<p>I'm going into engineering this year but I'm starting to freak out after reading these forums for the past 1.5 years or so. People have been constantly saying that students at the valedictorian level drop out of engineering; I'm at exactly the 50% mark of my class rank. I believe however, that I've never kept 100% effort. I'm very worried because chemical engineering freshman year is pretty much a weed out major; I would be taking physics, calculus, and chemistry at Purdue which is very frightening. I have already planned to get a private teacher at the AP level over the summer and learn these courses extensively; will it be enough? (I have been given the proper syllabus) Is a stellar work ethic good enough for engineering, or is it an absolute necessity to be extremely smart?</p>
<p>Stellar work ethic should get you by if you are decently intelligent. However, you need to be truly smart to get a high GPA.</p>
<p>Its hard to tell if you'll succeed or not. I've known people who's done well in HS and drop out of engineering. But i've also known people do poorly in HS but do well in engineering. My gpa in HS was a 2.9 and my SATs barely broke 1200. After doing a bit of time at a lesser known college I transfered to Virginia Tech and graduated with a 3.4. I don't consider myself that smart or hardworking. And btw tons of ppl drop out of engineering at VT. I think the secret to suceeding are three things. </p>
<p>1) You need to be decently smart. Hard work alone won't cut it. That's one reason I believe many people don't cut it. They got where they were because they worked harder to compensate for their lack of intelligence. </p>
<p>2) Be flexible. Many times in the beginning of the year I would do terrible on the first test. During this time many ppl will drop out. If you learn from your mistakes and alter your study/learning methods then you'll be better prepared next time. I know many people who study the same way each time and get the same bad grades. My first semester at VT I got a 2.5 GPA. It freaked me out so I bought every study book I could find. My next semester GPA was a 3.6. </p>
<p>3) Have the desire to never give up. When you think all hope is lost, never give up. Desire and motivation are keys to being successful in life. Several times I thought I would be failing a class or not completing a project. But I felt if Im going down in flames I'll be fighting all the way down. And as it turns out, everything works out in the end.</p>
<p>I especially agree with points 2 and 3 of VTjas81.</p>
<p>Ditto. Good post, VTjas.</p>
<p>I was an average high school student, although I took a lot of easy general level classes, and no calculus. SAT was 1120. </p>
<p>I just got an 'A' in materials science and physics 2, but these classes are at community college. Semester GPA was 3.7 with 5 classes.</p>
<p>Whatever you do, ALWAYS do the homework. And ASK QUESTIONS. Try to study with others, and you will do fine.</p>