What are the odds of surviving in MechE major if I start from the basics at CC?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Hi, I’m considering MechE. as my future major… I hear that many have been weeded out from engineering courses due to the difficulty of the major… According to them, one is most likely to fail the courses even if the student has been considered a math/physics genius… Why is it that? Is it because of the lack of interest in the field? We all know that engineering isn’t only for geniuses… Now, I’m not sure whether I’m {really} confident about my mathematical ability or not… Should I change my mind and switch to the non-stem majors? I’m going to start at a local community college then build strong foundations before the core courses… I know it all depends on how one is going to put efforts in… But I really wonder… Is it even possible to survive in engineering {especially, ME} if I start from the basics at CC??? Does the mathematical intuition really matter in engineering?

Thanks in advance for the replies…

2

Yes, if you’re doing well at CC.

3

Of course it is possible. But it is probably a harder road than if you started out at 4-yr University studying engineering. The biggest problem is that the rigor of CC math/physics classes may be less than the rigor at a University.

Does mathematical intuition matter in engineering? Yes. Engineering comes easier to the same people for whom math comes easily. What math classes have you taken so far?

4

There are some CC programs that are set up to transfer to a 4 year engineering program to finish. I know that at Monroe Community college in Rochester, the first 2 years are intended to allow you to transfer to Univ of Rochester. You might want to check if the CC you are going to has a track like that or if there is a CC that has a relationship with the Engineering school you want to attend.

5

Would you consider to major in Engineering Technologies? They often are less math than Engineering. See http://www.rit.edu/emcs/admissions/academics/majors/engineering-tech-or-engineering

6

Your other post mentions being in Austin, TX, although you are an international student.

UT Austin’s ME degree plan is shown at:
http://www.engr.utexas.edu/attachments/ME2014-2016_SAC.pdf

Transfer equivalencies from Austin Community College can be found at
http://utdirect.utexas.edu/adtreq/search1.WBX

Of the first and second year courses in the ME degree plan, ACC has equivalents as listed:

M 408C = MATH 2413
M 408D = MATH 2414
M 427K = MATH 2420
PHY 303K/103L = PHYS 2425
PHY 303M/103N = PHYS 2426
CH 301 = CHEM 1311
EM 306 = ENGR 2301
EM 319 = ENGR 2332
RHE 306 = ENGL1301
American history = HIST 1301 or 1302, possibly others
visual or performing arts = many courses to choose from
social / behavioral science = many courses to choose from

These appear to be not available at ACC. Most of these are second year courses, except ME 302 and UCS 302 or 303:

ME 302
ME 326
ME 324
ME 330
ME 130L
ME 333T
UGS 302 or 303

Courses later in the degree plan that you can take early to fill credits in place of unavailable courses:

American history = HIST 1301 or 1302, possibly others (need two courses to graduate)
American and Texas government = GOVT 2305 or 2306 (eventually need both to graduate)
Math elective M 427L = MATH 2454
Natural science elective CH 302 = CHEM 1312
Natural science elective GEO 401 = GEOL 1403
Natural science elective BIO 311C = BIOL 1406

If you can transfer after your first year (UT Austin specifies a minimum of 30 credits to transfer, but you should check any specific requirements for the engineering division or major), then you should be able to transfer without needing too many catch up courses. If you transfer after your second year, you may need many catch up courses (the ME ones). Of course, whether you can be admitted as a transfer depends on how well you do at ACC.

You can do a similar evaluation with other Texas public universities that offer ME.