What are the egineering weed-out classes?

[Anonymous]

I know this is old post, but I have an old question.

I was an engineering major, and I got Cs and Bs in most of my engineering classes at an elite school.

Was I supposed to be weeded out?

I was ill prepared from my rural high school that had 0 AP courses, so I think I started behind and never could catch up (and I was too embarrassed to meet with my professors, I felt like I had never worked “enough” to earn the right to bother them).

I graduated and now work as an engineer at a gov contractor and it’s okay — I do think my career and college experience would have been better had I pivoted to something I was good at, but passion careers and all that were the rage and my whole life had been to identify myself as a STEM person.

So by weed out, does that mean C? Actual D, F ? ( I don’t believe they actually gave Fs)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would life be less terrifying if you got a BA in CS and is a BA in CS less marketable than a BS in CS?

It depends — if just CS, BS is better. If your kid wants to double major (philosophy and CS), BA is fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know this is old post, but I have an old question.

I was an engineering major, and I got Cs and Bs in most of my engineering classes at an elite school.

Was I supposed to be weeded out?

I was ill prepared from my rural high school that had 0 AP courses, so I think I started behind and never could catch up (and I was too embarrassed to meet with my professors, I felt like I had never worked “enough” to earn the right to bother them).

I graduated and now work as an engineer at a gov contractor and it’s okay — I do think my career and college experience would have been better had I pivoted to something I was good at, but passion careers and all that were the rage and my whole life had been to identify myself as a STEM person.

So by weed out, does that mean C? Actual D, F ? ( I don’t believe they actually gave Fs)

Did not realize this was an old post.

To answer your question, weed out classes are those that are hard enough to make a student change majors. Clearly you were resilient! Many in your shoes might have been worried about their GPA and switched majors. I think you did good!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DDs experience as a ME major was that different people struggled in different classes but that almost everyone has one class that is a struggle. For some it is Diff EQ for some physics and for some dynamics. The other wake up call is that the grading is very harsh and kids who have spent almost their whole lives being the "A" math and science kid, that will come to a screeching halt for the vast majority. Very strong students will be A/B students and many, many will be B/C at the beginning. The good news is that employers recognize this about the hard core engineering degrees and do not blanch at a C or two on a transcript as long as the overall work is good.

This is true. Engineering is difficult but not impossible. Just tell your kids not fall behind, don't miss classes, always do your homework, use office hours (get to know the professor) and study (and study some more). Even at a large state Unis, it's not difficult to get to know the professors.

+1

I struggled with the general adjustment to college so my first two semesters were tough. It wasn't the content, but poor time management and alcohol!/boys! made it tough to get the work done. But after the adjustment (aka growing up) I mostly crushed it. Some classes that others found difficult were easy me, but then I inexplicably struggled with a random manufacturing class.

If you work hard, I think most kids can do it.

Same.

I struggled with the “basics” like calc & chem but then crushed it for the harder stuff.

Funny. I also had a terrible manufacturing class. In retrospect, I think it was the professor.

[Anonymous]

The weed out has to do with who wants to do the work, not who’s capable.

Imo it’s second semester if freshman year…chem 2, calc 2, gen Eng 2…all hard classes that require discipline to get an a or b in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen calc 1&2 listed as first year courses. If an engineering student does NOT/or cannot opt out of Calc 1&2, are they considered behind?

This is a good question because my DS got 5's on AP Calc AB and BC but wants to retake the courses as a freshman to pad his GPA/not have all brand new hard classes. Also at his college he needs a certain GPA to major in CS so he thinks retaking these classes will help. Will he be looked at weird for taking them? (no one has to know he could have tested out).

DD is finishing up her first semester as a MechE major at a Big 10 school. She’s taking Calc 1 and Chem 1 along with a MechE design class and a history class needed for the university ethics requirement. She took Calc BC senior year of HS and got a 4 on AB section so decided to retake in college.

First Chem and Calc exams were review of HS. She aced them. Second exams were brutal - completely new material. Lots of study groups and office hours since then. She’s been getting mid 50s to 60s which are curving up to As and Bs so she’s happy. The curve is essential. She says as long as she does better than most people in the class, she’s good.

Next semester is Statics, so let the weeding out will begin…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've seen calc 1&2 listed as first year courses. If an engineering student does NOT/or cannot opt out of Calc 1&2, are they considered behind?

This is a good question because my DS got 5's on AP Calc AB and BC but wants to retake the courses as a freshman to pad his GPA/not have all brand new hard classes. Also at his college he needs a certain GPA to major in CS so he thinks retaking these classes will help. Will he be looked at weird for taking them? (no one has to know he could have tested out).

DD is finishing up her first semester as a MechE major at a Big 10 school. She’s taking Calc 1 and Chem 1 along with a MechE design class and a history class needed for the university ethics requirement. She took Calc BC senior year of HS and got a 4 on AB section so decided to retake in college.

First Chem and Calc exams were review of HS. She aced them. Second exams were brutal - completely new material. Lots of study groups and office hours since then. She’s been getting mid 50s to 60s which are curving up to As and Bs so she’s happy. The curve is essential. She says as long as she does better than most people in the class, she’s good.

Next semester is Statics, so let the weeding out will begin…

Oh, and to answer the question - no, everyone retakes these classes to pad their GPAs. It will not look weird. Just makes the curve a little bit harder (especially in Calc) because a lot of people have already taken it in HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've seen calc 1&2 listed as first year courses. If an engineering student does NOT/or cannot opt out of Calc 1&2, are they considered behind?

No. Many engineering schools WANT them to take those courses in college.

Also, DS has seven requried math courses for his major, but did not want to go too far into the theoretical math that wasn't really needed for his major, so instead of starting at Calc IV where he ended HS, he started at Calc 2 so that he didn't go too far into the math weeds he didn't really need. He found the college level repeats manageable, but certainly different from HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know this is old post, but I have an old question.

I was an engineering major, and I got Cs and Bs in most of my engineering classes at an elite school.

Was I supposed to be weeded out?

I was ill prepared from my rural high school that had 0 AP courses, so I think I started behind and never could catch up (and I was too embarrassed to meet with my professors, I felt like I had never worked “enough” to earn the right to bother them).

I graduated and now work as an engineer at a gov contractor and it’s okay — I do think my career and college experience would have been better had I pivoted to something I was good at, but passion careers and all that were the rage and my whole life had been to identify myself as a STEM person.

So by weed out, does that mean C? Actual D, F ? ( I don’t believe they actually gave Fs)

It depends on the school, but at DS's college, Bs and Cs are not weed out, it's 'you passed and get to stay.' The weed outs actually fail or have to repeat for a second try. My DS just has this conversation with his advisor because he got a C in an upper level course. He thought it meant he wasn't good enough for the field and went in to discuss whether or not he should change majors. The advisor set him straight and said nearly eveyone gets a C, it means you passed. Passing means you can do it. They don't really give As and don't report a GPA to anyone unless specifically asked for a particular grad program. He said, in essence, engineering thinks in terms of pass/fail, but they have to do grades anyway. Kids who get Cs are actually chosen as TAs and research assistants. Grades apparently do not really mean anything.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Would life be less terrifying if you got a BA in CS and is a BA in CS less marketable than a BS in CS?

It depends — if just CS, BS is better. If your kid wants to double major (philosophy and CS), BA is fine.

Every recruiter my kid talked to said they don't distinguish between BA or BS in CS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes calc II and III, physics I, II, III. Also statics and dynamics. This was at UMD more than 10 years ago.

And these are vastly harder than AP Calc BC and AP Physics C? Do these classes prepare you at all?

Yes, they help. No, the AP program is not a replacement for engineering school

+1. Most kids in Calc 101 in my engineering program had already taken AP Calc AB or BC with a 4 or 5 results. Those courses were curved with median set at 3.1/4.0. Lots of B- or C+ grades.

That engineering program does not allow AP to substitute for any in-major math or in-major Physics classes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would life be less terrifying if you got a BA in CS and is a BA in CS less marketable than a BS in CS?

As a hiring manager, I prefer a BSCS over a BACS if both degrees exist at the student's college. Most BACS degree programs are watered down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know this is old post, but I have an old question.

I was an engineering major, and I got Cs and Bs in most of my engineering classes at an elite school.

Was I supposed to be weeded out?

I was ill prepared from my rural high school that had 0 AP courses, so I think I started behind and never could catch up (and I was too embarrassed to meet with my professors, I felt like I had never worked “enough” to earn the right to bother them).

I graduated and now work as an engineer at a gov contractor and it’s okay — I do think my career and college experience would have been better had I pivoted to something I was good at, but passion careers and all that were the rage and my whole life had been to identify myself as a STEM person.

So by weed out, does that mean C? Actual D, F ? ( I don’t believe they actually gave Fs)

Weed Out usually does not mean Bs and Cs. It means student transfers out of the engineering program to a degree in either humanities or arts & letters.

[Anonymous]

Both parents and eng students need to understand that most engineering programs curve to a 3.0 or 3.1. No grade inflation.

Preferable to have a 3.0, but 2.3 and 2.7 students still have careers in engineering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know this is old post, but I have an old question.

I was an engineering major, and I got Cs and Bs in most of my engineering classes at an elite school.

Was I supposed to be weeded out?

I was ill prepared from my rural high school that had 0 AP courses, so I think I started behind and never could catch up (and I was too embarrassed to meet with my professors, I felt like I had never worked “enough” to earn the right to bother them).

I graduated and now work as an engineer at a gov contractor and it’s okay — I do think my career and college experience would have been better had I pivoted to something I was good at, but passion careers and all that were the rage and my whole life had been to identify myself as a STEM person.

So by weed out, does that mean C? Actual D, F ? ( I don’t believe they actually gave Fs)

It depends on the school, but at DS's college, Bs and Cs are not weed out, it's 'you passed and get to stay.' The weed outs actually fail or have to repeat for a second try. My DS just has this conversation with his advisor because he got a C in an upper level course. He thought it meant he wasn't good enough for the field and went in to discuss whether or not he should change majors. The advisor set him straight and said nearly eveyone gets a C, it means you passed. Passing means you can do it. They don't really give As and don't report a GPA to anyone unless specifically asked for a particular grad program. He said, in essence, engineering thinks in terms of pass/fail, but they have to do grades anyway. Kids who get Cs are actually chosen as TAs and research assistants. Grades apparently do not really mean anything.

C in engineering is below par and can’t be relied on for engineering design/analysis in the real world. No wonder the poster works for the govt..( that typ contracts out engineering work to private firms)