Did anyone worry their DC was unprepared for their major (or college)?

[Anonymous]

My DS will start a Mechanical Engineering program in the fall. He only took 2 APs (both Computer Science), never took AP in another science or math. He has not taken Calculus (took PreCalc as a junior, but it wasn’t Honors so he was only approved for PreCalc 2, whatever that is, for senior year). His grades in his math/science courses in HS average a B+, which is same as his overall GPA after junior year.

He is going to a school ranked in the top 50 for Engineering (ranked in top 75 overall). All I read is about how rigorous the program is. I’m worried it will be too difficult for him. I was kind of surprised he was accepted TBH.

Anyone have a DC where you were worried about the same issue? How did they do? And should I have him take a Calculus course over the summer?

[Anonymous]

What school is it? Many engineering programs have "weed out" classes and it may be very hard for him. My DS is at a school that has no quotas on engineering majors and is known to be collaborative. My DS took calc over the summer for credit. Main reason was to lighten his course load, but it turned out to be a very easy class compared to the equivalent at his school

[Anonymous]

I am concerned that my kids who will be applying to UK universities in the Fall (we're from there originally) won't be up to the academic standards of their peers, if they get places. I think they'll each catch up, but it will be a steep learning curve.

[Anonymous]

The big question is if your kid really is interested in engineering or simply picked it because it seems to lead to good jobs.

If your kid really isn't interested in the material, it will probably end badly (and hopefully quickly and then can find a major that works better). This is the case for even kids with high stats and rigor.

My CS kid is at a Top 10 school and there are plenty of kids scoring between 1-5 points (out of 100) on tests where the Mean score is a 68. They aren't stupid...but they picked CS because of external influences, don't like it and aren't any good at it.

[Anonymous]

Can he take an enrichment Calculus class over the summer? Maybe AOPS or Russian School?

I wouldn't want to go into a college engineering calculus class without some background as most other students will be taking calculus for the second time, repeating the content.

[Anonymous]

I had 2 years of calculus in high school and was a straight A student. My husband didn't even have calculus in high school and was an waitlist->eventual accept to college. We were both in the same engineering program, he did just as well as I did. In some classes, he tutored me.

The difference was that he really knew what engineering was, and wanted to be an engineer. I picked engineering because it was going to offer an economically stable career, coming from a poor family.

[Anonymous]

How do you think he got in, OP?

Is his high school one of those rigorous privates who grade accurately, instead of inflating all grades? Is he resilient and quick-thinking?

Regardless, there will be a steep learning curve. He should be tutored in math and physics over the summer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The big question is if your kid really is interested in engineering or simply picked it because it seems to lead to good jobs.

If your kid really isn't interested in the material, it will probably end badly (and hopefully quickly and then can find a major that works better). This is the case for even kids with high stats and rigor.

My CS kid is at a Top 10 school and there are plenty of kids scoring between 1-5 points (out of 100) on tests where the Mean score is a 68. They aren't stupid...but they picked CS because of external influences, don't like it and aren't any good at it.

You need to pick a major in college that translates into a good paying job. Most engineering majors lead to good paying jobs.

I studied CS at VTech and hated it but I am working in Cyber Security for Freddie Mac and get paid a lot of money for it. I don't like what I am doing but it is certainly better than being broke.

[Anonymous]

I think the real question is whether your DS is motivated and has good study skills.

If the classes are hard for him, will he give up?
Will he be good about attending class?
Will he do all the homework (including optional practice problems)?
Will he go to office hours or TA-led study sessions, whatever is available to him?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can he take an enrichment Calculus class over the summer? Maybe AOPS or Russian School?

I wouldn't want to go into a college engineering calculus class without some background as most other students will be taking calculus for the second time, repeating the content.

In my engineering classes in the 90s, half the kids had taken calculus before. Obviously they had an easier time. I was great at math, but I missed the calculus track due to when I moved into the district.

I did okay in the class, but it was like learning how to fly an airplane while it was in air. There were other challenging classes to focus on along with leaning how to live by myself. And sooo many M.E. classes build on calculus. You want a firm foundation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The big question is if your kid really is interested in engineering or simply picked it because it seems to lead to good jobs.

If your kid really isn't interested in the material, it will probably end badly (and hopefully quickly and then can find a major that works better). This is the case for even kids with high stats and rigor.

My CS kid is at a Top 10 school and there are plenty of kids scoring between 1-5 points (out of 100) on tests where the Mean score is a 68. They aren't stupid...but they picked CS because of external influences, don't like it and aren't any good at it.

You need to pick a major in college that translates into a good paying job. Most engineering majors lead to good paying jobs.

I studied CS at VTech and hated it but I am working in Cyber Security for Freddie Mac and get paid a lot of money for it. I don't like what I am doing but it is certainly better than being broke.

Oh I never realized that doing something you hate is the only way to not be broke. Learn something new on DCUM every day!

[Anonymous]

This is really going to depend on how rigorous your high school is. Our kids regularly tell us that they were well prepared for the demands of college thanks to their high school (demanding public) compared to some of their peers who were drowning in college

[Anonymous]

Depend on where they go to HS. My DS went to Potomac school and he said that classes at Potomac were much harder than at UVA. Graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering from UVA in three years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had 2 years of calculus in high school and was a straight A student. My husband didn't even have calculus in high school and was an waitlist->eventual accept to college. We were both in the same engineering program, he did just as well as I did. In some classes, he tutored me.

The difference was that he really knew what engineering was, and wanted to be an engineer. I picked engineering because it was going to offer an economically stable career, coming from a poor family.

This. You have to want it and be willing to persist and get help. My DH didn't take calculus in HS, maybe not even pre-calc. He was in a HS vocational program but as part of that was placed in work in an electronics repair shop. That got him interested in how things work and was encouraged to actually go to college (first in the family) for electrical engineering. He failed some classes but tried again. Used the college's tutoring resources, went to office hours, eventually made it through and got a good job.

[Anonymous]

Hi, I'm the OP.

He is going to RPI, and it's actually the Aerospace program not Mechanical in general (but the core math/science requirements are the same) He has wanted to be an aerospace engineer since 8th grade. He takes flight lessons and almost has his pilot's license. He loves planes/flight, so he did not pick the major for the money, it's a true interest of his.

The good news is it is a collaborative program, not weed out, no quotas, and I've encouraged him to take advantage of every opportunity for office hours/study sessions etc. and since most students are taking the same material, he will have a lot of students to study with.

He attends a highly ranked, large public high school. I don't feel there is grade inflation. The HS does not provide class rank.

How he got in? The acceptance rate is pretty high at RPI (but self-selecting group), his ACT was good (34, but only 32 for Science/Math), I assume his recs were good, supplemental essay describing why he wanted to study aerospace engineering likely came off as genuine, but who knows . . .