<p>Hi all, I'm currently a high school senior intending on studying engineering at either Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute or Carnegie Mellon. More specifically, Biomedical Engineering. I don't mean to sound pretentious, but I'm pretty bored right now and with my classes. Sure, AP Calculus and AP chemistry and AP Physics C are challenging, but I'm pretty much done with those courses and am almost ready to take the AP exams right now. That being said, I seek greater academic challenge and decided what better than to start preparing for my college classes? I don't mean hardcore preparation now, but I would like to start reading books and textbooks that will give me a headstart this late august and to begin learning the material needed to succeed in the classes. Can anyone recommend what books or textbooks I can start reading to prepare myself? And for what classes? As a first year engineering student, would I be learning more advanced calculus and sciences? (Beyond calculus II and the intro classes I get AP credit for)</p>
<p>Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Do you think it would be useful to go through all the Khan academy videos for Calculus, Linear Algebra, Differential Equations, Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics?</p>
<p>I think you should enjoy the last real time you had to relax this semester and summer an worry about college when you get there. By your boredom you sound like you must be reasonably intelligent already so you should be able to do this just fine. You don’t have much time left to just relax and be young. Use it wisely.</p>
<p>Oh trust me I am. I would just like to start reading and looking at some books so I know what I’m in for. After all, it’s a whole different ball game than high school classes. I won’t do the Khan academy actually haha.</p>
<p>If you have any projects you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had time to pursue, now would be the time. </p>
<p>I would also recommend picking up programming (or a new language if you already know how to program). Programming can be a lot of fun, and it will come in very handy in your future (if not for jobs or research, at least your introductory computer science classes). </p>
<p>[Project</a> Euler](<a href=“About - Project Euler”>Archived Problems - Project Euler)</p>
<p>^This basically summed up my senior year of high school.</p>
<p>I would say start looking at statics and dynamics… They are our weeder couses in first year and are very stressfull… Hence i went to EE!</p>
<p>Preparation for differential equations and applications (which is a part of almost all engineering curriculums, I believe) :</p>
<ol>
<li>An Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations - Earl Coddington (around 60-70% theory, 30-40% application from what I recall).</li>
<li>Partial Differential Equations for Scientists and Engineers - Stanley Farlow (problems alternate between simplistic and maddeningly difficult; you NEED a strong background in ODEs to read this).</li>
<li>If you have trouble with Coddington, you could read Ordinary Differential Equations - An Elementary Textbook for Students of Mathematics, Engineering, and Sciences by Tenenbaum and Pollard instead. It’s a much longer (and in my opinion, less elegant) textbook, but it’s still good and slightly easier to digest than Coddington.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you’d prefer something a bit less mathematical for summer, I enjoy organic chemistry and recommend either of the following, although I’m not sure that all branches of engineering require organic chemistry:</p>
<ol>
<li>Organic Chemistry 6e - Morrison & Boyd (absolute classic; a couple decades old, but still remarkably good).</li>
<li>Organic Chemistry 4e - Marc Loudon (much newer than #4, also very well-written with a good focus on understanding mechanisms, not just memorizing).</li>
</ol>
<p>Disclaimer: I am not in engineering at the moment (I have looked at the requirements for ChemE a good amount) and checked my recommendations with my physics professor, a former engineer, but your mileage may vary.</p>
<p>Note: I would not recommend reading all of these, at most one during the summer. There are better things to do.</p>
<p>I find Linear Algebra to be the most beautiful subject and often neglected in engineering curricula. I recommend Gilbert Strang’s Linear Algebra book as a reasonably easy and enjoyable self-study. The insight provided by learning this material will be invaluable. </p>
<p>If you haven’t learned how to program, there is an online book called “How to Think Like a Computer Scientist - Python Version”. </p>
<p>These are things that will be pay dividends in a lot of courses.</p>