<p>When I started as a freshman last year, I registered as a Chemical Engineering major. My background in math was very weak and I had no background in physics, but I was determined to finish so I sucked it up and pushed through my first year. I squeezed by with a 2.52 GPA.</p>
<p>This semester things did not go well at all. I was failing all of my classes even though I had a lighter load that last semester. I plunged into depression with suicidal thoughts, so my mom let me drop my classes and come home. </p>
<p>I've been home for about 3 weeks now and the depression is gone :), but now I've been trying to come up with a new plan for when I return to school. In retrospect, I realize that my shaky background in math and physics meant that I was doomed from the start, so I've decided to take some math classes at a community college. I'm also considering a chemistry class because even though I passed chem in college there is still a lot I don't understand. I want to change my major from Chemical Engineering to Materials Science because it focuses more on understanding the properties of materials and figuring out ways to change those properties. I'm interested in working with either polymers or metals; any field that will involve changing the properties and behavior of materials. But before I make an official change I want to make sure I understand what I'm getting myself into. When I compared the Chemical Engineering track from my school the Materials Science and Engineering track from the school I want to transfer to, the core classes for Freshman and Sophomore year are the same except for the introductory classes. My biggest fear is that because I had trouble with Chemical Engineering, I will have trouble with Materials Science and end up back home :(. I'm also worried that I will fail because I'll be working full time. I believe that engineering is difficult no matter where you go. I want to be sure that I will do better in this major than I did in the last one. Can anyone tell me more about Materials Scientists? What are the classes like? What careers are out there? Do I have to be a researcher or can I work with a company that focuses on practical uses? Thank you!</p>
<p>In Materials Science you’ll likely have a bit less math than in ChemE (we don’t have to do fluids). You’ll still be taking math up through differential equations, though, so it would definitely be wise to get a fairly firm foundation in that.</p>
<p>I actually read this thread before I started mine. It influenced me to consider metallurgy as a possible career path.</p>
<p>No fluids? Yay! I’ve heard terrible things about that class. Do MSE’s perform material balances like Chem E’s?</p>
<p>Yea, math is definitely not my strongest subject, but I do enjoy it. I feel like I should start with Calc I, or even Pre Calc, when I register for classes at community college. I got C’s in both classes in college and I feel like if I just pick up where I left off when I dropped Calc II I’d only be setting myself up for another failing grade.</p>
<p>I don’t know if it’s worth retaking Precalc or not. As far as I remember, that class focuses on the forms of functions and how they behave under certain limits and modifications. You could probably just look back through your book and see how much of the stuff you remember. I’d definitely recommend retaking Calc I if you’re not feeling too secure in your knowledge of the material since it will come up in just about every class you take. Calc II is also important, though somewhat less so. Integrating by parts I had to do occasionally, and trig substitution I haven’t done since my AP class.</p>
<p>I will make a disclaimer that I had to do about two weeks worth of fluids stuff in my transport class. I learned about Navier-Stokes and that sort of stuff, but I didn’t have to get into the really grungy stuff ChemEs did.)</p>
<p>This is where I am confused. You failed your first year as a ChE. According to your post, the first year classes for ChE and MSE are the same. So logically, you would have failed your first year as an MSE student. Why do you expect that the outcome will be different if it’s the same classes for a different major?</p>
<p>The new strategy is to do well in Calc at a community college, then try again? I’m afraid that might not be the best strategy. Math classes in community colleges tend to be watered down. What will probably happen is that you’ll take classes at the CC, perform OK, then transfer back to the engineering college and be overwhelmed when you’re expected to apply that math (since everyone else will have a better grounding after taking more rigorous classes). I’ve seen it dozens of times.</p>
<p>The best bet is to figure out the root cause of the problem. Even with no high school calculus, an engineering student should be able to figure out Calc with some studying - thousands do it every year. You didn’t. Why? Is it because of study habits? Is it because you do not test well? Is it because you couldn’t see the applicability of the field and lost interest? Is it because of a mental health issue (you mentioned depression)? Is it because of a lack of ability? If you want to avoid a repeat, you need to figure out the root cause, devise a plan to address it, then enact that plan before transferring back. Otherwise things will just get worse.</p>
<p>Definitely start with pre-calculus. If you can, a class in analytic geometry and trigonometry will help a lot for success in calculus. You don’t want basic math concepts kicking your ass. Without pre-calc, the higher stuff will be overwhelming - when, really, it doesn’t have to be.</p>
<p>Maybe engineering isn’t for you. Have you thoughts of going to a different university for other business major? You mentioned of failing all classes as if it included English?</p>
<p>(Basically echoing GP here) If you were plunging into depression and suicidal thoughts then there are issues at play here that a change in major aren’t going to solve. Have you spoken to someone (a professional) about all of this? You might not need pills but then again you might, and once the stress is back on you you may end up in exactly the same place. If you’ve looked at ChemE and MSE and decided MSE interests you more (and you seem to have a solid understanding of what MSE is) then that’s great, but you still have a lot of work to do.</p>
<p>Maybe your classes were just too hard, but suicidal thoughts are NOT a normal reaction to difficult classes. For your own sake figure that situation out before you go back into the pressure cooker that is first year engineering.</p>
<p>I’m getting counseling for the depression, so no worries there. It was at counseling that I realized there were more forces at work than simply depression. I have a lot of stuff that hasn’t been resolved and it is interfering with my performance. I also believe that the shock of transitioning from a 4.0 honors student to a 2.5 average student played a part in throwing me off. </p>
<p>I was actually failing African Studies, but here’s why:
My week begins with studying for Physics. The homework assignment is due every Wednesday and I can’t complete the assignment without reading the chapter and working practice problems from the book (we get penalized for wrong answers and can’t reset the problems to try again, which makes sense). I spend all day Monday reading for Physics, then stay up almost all night studying for Calc because I have a quiz every Tuesday. That means I don’t get time to read for African Studies. If we have a quiz or an exam the next day, I’m screwed because my professor asks questions about the readings and they aren’t multiple choice. I have class until 6:45pm on Tuesday, so I’d pick one class (usually Physics, and I see that was a poor decision now) to study for all night. Meanwhile, I haven’t read for Engineering and my homework set hasn’t been touched. Wednesday comes and chances are I’m still too confused to finish all of the Physics homework problems. They’d literally take 1-2 hours each to complete, so it’s not like I could rush through them. I guess someone is about to say, “With all that studying, you should’ve been able to understand the chapter by now.” Not when I’m behind by one chapter. All that time is spent trying to get caught up. I fell behind at the beginning of the semester when we started using the kinematics equations and it basically turned into a snow ball-effect. Thursday is spent trying to understand what was discussed in Calc, which naturally won’t make sense because I haven’t read all week. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are spent cramming for Engineering so I can do the homework. By Sunday I only have about 3 or 4 out of the 6 problems done and not everything is correct. Monday morning the cycle starts over.</p>
<p>Looking back, I see tons of problems: time management, lack of sleep, and study habits to name a few. I was miserable not because everything was hard, but because I couldn’t figure out how to break the cycle I was in. I used practically every resource my school offered and something went wrong with each one. I had a Physics tutor that was actually a Math major and couldn’t remember the topics I wanted to review. I tried forming a study group countless times and my requests were always ignored. I joined someone else’s study group, but rather than review the lecture notes like I thought they would they just rocketed through the homework problems and I’d leave just as confused as I was when I arrived. I regularly attended discussion groups for Physics, Calc, and Engineering (they were mandatory anyway). My Physics group was more focused on finishing early than understanding the concepts. My Calc group only helped if I had read before coming, but I rarely had a chance to do that because I was busy trying to understand Physics and I was in the same situation for my Engineering group. I went to my Physic’s professor’s office hours, but she usually fussed at me for not understanding the lecture. </p>
<p>While it sounds like I had absolutely no idea of what was going on in each class, I actually did have some understanding. I didn’t know everything, but I new enough to sort of follow along. I liked what I was learning and wanted to understand more, so I’d keep studying and trying to do problems. I’ll admit it takes me longer to understand something, but once I do it never goes away. I don’t see that as a reason to keep me from being an Engineer. And I absolutely will not switch to Business or other non-scientific field because it’s easier. If I like it and want to know more about it, I’ll study it and I don’t care for Business or anything else outside of science. I think MSE will be different BECAUSE I’m figuring out what caused problems with Chem E and coming up with a better plan.</p>
<p>Trust me, business isn’t much easier. You just study what you like. It sound like you are forced into liking engineering. Your courses sound normal but did you ask teachers for help? tutoring? Believe me, I use tutoring service even though I think I won’t need it.</p>
<p>However, I think you aren’t alone. 50% of freshmen in engineering failed their first semester. Perhaps due to adjusting or they are busy with making new friends.</p>
<p>@ khoiey:
My apologies, then. The Business track at my school is not very intense. That’s why I said it was easier. No, I wasn’t forced into liking engineering. I did a summer science and engineering program while I was a rising senior. I liked it and decided that was what I wanted. That’s all.</p>
<p>No, business is much easier than engineering at any good engineering school. I know enough business majors and engineering majors to know that for a fact. An engineer may do worse in business because they get bored but that’s about the only way it could happen.</p>
<p>It may sound easier but comparing business vs engineering is like comparing apple and orange. I have known a kid who did bad at math and science when he was in high school but he excelled in mechanical engineering at Drexel U (he didn’t make friend and all he did was study and spent time at the learning center). </p>
<p>In business, if your gpa is below 3.3 then you’d be at a disadvantage when it comes to jobs. </p>
<p>A lousy engineer may make a great businessman and vice versa.</p>
<p>What comes down is choose what would match best with your personality and liking. If you are a crappy engineering, i’m sure no one will hire you and if you are a crappy business major, i’m sure it would be the same.</p>
<p>Whatever you are studying, you may want to change your study habits and time management. Treat it as your full-time job and I’m sure you will be fine in engineering.</p>