<p>My freshman engineering son is short freshman physics and wants to take it over the summer at our local 2 yr college. I do not think this is a good idea and think he should take it next fall 10 semester. </p>
<p>Then on top of that he needs a boost to his gpa (2.65) so my thinking is take physics in the fall along with calc and 2 electives (he also has Air Force ROTC classes). With only 2 hard classes possibly he could boost the gpa.</p>
<p>Any suggestions or advise?</p>
<p>If he can take it over the summer, I’d do it!</p>
<p>CC physics is usually easier than college physics. It will get it out of the way and free up his schedule.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I understand the original message. Engineering students need a year-long calculus-based General Physics course that can only be taken after completing a year of calculus. I don’t think any college offers this entire sequence in just the summer. Some calc-based Physics sequences require an algebra-based physics prerequisite. Is that the ‘Freshman’ physics course that you refer to? If so, then I think it would be a good idea to get it out of the way so that he can start in on the calc-based Physics course sequence that is in turn the prerequisite for most Engineering courses (i.e. Statics, Dynamics, Strength of Materials). </p>
<p>If your son has completed his Freshman year and hasn’t taken calc at least up through Integral Calculus, then he is probably behind the Engineering curriculum for his college. </p>
<p>At my CC, physics (algebra- or calc-based) is at least equal to, or harder than the same courses at the nearby universities.</p>
<p>Well, I’ve definitely never thought of physics as a GPA booster, haha.</p>
<p>I don’t know about your son’s school specifically, but I know that at my school it’s a dirty little secret that a LOT of the engineering students take physics over the summer and not at the actual university. The university course is unnecessarily difficult, and there is a good amount of competition to make or break the curve. Students who take it at community college do just as well, if not better because taking physics over the summer frees up their schedule and allows them to focus more on other hard classes. </p>
<p>The only advice I’d give your son is to check with his advising office if there’s anything he needs to do to make sure that the credit will be accepted. At my school, you have to fill at a form that you bring to the head of your major department that verifies that they consider the course to be equivalent. </p>
<p>(BTW, this is coming from a current engineering student who had to drop physics this semester due to being overwhelmed.)</p>
<p>Before you even have our child consider this, have him check with the school to find out what is required & accepted. At our kids’ engineering program, nearly all the engineering courses had to be taken exclusively at the school of engineering, in the sequence they offered it, so what you’re asking doesn’t make any sense to me. Our kid’s EE curriculum offered virtually no “wiggle room,” other than you could ADD a few credits as you needed to but that was about it. Also, some kids who did terms abroad or internships sometimes had to stay an extra term to meet all their grad requirements, but there were very few summer school options.</p>
<p>Our kids’ college counselor should be able to offer guidance about courses that might help him boost his GPA. Unless your kid is really stellar at physics, it might be very stressful covering so much over the summer. </p>
<p>If he can get rid of some other required courses over the summer (e.g. language, writing, social sciences) so he doesn’t have to take such a heavy load during the year, that would be a good idea, lightening his load.</p>
<p>The physics course at the CC that my daughter attends would be a lot easier than the course my son took at State U. But he would have taken the harder course if he had the choice.</p>
<p>Physics I and II usually require Calc I and II as coreqs. So if your son takes Physics I during the summer, he would need to take Calc I at the same time or he would have already had to take it. I think that students have an easier time if they’ve already taken Calc I before Physics I.</p>
<p>As mentioned before, check with his current school to see if they will accept the CC course. Some university programs tailor their courses to their programs and taking some courses at another institution will leave a deficiency which can result in downstream problems.</p>
<p>Would it be possible to take Calc I and Physics I at his institution this summer?</p>
<p>In addition to the above good advice it may be that your son needs to rethink his major. To do well as an engineer he needs to be able to do well in the math and physics at the same pace as his fellow majors. There will be many semesters of heavy math science type courses in the engineering years- if he can’t handle only two at a time he is in the wrong major. The summer course may suffice- but will it give him the required knowledge to do well in subsequent courses? I see red flags for a preengineering student worried about math/science grades not boosting his gpa.</p>
<p>Even for engineering students, calculus and physics are not considered GPA boosting classes. Public speaking, band, and philosophy are considered the GPA boosting courses.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t worry too much now about struggling with math/science if the student likes engineering and has the drive to study hard. Bad grades are common the first couple years in engineering school.</p>