Anonymous
12/09/2025 07:13
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
My herbicide chemistry lab in agrcultural engineering was a weed-out class.
Anonymous
12/09/2025 07:12
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Not all engineering programs have intentional weed-out classes. Programs with high (maybe 90+%) 5-yr graduation rates in engineering of the students who started in engineering likely don't have intentional weed-out classes.
The better schools absolutely have intentional weed-out classes.
Or maybe the material is just tough.
Why would they intentionally want kids to drop out?
The very top Engineering schools don't (Top 5). They figure if you got in there you are smart enough. Weed out not necessary.
+10. And this also is why MIT starts out with pass/fail grading.
Anonymous
12/09/2025 07:11
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Not all engineering programs have intentional weed-out classes. Programs with high (maybe 90+%) 5-yr graduation rates in engineering of the students who started in engineering likely don't have intentional weed-out classes.
The better schools absolutely have intentional weed-out classes.
Some do and others do not.
It is really a choice between filtering during admissions (meaning only the well qualified are accepted) and filtering after matriculation (meaning giving students from HSs without strong STEM courses a chance). Both are legitimate approaches. It is simply a choice by the college or university.
Anonymous
12/09/2025 00:54
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Not all engineering programs have intentional weed-out classes. Programs with high (maybe 90+%) 5-yr graduation rates in engineering of the students who started in engineering likely don't have intentional weed-out classes.
The better schools absolutely have intentional weed-out classes.
Or maybe the material is just tough.
Why would they intentionally want kids to drop out?
The very top Engineering schools don't (Top 5). They figure if you got in there you are smart enough. Weed out not necessary.
Anonymous
12/09/2025 00:14
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Not all engineering programs have intentional weed-out classes. Programs with high (maybe 90+%) 5-yr graduation rates in engineering of the students who started in engineering likely don't have intentional weed-out classes.
The better schools absolutely have intentional weed-out classes.
Or maybe the material is just tough.
Why would they intentionally want kids to drop out?
Anonymous
12/09/2025 00:01
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
To answer IP’s original question, it was Calc 3 that did it in fort aerospace engineering kid at UVA Aerospace engineering at UVA. And. Yes, they had received an A in high school Calc and advanced math
Anonymous
12/08/2025 22:32
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
Anonymous wrote:Not all engineering programs have intentional weed-out classes. Programs with high (maybe 90+%) 5-yr graduation rates in engineering of the students who started in engineering likely don't have intentional weed-out classes.
The better schools absolutely have intentional weed-out classes.
Anonymous
12/08/2025 19:58
Subject: Re:What are the egineering weed-out classes?
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?
Somewhat. My son has always been getting easy As in high school math, went beyond AP calc to multivariable calculus and differential equations, never been tutored, etc.
And then he took Calc II-III as a math major in one of the top schools. It was brutal. Half of the math majors switched to something else, like economics, as a result. I'd imagine the same thing is happening with Engineering majors.
Changing major based on interest fine, but the causality in his story doesn't make sense. Engineering and Economics both require calc 3, many schools have multiple levels of mathematical intensity for calc 3, but students can be math majors even in the less intense version.
Anonymous
12/08/2025 17:37
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
Not all engineering programs have intentional weed-out classes. Programs with high (maybe 90+%) 5-yr graduation rates in engineering of the students who started in engineering likely don't have intentional weed-out classes.
Anonymous
12/08/2025 17:32
Subject: Re:What are the egineering weed-out classes?
Anonymous wrote: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?
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.
Did you actually research that? It's usually just a matter of a few extra science classes, the CS stuff is identical.
Did look into it. Most often, the BSCS takes more CS or computer-related EE/ECE classes than the BACS at the programs offering both.
Exceptions must exist someplace obviously.
Anonymous
12/08/2025 12:37
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
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)
There's a lot of overlap freshman year between the engineering and pre-med students. And I think every university goes hard on these students in the introductory classes. Doctors and engineers are crucial for modern civilization. Those are fields that can't afford mediocrity and people gliding through. So the introductory classes are specifically designed to weed out the people that really should change majors. But a B or C isn't disqualifying at all. It's just a reality check. These are tough majors, and better to understand that early rather than later.
Anonymous
12/08/2025 12:35
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
Anonymous wrote: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)
You know nothing.
Anonymous
12/08/2025 12:34
Subject: What are the egineering weed-out classes?
Anonymous wrote: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)
A C in one class does not mean anything. What if the kid had covid and the prof did not let her turn in a few assignments late? Therefore the kid can't be an engineer? You are being ridiculous.
Anonymous
12/08/2025 12:30
Subject: Re:What are the egineering weed-out classes?
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?
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.
False. Wow, you should know that.
Anonymous
12/08/2025 12:30
Subject: Re:What are the egineering weed-out classes?
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?
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.
Did you actually research that? It's usually just a matter of a few extra science classes, the CS stuff is identical.