Started with Intermediate Algebra. Is Engineering too far fetched?

<p>Hey guys, I just wanted to hear what some people would have to say about this particular matter. I graduated high school in the summer of 2013, I did absolutely horrible; Admittedly it was entirely my fault, but I just could not handle the mind numbing monotony of high school. Anyways, graduated with a 2.3 or 2.4 then applied to my local city college, which is Miami Dade College. In high school I always thought I was terrible at math, but I never really payed much attention or applied myself. So I ended up placing into Intermediate Algebra, which I passed with an A and thought was a joke. Last semester I took college algebra and thought it was even easier than intermediate. Along the way I've been gaining an interest for math, and I actually like it now, unlike before. In the fall I'll be taking pre-cal/trig. Oh I have a 4.0 GPA right now also, but I haven't taken anything hard, so not too impressive.</p>

<p>Sure, you can do engineering. It just might take you a little longer to get the degree because some time will be lost as you crank through the math prerequisites. </p>

<p>Well you can certainly do engineering, but I know a lot of people who fell into the trap of thinking that if they can do algebra, they can breeze through calculus. It’s not easy by any means; people who say otherwise either are lying or only learned to calculator crunch their way through it (which you can’t do in college). </p>

<p>I think it is too soon to know. Continue to take math classes, and see how you do. Of particular important is how well you do in calculus. Physics is also important. </p>

<p>With a poor GPA in high school, it will be harder to get accepted to a good 4-yr engineering program, but a solid GPA in CC will do a lot to overcome that. You should be able to take calculus and a calculus-based physics class in CC, which will provide good guidance to you if you would like and would be able to be successful in an engineering program.</p>

<p>If i’m not mistaken if you transfer out of CC after two years your high school GPA is irrelevant.</p>

<p>Just an update, my school offers 4 year degrees, so they are no longer considered a community college. Idk if that will really make a difference though when the time to transfer comes.</p>

<p>Sometimes, for certain classes, schools don’t allow you to transfer credits no matter what. Make sure you don’t take any non-transferable classes.</p>

<p>My initial plans was an electrician with 2 yr associates in business with hopes of one day owning my own company. I graduated high school with a 2.4 gpa by strategically failing courses to do the least amount work possible and get kicked out of honors classes by sophomore year. </p>

<p>When I got into CC I placed in basic arithmetic classes, and since I was now paying for school I decided not to be a fool and waste my money and actually take classes seriously. To my demise I ended up likely college academics a lot, especially algebra and the likes. Fast forward 3 and half years at CC I end up acing all my higher up STEM classes.</p>

<p>I am now transferring into an Engineering program for ECE at a local state Uni and because I followed their program of study so closely I ended up fulfilling all of my Gen Ed requirements at the CC and only have to take engineering classes, making it a lot easier on myself for the next 3 years because of the reduced course work compared to people that were there for the full four years.</p>

<p>Sure its going to take a lot longer to graduate but I learned a lot about myself, academia, other people in general, and just how life is; than I think most people would have if they went straight into a Uni with a good gpa. </p>

<p>In retro if I knew what college was going to be like compared to high school and how you were taught the “why” in sciences because you actually had the math skill set to derive concepts l would done high school differently…I think anyone would have though, I liked walking out of classes in high school to go to the metal shop and do peoples projects for them, so I figured the tradesmen life style was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. </p>

<p>But that’s life right? Learning from your mistakes and failures (which by the way is a hugely underrated way of learning)</p>

<p><em>Bit of a tangent from here on out, main points are done</em></p>

<p>For some reason I got higher up classes really well…I think it was because I literally had a bottom-up foundation by having to take college arithmetic and going from there…</p>

<p>The biggest thing I learned about myself though is that I learn a lot better by sitting down somewhere all by myself and reading the books and letting myself act all weird and goofy by laughing at the stuff I think about in my head rather than going to the lectures(not to say I didn’t go but not as much as most people). I didn’t know this until I hit college but I am highly introverted and I just can’t focus for a long time around people at all, it just drains me, and then the fact that I have to fake being interested in communicating with people over mundane things to keep from coming off like a snob (people unfairly judge introverts because its not a wide spread concept) and actually network (which is highly important). </p>

<p>All in all though I do not “ultimately” regret anything because of the learning experience. I feel like I’m smarter than the average bear because of my path.</p>

<p>Good luck OP</p>

<p>Might I suggest also reading topics on your own, research well renowned books on subjects, buy them , and read them.</p>

<p>Like Calculus by Spivak(Apostol if you are daring but some would say its an intro to Real Analysis book rather than a calculus text),the Feynam Lectures for physics(these are a must I feel for any Math/Eng/Physics major),anything by Gelfand for precalc type math, oh and Dover Mathematics books are a steal, they’re super cheaper and usually very light reads, terribly underrated books. </p>

<p>Congratulations on all your hard work, it’s refreshing to see the underdog prevail. I, like yourself, am significantly introverted, and I don’t really like study groups all too much; In fact, one of my favorite ways to approach things is to be completely alone, take a step back, and just ponder all the different possibilities for arriving at a given solution; this actually worries me a bit since people say that engineering is a very group oriented profession.</p>

<p>For about 2 months I have been ferociously going back between physics and engineering. I sincerely think I would enjoy physics more than engineering, but I’ve kinda just told myself that engineering is better because of the job prospects; I still think I can enjoy engineering, so I thought why not. </p>

<p>I realize that a physics major actually has pretty good job prospects, but not so much in the field of physics itself, at least not with an undergraduate degree, and I kind of fear that I don’t have the intellectual capacity for something like a Ph.D in physics. </p>

<p>Anyways, side question, how did you feel about the transition from algebra, pre-cal, and trig to calculus? Was it very challenging to adjust to the demand of higher level abstract thought it calculus? Or do a lot of people just exaggerate about it’s difficulty?</p>

<p>A lot of people say calculus II is the hardest part of calculus(because of the sequences and series portion of it) I disagree, for me the transition into calc I was(I still got an A but it took more effort than anything else). Yes it was the more abstract thinking that did it, I literally learned how to think differently because of calc I. The same thing happened to me with introductory to classical mechanics (physics I), the developing of equations and applying algebra to what was happening in real time was a big transition. </p>

<p>But once you learn the thought process it makes everything else easier</p>

<p>Engineering degree programs nominally take 8 semesters of full time course loads, with semester 1 as the one when you take first semester calculus.</p>

<p>However, if you transfer schools (typically after your fourth semester), it may take longer, if your first school did not have complete coverage of the second school’s first through fourth semester courses in your major.</p>

<p>You can definitely progress and go on to earn a degree in Engineering. Yes, it will take a bit longer, but don’t let that discourage you. In fact, if you do very well during your first couple of years at engineering school, you might be hired for a school-term co-op job and thus make the wait worthwhile.</p>