I think you are describing the perfect qualifications for being a computer engineer – both the good and bad. I would rest easy. He is going to kill it. Like buy you a retirement home, kill it. Within the first week of his career, he will get 5 calls from recruiters asking if he is ready to switch companies yet.
Video games are awesome. Shows a super logical mind. Watch him play. Will give you an instant headache. Perfect precursor for debugging code and problem solving. When he builds his first video game in a class, it will all be over. He’ll sit there with tears in his eyes. He was wired for this. It’s in his DNA. Books bore him. Sitting in class bores him. Lectures bore him. Dumb people bore him. Tests bore him. Computer code will be thrilling. He will love the professors and the people around him. He will keep these friends for life. He will have found his calling.
Architecture is even perfect. Like spot-on perfect. Building a computer. Brilliant. Your son is about to start an adventure that will end with Artificial Intelligence. Gives me chills!
@Schlieko That’s awfully nice to say but doesn’t help the op. For one being good at video games and liking it doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily like coding and understanding algorithms. Same thing as liking computers won’t translate to understanding registers and x86 architecture. I think the best bet is for the op to have her son try not having video games first semester and let him get adjusted to classes, make new friends and join extra curriculars. If everything works out then introduce the video games again.
I think @Schlieko 's post is a rather Panglossian view of the world. I agree that, if a student has good time-management skills, video game playing need not negatively impact their studies. DS is being inducted into Tau Beta Pi and his PlayStation has been a constant companion.
However, if you have concerns about a student’s study habits or time management skills, it would make sense to try to limit their gaming - if you could. Unfortunately there will be plenty of people around with serious video game setups more than willing to have others play with them.
It’s a bit insulting to think that, if you play tons of video games, coding and debugging will magically come to you without any other effort. I know plenty of big-time gamers who can’t write a decent line of code to save their lives. I also know plenty of great coders who have rarely played video games. I also have worked with lots of people who’ve worked in the video game industry and never heard of one person who wrote their first video game without having to bother with learning anything first. Sure there may be one or two people out there, but this Pollyana advice does not help the OP.
From the OP:
Many extremely bright students who coasted through high school struggle with the rigors of college. It’s good that the OP is thinking of this ahead of time, and it pays to stay in front of this issue. Too many kids don’t speak up until they’ve dug a very deep hole by not keeping on top of their coursework.
It does sound like the OP’s child is extremely bright and talented - now it’s a matter of application!
My son, also a TBP member, plays his share of video games and has a job, but his work ethic and time management skills are paramount. There’s plenty of evidence that high achievers “waste” a fair amount of time. It’s just that they are all on board when they are in work mode. The road is also littered with people who aspired to be engineers, who couldn’t or wouldn’t figure that balance out.
I got the book. I have yet to convince him to read it but I am reading it. It makes a lot of sense. I just got it so am only into second chapter but just the time management advice is superb.
Thank you to everyone for the advice. If i could talk him into leaving the video games at home, I would. He is 18 and built and paid for his computer himself. He has no plans to leave it at home unfortunately. He doesn’t play anything but PC games. I am reading the book recommended by previous poster and it really is worth buying. I am very interested in reading the next few chapters, especially about procrastination, which is a thorn in his side. Or maybe my side? I have until August to pound this info and advice into his brain. In the end, I may have to rely on bribery. It won’t be the first time though!
@eloise2018 let me me know how the book is. I have a son that spends hours and hours on his computer, but when it comes to school work and EF skills he doesnt know how to study or what to do. His grades as a junior have slipped to B’s since everything doesnt come as easy anymore. His way of studying right now is to reread the textbooks. Not sure how that they working for him. he also has issues with MC tests where two answers are similar in nature. I am so scared for him in college that he will not be able to self manage and self study . Luckily we have one more year.
@sdl0625 I can say with certainty that the advice on time management skills is excellent. It is very simple and basic but not something me or my son would have probably thought about. Plus, it takes only five minutes a day to do so student won’t be spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to save time.
You can either leave him to it, or ask if him if he will share his on-line grades with you
Also some people think it is good for them to “have some skin in the game”…e.g. responsible for paying some part of college with the usual $5500 loans…I told my kids to take out those loans but that we would pay them back if they maintained a 3.0 average
Yes, he will most likely have his @ss handed to him on a platter during First Year Engineering. He’s going to have to learn to ask for help. He has more AP credits than my daughter did and a probably more rigorous high school curriculum, but mine is a hard worker and she STILL had it handed to her freshman year.
If you can get some sort of agreement from him that he will agree to go to ALL of the help sessions and labs for at least the first round of tests. Beg. Plead, Bribe. Whatever. Just get him to go somehow. IF he makes it through the first round of tests unscathed and with amazing results, then he can decide if the extra stuff was helpful. Looking back, I would’ve had this discussion with her in much more detail. She thought it was better to figure it all out on her own and literally spent hours and hours on physics. She could’ve cut to the chase and gone to the help lab and her life would’ve been so much easier. As a parent, it was hard to watch.
By the way, University of Texas at Austin is just “UT.” UTA is University of Texas at Arlington. Best of luck to your student!
@carachel2 Yes he is going to UTA, not UT. He would have never gotten into UT Now they only have to accept top 8%. My kid is in top 12%. Honestly, if he stops being an introvert and gets in a study group, maybe he will do okay. He is a procrastinator too.
There was a comment above that it’s easier to transfer out of engineering than in.
This is true, but often the transfer out involves starting a new major with a low gpa, and then having to dig out of a hole.
Seems to me if your kid only applied to one college and is already enrolled, this is nothing to discuss other than
making sure he does the job he signed up to do. Tell him he must have some role in any costs related to
extending undergrad if it takes longer than 4 years to graduate, or have other ties that motivate.
Note there are some small tech schools where your merit scholarship is not tied to GPA.
If you flunk out of course it’s gone, but as long as you are a student “in good standing” a minimal criteria,
then you keep the merit. This is because the tech schools know many would have a lower GPA, even if they work.
I always felt that tying aid and housing lottery (some schools do it) to grades is very unfair to engineering majors,
having to compete on grades with “XYZ Studies” liberal arts majors.
@Eloise2018 --if he went to school in the area surrounding UTA then yes, you should be concerned. Those are not schools known for their rigor. Feel free to PM me.
I am not sure of the rigor of UTA but I would assume it’s pretty on par with other engineering programs. He will be super busy with first year engineering courses and will really have to curb the gaming.
are we talking UT Austin? Have not figured that out yet. UT Austin Comp Sci/Computer engineering is hard, full of really smart, motivated kids. As my DD put it (in her engineering major), everyone here is so “extra”. He will need to put down the game controller and roll up his sleeves. Find a study group, go to office hours, and learn to not sleep alot. Those kids all pull crazy hours due to the projects. Just my opinion.
Finally saw it was UT Arlington. Either way, it will be hard. But they learn fast after that first round of midterms. And hopefully learn to adjust. Every year gets better…
Well, he went through orientation and is enrolled! I think he is getting more excited about it now that he spent two days at the college. He is really glad he took all the dual credit basics and AP courses. He has to take Cal II, a Pols course, a creative arts class, plus a “student success” course that is mandatory for Freshmen at UTA. Two classes are the beginning engineering pre-professional courses. I hope he will do okay. I’m not as worried as I was. UTA has a lot of resources for students, which makes me feel better.
@Eloise2018
Your son will not be alone during the first year wake-up call. The average physics grade in our my first year of engineering studies was a 35. In anticipation of the first exam results the dean’s orientation for parents prepared them for that first anxiety filled telephone call home. Every student was wearing their National Honor society pins from HS. They were not used to exams at the same level. Remember, most of his classmates have similar experience and background.
“ucalumnus” put it well, it is worth repeating:
“Normally, college courses require more self motivation and time management skills, since there is much less supervision. They also tend to put more of the grade on tests and larger projects, rather than small daily or weekly assignments like in high school courses. But college courses taught at the high school may or may not resemble normal college courses in these format aspects (even if they cover the same material), depending on the specific program.”
This CC dialogue will help you in case that panicked phone call happens. Stay calm. If it does not happen, ask what’s up!
Well, he is now in his second semester. He finished his first with a 3.4 GPA and the only class he had trouble with was programming. He started seeing a tutor and ended up with a B in the class. He ended up taking Calculus 1 because his advisor said it would be a good idea. It was really easy but he is glad he took it again. He made an A in the class. I’m really proud of his work ethic. For the first time in his life, he is really studying and bearing down. He said all he does is study but he has made friends and they have a study group. One funny thing: when he was trying to find a creative arts class, the only thing that fit his schedule was THEA. So he bit the bullet and took it. In the first class, I got a text that said “this THEA class makes me want to kill myself”. LOL. He dropped it and is going to take something else in the summer at the local community college. This semester he’s taking Physics 1, Calc 2, programming class called Discrete Structures, and some other engineering class and Pop Culture. Again, the programming class is the hardest for him, but he really clicked with the tutor he found so he’s not too worried. I asked what day he was coming home for spring break and he said he wasn’t. He wants to stay at the dorm so he can study and keep in his groove. He doesn’t even miss me …wth?
Now they only have to accept top 8%. My kid is in top 12%. Honestly, if he stops being an introvert and gets in a study group, maybe he will do okay. He is a procrastinator too.