<p>I'm finding self studying E&M extremely difficult. Is it just me or is this usually the case, I just want to be reassured that engineering won't be a hard major for me. I mean I thought I was good at math and science but this Kaplan review book is not cutting it.</p>
<p>My question is:
Can I just study for Mechanics and blow off E&M, then go off to get an engineering degree freshman year starting with E&M my first semester? Even though I know my university accepts it, don't engineers take the introductory classes again anyway to refresh knowledge or boost GPA?</p>
<p>Get Princeton Review’s review book. I’m using that to supplement the class and it seems to help a lot. I didn’t have too much trouble with E&M until we got to the Magnetism unit, though. Which is really odd because Mechanics (the exam I am taking) was really difficult for me, particularly Rotational Motion.</p>
<p>Kaplan Review Books generally aren’t the best, and I’d recommend getting another. You should probably see which would be best, but PR generally IS good. I have to say, that my sister (now attending Cornell) never took either Physics AP and is doing fine in the engineering program. At this point, it may not be worth it to do the E&M (if you’re struggling) and may be advisable to focus on Mechanics, especially if the college you plan on attending requires a 4 or a 5 on the test.</p>
<p>Honestly, the GPA boost is not always good, and no not everyone takes them again. I know that someone did the whole GPA boost thing, and his grades dropped significantly when taking the new courses. As he was in a frat, his GPA dropped dramatically and he nearly lost his eligibility to continue in the frat because of the large grade drop. My sister never retook her classes and I do not plan to either. Big waste of time and money, and the courseload will hit you hard when you get to the “real” classes.</p>
<p>If you paid for the AP test and review books, then why pay to take an easy class in college if you don’t need it? Taking APs is a great way to save money and skip classes, especially in a major as restrictive as engineering (often not much extra room in the schedule for non-required classes).</p>
<p>Good luck on both tests and studying! I know self-studying can be a pain, and I sincerely hope it works out for you!</p>
<p>thanks liveforscience, solid advice. This might be a stupid question, but will the E&M portion of physics be available during the first semester of college? That’s what I’m concerned about, I don’t want doing this Physics C thing halfway to leave me with taking no physics class first semester of college.</p>
<p>Is anyone else studying for E&M?</p>
<p>Im basically self studying and I can understand the trouble with rotational motion, for C its hard to teach yourself. I also had a non calc textbook to introduce myself to concepts and then supplemented with PR, although im still rather nervous :/</p>
<p>Sic_infit, I’m glad I could help and I would recommend looking at the course catalog at your school (maybe from this past year) to see if an E&M-like course is offered first semester. It probably will be, but if it’s not, then you’ll just have to take other requirement classes (which you’d have to eventually take anyway).</p>
<p>Even if you are not a natural at physics, you can become an engineer. You may need to work harder to understand the physics, but don’t be discouraged if your first impressions of E&M makes it seem really hard. It IS hard, but it also might be better for you to learn it in a classroom setting. I know that self-study only works so far for me, and sometimes I have to go to my teacher and ask for a better explanation.</p>
<p>Yeah, and I am probably overexaggerating how hard E&M was. I mean, I have learned E&M stuff from my Physics B class and I literally have only self studied a day of Physics C E&M.</p>
<p>I’m not sure why you interpret physics symbols for an ancient Egyptian language, but I’m sure a doctor could diagnose that for you.</p>