question for university (engineering)

[MonsieurFish]

k i think i will take it. thanks for the help guys

[BlackEleven]

Take the class. It'll be mostly a repeat for you so you'll get a good mark to boost your GPA. Having a high GPA helps you get into the type of engineering (mechnical, civil, electrical, etc) that you want in your 2nd year.

[ernie]

From high school IB I could have skipped Math 251 as well Chem 201/203 (not sure if the numbers are the same now 15 years later....). I didn't. I took the easy A's.

The GPA boost can pay off handsomely when applying for scholarships at the end of your first year and hen you are declaring your major.

First year anything isn't hard in terms of what you need to learn. It's hard because you have to adjust to all the new demands on your time. The course work takes much more time. If in science you have labs and tutorials on top of lectures. And you have to make time for drinking and partying. You'll get slammed with 5 midterms in one week etc etc.

The key to a successful first year and university career is simply organization, time management and figuring out what you can blow off and when you can blow it off. I had one semester in my third year that each of my 5 classes had labs and 3 of them also had tutorials. There were just some labs/assignments that just didn't get done to my usual standards. Don't completely skip assignments or labs..partial marks are better than no marks...but don't be afraid of not giving it your all at times. I was a TA for 4 years as I did grad school and so many of my students were just constantly stressed and they would crack. So many crying students in my office or other TAs offices over a point or two. Perhaps I was a just a dick Take the time to slow down and enjoy life. If it means getting a poor mark on a small assignment so be it. You'll be in a much better mental state when the tests that matter come around.

[SeeGeeWhy]

Originally Posted by HelloHockeyFans

First Year Engineering is not difficult. You'll be alright if you choose to take the math course. In fact, take as many courses as you possibly can handle in the early part of your engineering degree... because later on, things'll get rough!

Get real. If you go in with this attitude, you might get by for the first two semesters, but the 3rd and 4th will kick your ass.

Fish, I am not up to speed with what the IB program is teaching these days. I graduated high school in 2000 and I remember there being some pretty big changes to the cirriculum with the introduction of "Pure" math (I used to tutor and found it to be a bit of a shock as to how different the course material was).

That said, I am not really qualified to say whether or not you should skip it. 217 in the first semester you can probably get away with taking the credit for, but there are a few things that are a bit different from 30/31 as I remember them.

My advice would be to save the $500 on 217 and get a copy of Elsabrouty's bible for later on.. the notes come in handy in later courses for sure. Get him as your prof anytime you can. I see a few people referring to him as Dr. Elsabrouty, but I am pretty sure he doesn't have his Ph.D. (long story). He is an absolute genius instructor, one of the best in the University. Dr. Bos isn't a bad choice either.

Focus on getting the basics of Statics down. It isn't as difficult as it seems, but is very critical that you do not get hung up on it. Free Body Diagrams rule.

The time you free up to enjoy yourself a bit and to work on your other courses will be much more valuable in the long run than the "GPA Boost" that others are professing here.

You'll find the workload that works for you. Some people thrive in the 6+ course/semester environment, others need 3 to get good grades. I was somewhere in the middle. If I was too busy, I couldn't get it done. If I was too relaxed, I was lazy and didn't care. Think about taking a course or two in the spring summer sessions if you need to spread things out more.

If you are going to get credit for anything, try to get it for PHYS259 - the course is a useless weeder and will cause you much undue stress.

[MonsieurFish]

so the university automatically put me in all my courses.... does this sound about right?

AMAT217
ENGG 201
ENGG 205
ENGG 251
MATH 221

thats what im signed up for. does that sound correct?

[REDVAN]

Yeah that sounds correct. My bro just did that this year. He did alright as far as I know. Just keep on top of things. I know they tell you that University is hard and that it's not anything like high school... but for me that didn't sink in until I actually got to university. WOW it is way different even from what you are expecting. Good and bad, so don't freak out.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

I would also not recommend missing 217. It's amazing how much you can forget in one semester, and by the time 2nd semester rolls around 219 will be that much more difficult. And yes it's mainly a review, but I remember a couple of the items they taught in 217 being new nonetheless.

Also, first year has gotten easier since I left, with drafting being moved into first year and the 2nd statics/dynamics course being bumped up to 2nd year. Actually it used to be that statics and dynamics were separate courses, but since I left they changed that. Apparently 2nd year engineering is now the worst thing ever conceived by man, not to scare you or anything

On a similar note, I remember in first year some people were able to skip one of the chem courses. If I recall, people much preferred doing that, since, unless you were going into chemical engineering, that course had little bearing on the rest of your engineering school career.

And on yet another note, just remember that Fs aren't all that bad heheh. It just means you get up on that horse and try again.

[Fobby]

For the comment first year is not difficult. They actually did make it easier compare to when some of us has done it...

They moved Phys 269 to second year. So it's actually Phys 369. They also make you take Coms 363 in your first year now.. so that's easier for 1st year student because there's not a lot of work load in that course. Also combined was Statics and Dynamics. I still remember Engg 201 ripping me a new arshole.....

2nd year tho... is a different story now. I say Good luck.

Amat 217 is like.. Math 251 and Math 253 in one. Have fun. You will never get another easier A then Amat 217 and 219.

Oops.. seems like I have echo teh_bandwagoner's post..

[Winsor_Pilates]

I would take it anyway. If you skip it, you'll end up taking some other options anyway because you need a certain amount of courses completed in your degree.
If it's repetitive stuff for you, think of it as an easy option and use it to get a good start on a good GPA.

[Rhetts_the_Best]

Originally Posted by MonsieurFish

so the university automatically put me in all my courses.... does this sound about right?

AMAT217
ENGG 201
ENGG 205
ENGG 251
MATH 221

thats what im signed up for. does that sound correct?

Remember though you might want to experiment with other courses, i went into my first year of university planning on majoring in phsycology, i am now currently involved in archaeology.

[Teh_Bandwagoner]

Originally Posted by Rhetts_the_Best

Remember though you might want to experiment with other courses, i went into my first year of university planning on majoring in phsycology, i am now currently involved in archaeology.

In engineering, those courses are all required though. So it's not like he CHOSE these courses on his own accord heh. I dunno who in their right mind would.

Disclaimer: Apologies to anyone who chose to do these courses on their own accord :P

[Fobby]

Engineering is Teh sUck0r for options..

you have two "options"... please choose from this list below...
errrrrrr......

Did i mention we have mandatory options? "You can take coms 363.. or coms 361... wait, forget what i just said... you have to take coms 363 as your communication option."

[Peanut]

I'd say definitely take the course in University, because:
a) good refresher
b) some new material is introduced
c) get used to the crazy workload while one of the courses is still easy for you
d) hopefully it's an "easy" A!!

[Torture]

Yeah...as everybody else is saying, I'd go with it. I took IB (2 years ago now ) and I'm at UofC (Taking Business) and I can't really say I've got anything out of taking IB (Then again, I haven't had to take any sciences or anything...)

Hopefully it'll be an easy A (Kinda doubt it though) and there will be some new material...
And as everybody else is saying..I've heard that Elsabrouty is the best math prof out there, so try to get in his class, stay away from any class with Dr. Mollin...

[Beefcake]

Originally Posted by HelloHockeyFans

First Year Engineering is not difficult. You'll be alright if you choose to take the math course. In fact, take as many courses as you possibly can handle in the early part of your engineering degree... because later on, things'll get rough!

Nobody I took the program with would agree with this statement. First year kicked my butt. I thought it got easier in the 3rd and 4th years, after they were done trying to weed out those who couldn't hack it, and you've gotten used to the insane workload.

You might want to take the course if for no other reason than to boost your first year GPA. Then again, I did well in Math 30 & 31 IB, but still didn't manage to get an "A" in the first year AMAT courses.

[HelloHockeyFans]

Originally Posted by Beefcake

Nobody I took the program with would agree with this statement. First year kicked my butt. I thought it got easier in the 3rd and 4th years, after they were done trying to weed out those who couldn't hack it, and you've gotten used to the insane workload.

Yeah, but a few people in this thread do.

Obviously, it's a matter of opinion.

As I said, from my experience, the fundamentals they threw at me in first year (voltage/current laws, basic programming fundamentals, elementary physics) were challenging, but not as tough as the concepts they introduced in the later years (Maxwell's equations, application of quantum mechanics, etc.).

In addition to trumping the first year in terms of complexity, I found that my workload was substantially increased in the later years of my degree. Labs were more difficult, reports were required to be longer, and the final project began to take away an enormous amount of study time which I used to have devoted for my courses. The level of understanding required to attain the same letter grade in a course in 3rd/4th year, compared to that required in a 1st year course, in my opinion, was much greater. Answers required not only the correct numerical answer any more, but professors wanted the students to also show a true understanding of the material through the process in which the student arrives at the solution.

[kermitology]

It's too bad you didn't take Chem IB, because you could skip the chemistry and the first fluids course which were totally useless for me,. It sucks for you guys that statics and dynamics are combined, statics was the easiest course in history for me. 6 equations and 6 unknowns.

Skipping the math stuff would be a nightmare IMO. Also.. nothing tops lectures from Dr. Bos. He doesn't bring notes, he doesn't look at the board, he just sees math and time and you learn it. He was the best, you'll often see him wandering campus or even around town, with one hand in his chalk filled pocket, looking stoned.

[kermitology]

Sum of forces in x,y,z = 0 and sum of moments about the x,y,z axis equal zero. Easy peazy!