<p>MidwestMom2Kids_, there are tons of enrichment opportunities in Cockrell, and I think they are awesome. I joined the satellite team in the aerospace engineering department.</p>
<p>Frankly, I spent most of my time last semester doing other things rather than studying. This may be a good thing for me since I have so much free time to do additional enrichment stuff.</p>
<p>I guess it just depends on the teacher and the course you are taking.</p>
<p>My son told me of an MIS class he just took that is required for his major - accounting. In the class, the final was taken on a computer where you were given an allotted period of time to complete, and any minute you went over, a point was deducted from your grade. He said that there was much information that had not been taught in the class, that it had to be extrapolated from the lessons - so not just memorization. He said that when he left the final (7 minutes late, so started off with a base score of 93), there were several people still taking the final, and two of the girls were crying....</p>
<p>So, I guess they found the class hard and could only wish that they found their classes too easy ;)</p>
<p>He ended up with a B and was jumping for joy about it!!</p>
<p>What don't I like about UT? The fact that they're not in the BCS National Championship. :p IDK, since I don't go there (yet) there really isn't anything for me to complain about really.</p>
<p>Rocketman, you are the first engineering student I've heard complain the courses at UT are too easy. The students I know are complaining of being overwhelmed. I don't know where you are going to be happy if you complain that the honors program in the number 11 ranked undergraduate engineering department isn't challenging enough. You seem obsessed with the northeast. Princeton's undergraduate engineering is tied with UT. I wouldn't transfer there since it is probably beneath you too. If you hate it here, transfer. There are many students waiting for your spot.</p>
<p>Fiyero, just to be clear, I am not obsessed with the northeast. I consider any good school wherever it is, a good school. It is just that a rather close friend of mine is attending a college there, and actually he is attending Princeton.</p>
<p>Although Princeton's engineering is tied with UT, his classes seem to be much more challenging. So, I don't think ranking is a good measure.</p>
<p>I think I am going to partially agree with rocketman, I am doing pretty well, and I am definitely not at my limits in engineering. There were only 2 classes this semester that really challenged me in any way. I have seen a couple girls in my classes crying over what was a seemingly easy test, and this was very apparent my first semester. I think there are a lot of kids coming from the top 10% that are really not prepared. They work too hard in high school to get to top 10%, and anything beyond that workload is beyond their capacity.</p>
<p>However, that being said, I prefer it this way. I like having some free time, and to be honest, I have no inclination to work any harder. I could have worked harder in high school and gone to a better school, or I could have gotten into Engineering Honors(I have heard that it isn't much harder, seeing as there only a handful of different classes you have to take), but why bother? </p>
<p>The one thing I can say I don't like about UT for sure, is at times, there is a lack of good teachers for the lower division classes. One of the main reasons I had problems in one of my classes this year, was because my fundamentals were absolutely terrible coming into the 2nd class in the "string" of classes. When the time came to apply certain principles to more complex structures(circuits in this case), I ended up losing ground on some of the other kids because I did not learn it properly the first go round. I eventually understood the principles after doing problem after problem, but It took me twice as long to understand some rather simple principles without being explicitly taught it again.</p>
<p>The teaching in lower levels certainly can be less than desirable. Not all of course. I had a kick a** TA for German. My professor for calculus, well... not so much. I think this is not unusual for a large public school though.</p>
<p>I think foxshox will agree that engineers are problem solvers. I just feel that with not being trained harder in problem solving and not learning as much knowledge as compared to other engineers coming from other places, we would lose out to them eventually in the working world.</p>
<p>Its hard for me to generalize about all engineers. I think in Texas, we are probably 2nd best at least. However, a friend of my goes to Georgia Tech, and it seems like he already knows quite a bit more than I do. Not to say, the fact I am taking only EE courses from here on out won't level the playing field, but he certainly has a better start than I do. Our engineering program has it's kinks, but it is pretty solid once its all said and done. If it wasn't, we wouldn't be attracting as many names as we do(see engineering expo).</p>
<p>foxshox, I think you are right on the money. We would not be attracting so many famous companies in the engineering expo if UT did not produce good engineers.</p>
<p>Yeah, I agree with foxshox there as well with the whole engineering expo. Seems that Cockrell attracts a ton of engineering companies. They're not gonna go to that school in Norman, OK for an engineering major. That's very unheard of. LOL.</p>
<p>foxshox, How much free time do you get typically during the first year as an undergraduate EE student? How much time is spent studying and how much time do you get to go out on a typical weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)? I'm decent in Calculus but I kind of struggled to get an A in AP Calculus because my teacher was very hard. He prepared me well for the AP exam though because I got a 4.</p>
<p>Nitinkarya, which ap calculus did you take? I ask this because I have heard from many a source that calc2 at UT is notoriously hard for those who go straight into it from hs with ap credit under their belt, something about the way that it is taught..</p>
<p>Perhaps not for math whizzes, but for the simple folk, it can be a gpa buster.</p>
<p>i got a 4 on Calclus AB test and stopped there and a 740 on Math II...what calculus do you think i'd be put into? hopefully not calc II right away...</p>
<p>@ag54
I think if you plan on being an engineer with strong SAT math scores, than you should probably be able to handle it, but for those business majors or what not, they definitely have a harder time going straight into it. The main difference with HS calculus and College calculus, is the time frame. The classes have 1/4 the class time, to teach things to you better. Granted, in high school you would do homework in class.
@nitinkarya
First year I had plenty of free time I think. First semester I would workout 4-5 times a week, play racquetball tuesday and thursday night, and still have time for classes. It was more work than I was used to doing, but with some new time management skills, I was able to juggle it all fairly well. My weekends were relatively free, unless I had a test on the next monday or something. Second semester was harder, mostly because of physics and diff eq. I had to drop racquetball for the most part, but I was still able to make it to the gym 4 times a week. </p>
<p>So for me, I took both AB and BC in high school, got a 3 on the AB test since I didn't study at all, and a 5/5 on the BC test once I did study. For calc2(408D), it really depends on your teacher, some people had a hard time, but my teacher was really easy. Haha, I remember the first test(and my first test at UT ever) WAS the review, and not very many people did it, so I got really nervous cause I saw a bunch of scores less than 40, so I thought I was screwed. I ended up getting a 100 on the first 2 tests, and smooth sailed the whole rest of the way through. I would say if you plan on doing the 2 calculus route(C and D), and you got a 5 or you feel like you had a strong 4 on AB than you should be alright in 408D. If you took Calc BC, don't bother with 408C. If you plan on doing the 3 calculus route(KLM), just take whatever credits you have that count. Calc AB counts for K, Calc BC counts for L, and that leaves you taking at least M.</p>
<p>A bunch of the kids from my high school took AB, and most of them ended up taking 408C and doing well, and getting a better foundation. I know of a couple that went straight to D and they also did good, but I think they understood the course material pretty well going it(ie got 5's).</p>
<p>ag54, I took the Calculus AB test last year as a Junior. Yeah one of my friends is a mechanical engineering student and he said it's too hard for even smart people to go straight into Calculus II from high school. I am going to retake Calculus I next year because I'm not that great at Calculus. I would strongly advise taking Calculus I again even if you passed the AP exam. Also, I didn't take the SAT II because I didn't need it to qualify for the Math Readiness policy at the Cockrell School of Engineering. I qualified because of my AP Calculus score. I Hope UT, you should definitely take Calculus I next year again. Also, what engineering field are you going into? I'm going into Electrical but I don't know if this is the right career for me. I am very interested in new technology like computers, cell phones, mp3 players, etc. I am also good in mathematics not particularly Calculus, but lower level math such as algebra, geometry, etc. I would think that Electrical Engineering would be the right career because it involves math and technology, but I'm not sure. Any advice?
@Foxshox, which route do most electrical/computer engineering students take? Also, read the previous 2 sentences ("I am very interested... Any advice?")I am going to take 408C next year to start off with. I couldn't take Calculus BC this year because AP Macroeconomics was only offered 6th period which is the only period when Calculus BC is offered at my school. There are only 4 people taking Calculus BC at my school this year lol. Which calculus route did you take/are taking right now? You're a junior now right? Is it getting pretty difficult or do you still manage to have some free time?</p>
<p>It does involve math and technology, but it involves ALOT of calculus and differential equations. If you do not feel you are really good at it, take 408C, and get a good foundation. Because once you get to diff eq and circuit theory, your really going to be kicking yourself if you don't know what your doing.</p>
<p>Its not THAT hard to jump from AB to calc 2, but I think that you should have a strong AP score before you do it. The AP test are graded really leniently, so if you still aren't close to making a 5, then you really ought to learn it again.</p>
<p>Yeah, I'm definitely going to take 408C. Also, would this be the best career for me since it involves both technology and math? Are there any careers besides marketing/sales that involves technology? You're a junior now right? How is the course load? Also, I'm thinking about choosing easy professors my first year from pick-a-prof for the Math 408C. Do you think this is a good idea or will it hurt me later on? I looked on pick-a-prof and Oscar Gonzales seemed pretty easy. There was also S. Kim. Which professor would you advise for M408C?</p>
<p>The four of you are scaring me about the calc. My d has decided to do her minor in econ, and they require multivariate as a prerequisite for upper level classes. She was not near the top of her h.s. calc class - lots of smart kids in it - but she got a 5 on the BC calc test last spring (I honestly think everyone in her class did) so she got credit for two semesters of UT calculus.</p>
<p>She took no math in the fall. Now this spring she is registered for multivariate. Is this going to kill her?</p>
<p>(rocketman, don't you chime in on this one - you should have tested out of multivariate ;) )</p>
<p>Any engineering can get you there: aerospace, chemical, electrical, computer... Computer/Electrical is probably the most direct route. I am a Sophomore right now. This past semester was pretty hard, but I managed do to pretty good. It probably won't hurt too bad if you have an easy professor for 408C. I don't know much about professors, I chose staff for every math I took because I preferred good timings over quality, but I have been rather lucky. </p>
<p>@MidwestMom2Kids_
Personally, I liked taking 408D instead of 408M. I had the BC credit, but taking D allowed me to have a test where I knew all of the material before the class had begun, which gave me a pretty good head start on my classmates. It also allowed less time for the multivariable stuff, which is definitely the harder of the subjects covered. I have heard that M moves much slower through the material, so she should be OK. She might be a bit rusty, although for M, you really only need to know how to take integrals and derivatives. Sequences and Series are never covered, so she should be ok.</p>