<p>I got into the electric engineer program at Texas A&M. However, I am extremely nervous about my chance of success in this program. I heard that a quarter of people either drop out or transfer just in the first year simply because it's too hard. I DON'T want to be one of them. Right now, I have a B- in BC Calculus, an A in Chemistry and didn't take physics. my SAT was only 1980 with a 720 in math section. I'm planning on picking up some physics basics during summer and trying to get as much practice as I can in Calc before school starts. What would you say my chances are? Another thing Im curious about is when I take my physics class, will we start from the beginning or will the professor assume we already know the basics? </p>
<p>One more thing, what's the lowest GPA acceptable before they kick you out and would a D be unacceptable?</p>
<p>Engineering is mostly about working really hard without many shortcuts. A lot of students attracted to engineering found high school easy (particularly math) so the shock of college engineering leads to much complaining and boasting. If you go to classes, recitations and do the homework, you will be okay. Also, get help when you need it or before- be familiar with office hours, TA sessions, the help desk etc.</p>
<p>I’m also curious about physics. I haven’t taken that subject since 9th grade and I’m afraid that the professor will expect everyone to already know a lot of things. Like rukaisawesome, I’m going to take a physics course during summer. Do y’all think that that will that be enough?</p>
<p>I don’t know specifically how to answer your question, but I should think that if you’re pursuing engineering you would have a strong foundation in math and physics. Your SAT math scores should give you a clue. If you scored highly in that section, it is likely that you would do fine.</p>
<p>I’m currently a freshman EE major at A&M and I know there are SO many freshmen that drop out even after the first year. It’s not an easy major, but if you work hard and study well, you’ll do fine.</p>
<p>I can only speak from experience for Phys 218. It’s a fast-paced course and we started off learning about basic vectors/dot products, etc. I found that my Pre-AP and AP Physics class in high school covered similar material, just at a slower pace and less topics. Also, my professor expected us to already know how to take derivatives and integrate (many of us were concurrently enrolled in Calculus I) so if you didn’t take AP Calculus in high school, you might have to study a little more. Phys 208 (Electricity) is thought to be the true “weed-out” course so I decided to wait and take it over the summer. Hope that helps :)</p>
<p>Oh, and the lowest GPA you can have in order to take upper-level classes is a 2.85 (for EE). I’m pretty sure you’d have to retake the class if you have a D since a lot of the classes require a C in the prereqs in order to move on.</p>
<p>I’m taken University Physics @ community college (TAMU Physics 218). The math is pretty straight forward like F=MA (force = mass * acceleration) etc. but there’s other formula that’s challenging. I think choosing the right equation to apply to the problem is the hardest part. </p>
<p>Also at my CC Prerequisite for Physics “218” was Calculus I (or at least be enrolled)… You’ll see Integral and Derivatives in some formula which our professor didn’t really test us on.</p>
<p>I took physics at Blinn, over half the class was from A&M. One kid I know made a B at Blinn and said he dropped it at TAMU because he was in the 40s here. Lol</p>
<p>You can transfer the credit, yeah. The TCCNS website should tell you pretty much all equivalency courses for A&M’s physics, calculus at other Texas CC’s and Uni’s.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that, among the quarter that drop out, students drop out because they realize they picked engineering for the wrong reasons. I was one of those kids. I looked at my brother’s job (he was an engineer) and learned from my intro classes that I couldn’t see myself doing engineering-type work for the rest of my life. It’s not for everyone, and it will take a lot of work. It’s not impossible to do well, but you have to be willing to put a lot more time than your non-engineering friends. Definitely try out engineering, because it’s a very rewarding field if you can learn to like it. </p>
<p>Be very careful choosing your professors. There are some absolutely fantastic ones that have already had heavy influences on my life, and then there are ones that seemed to exist just to make my life miserable. Such is life, though, and you’re probably going to have to deal with a professor more interested in research than teaching you eventually.</p>
<p>Ok, just finished my first physics class here (PHYS 218). If you don’t have prior high school experience (like me) it’s going to be A LOT of work. Completely doable though, if you manage your time correctly and study outside of lecture. I managed to pull off an A.</p>
<p>I’d recommend taking physics here instead of at a community college because, although it may be easier at a CC, classes are only going to get harder, and you can’t take everything at a CC.</p>