrating. Well, anyway, the point: I’m scared that university level physics will completely stress me out my freshman and sophomore year and that I’ll have to study 24/7- and even then still not get an A ( which is okay in college, I know). I’m starting to even reconsider my major!! That’s how much physics is scaring me.

I was thinking that maybe I could try to take the AP physics C exam on May to maybe opt out of at least one physics class. However, it’s my senior year and I just wanted to relax and not have to spend my last two months studying for AP tests as I have these past four years. I just want to enjoy these last two months before I have to leave my friends and family. if I do start studying now by reading prep books and watching online lectures and re-doing all the practice exams, I know I could pull off a 4/5 it’s just that … These are my last months of high school and at home and with my family. I want to spend my time with my family and friends and dogs… Not with my face in a book.

But would it be worth it to take the AP exam and skip one physics class (or however many they give credit for)?
I’m just so anxious now because I am just starting to realize how important it is to be good at physics in Engineering … Which I am definitely not naturally good at- at all.

These are the other exams I have credit for: us history , Spanish, gov, English lang, biology (maybe), macro, calc ab, psychology and three others that I don’t think I will get credit for. And I’m taking calc bc this may but not sure if I should use the credit for calc 2?

********QUESTIONS: Anyway … Any advice from engineers from UT Austin ?? What did you do ? Did you take the physics class(es), how were your professors, what was your grade, did you take the AP exam for physics / use the credit, how much did physics consume your time/ stress you out ? And overall, how stressed were you in college … Did you have a social life … Did you sleep ? ( how much)… And what grades did you receive in the tougher classes ?

In short … I just don’t want to be my high school self anymore- the one who looks for the hard way out rather than the easier way out & the one who skips out on good memories because of all the time I spend studying.

I just don’t want to be stressing 24/7… I want at least some free time in college and I want to feel relaxed , stable, and in control. Obviously, this doesn’t mean I won’t study. Trust me, I will. But I don’t want to be doing it all the time- just barely enough to get an A.

Gosh I’m just so nervous about college in general.

2

If you are that uncomfortable with physics, then you should absolutely not try to AP out of it. Of course, if you are that confident that you could pull off a 4 on the exams then I don’t know why you think you are going to flunk physics in college.

I’d also caution you against trying to be the guy who always looks for the easy way out instead of the hard way out. That’s no way to live your life or improve yourself. You can certainly study hard and play hard in college. People do it all the time.

3

"It’s been a year, and I still have so much difficulty understanding concepts and how to visualize certain
( or all )problems even basic things such as pushing a box up an incline. "

And you are certain you want to be a Mechanical Engineer?

4

I’m only confident I can pull off a 4 because I can memorize how to do a bunch of different multiple choice problems and answer a bunch of different free response…sure I’ll memorize how to do them, but I won’t actually understand the concept behind the work.

I thought I wanted to be an Engineer because I want to learn how things work/how to create products of my own…but now…I don’t know.

5

It sounds like you just aren’t studying effectively. Physics (and engineering) is not about memorizing formulae. It’s about learning the underlying physical principles and the process of problem solving so that you can use the two to solve more complicated problems.

Really, all mechanics (first semester physics) boils down to is F=ma.

6

That’s the problem…I try and try to understand the principles but when it comes down to actual word problems…I can’t visualize what I’m reading.

7

Don’t try to visualize it, then. Draw it out! Sometimes actually drawing a picture is a whole lot easier than trying to visualize it.

8

Good advise above. It often makes sense for engineers to take AP credit for electives but repeat physics and/or calc. How is calc going? You’ll use that a lot in all your coursework.

9

Calc is good! Got a 5 on AB because I had an amazing teacher. BC…not so much…but hopefully will score that 5.
I do try to draw them out (we are required to do free body diagrams) but it’s hard to draw anything out when you can’t visualize it…or when you don’t even know where to begin.

10

According to the UT engineering web site: “Research has shown that students with developed spatial visualization skills (the ability to see and think in 3-D) are more successful in engineering…”

Are you male or female? Research has also shown that there is a gender gap in spatial visualization skills, with females doing worse. If you read about it, it has to do with a certain area of the brain being more developed in males than females. Artists and athletes fare better, and there is some speculation about musicians also doing better. Start with the UT engineering (undergraduate- spatial visualization) web site and go from there.

The good news is that UT screens for this, and your skills can be increased with training. You’ll take an online assessment and if you score lower than a certain threshold, then you’ll take a course your first semester that is supposed to help. I think it might be a 6-week course or so.

According to the UT mechanical engineering students that we asked, since mechanical engineering relies so heavily on physics and calculus, you really need to take them there at UT, but you can AP out of Chemistry. The adviser we talked to said to AP out of the 1st calculus though.

Now, regarding the stress level. We were just there, and as we talked to advisers and students, I jotted down words that I kept hearing over and over. “Intense” was one that I kept hearing, in different forms, but pretty much from everyone-- students and advisers. There were different ways that students coped-- having an engineering group in the band, exercise, etc.

11

Thank you so so so much, Commiserating! Your comment was somehow comforting. Hopefully my 3D skills will improve with time and classes. For now I suppose I’ll just stick to engineering because that’s the only thing I’m drawn to (which conflicts with the fact that I am not “meant to be” an engineer… if you get what I mean).

Oh, and I am female.

12

bump

13

I’m not trying to be rude, but based on what I have read in this thread. UT Austin will eat you alive.

14

I talked with a student at Purdue the other day who started in mechanical engineering with very weak visual spatial skills. She wasn’t very far into the program when she switched her focus to Industrial Engineering and seemed to be doing very well in that.

I thought of you when I was talking to her, so I’m just passing along information to you.

15

My spatial skills are not as good as many engineers, and in retrospect I was a bit weak on math skills. But I was a very diligent student and graduated with honors at a respected MechE program (probably not as tough as UT today).

“it’s hard to draw anything out when you can’t visualize it…or when you don’t even know where to begin.” - I often felt that way in EE stuff (Physics E&M, E-sci). It was fun to take exams watching lots of students doing right-hand-rule hand stuff. Once out of school I had a non-theoretical job and was happy to never see another imaginary number.

16

@Commiserating I was thinking to do that as well, but I don’t think UT offers it. :frowning:

17

@colorado_mom Hopefully I will succeed as you did. Thank you for your input!!!