<p>I did not take ANY advanced courses in high school. They were all regular. I did well in them though, especially physics.</p>
<p>I got into University of Iowa’s mechanical engineering - am I going to die? I am prepared to work my ASS off since how high my gpa is directly relates to my chances of getting a pilot training slot in AFROTC, which is my dream, so if I work hard can I do well? Or does my lack of advanced math courses in high school make it impossible for me to do well? </p>
<p>A lot of people from AFROTC say I should do an easy major and get a high GPA, problem is, aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering are the only two I am interested in. So if I take political science, I will probably do terrible, even though it is supposed to be an easy major. This is because I have zero interest in it.</p>
<p>No, you are not “over”. You’re probably going to be taking a bunch of cupcake gen ed. requirements and maybe something somewhat difficult like Calc 1, depending on what your math level is, for your first semester. A lot of people start off in the same position as you: no IB/AP/Honors credits and Pre-Calc as their highest level of math. Just stay motivated and learn to study. If you’re ready to work your ass off then you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>I know nothing about Iowa’s program, but from what little tidbits I know about being a pilot in the Air Force (I was once interested in it a long time ago) is highly competitive and might not be guaranteed. So the corollary question would be, what will you do if you aren’t selected? If you major in political science, will you be happy doing the things political science graduates do (which can be lots of things, but nothing like what you would do as an engineer)? Do you know what it means to be an engineer in the first place?</p>
<p>I don’t mean to sound condescending. I’m asking you these things to make sure you’re informed. It would be a real shame to see you give up your dreams only to find yourself two years on with a 2.4 GPA in a major that you hate.</p>
<p>hadsed, that is one of the reasons WHY I am doing engineering and not political science. I am very well aware of the different factors that go into the decision of being a pilot select. 15% of it is your GPA. If I were to pick a job outside of being a pilot, it would be engineering.</p>
<p>I am currently taking a Project Lead the Way class, so I am more informed on what being an engineer is all about than most seniors are.</p>
<p>I am confident I can get a pilot slot. My main worry is being medically qualified to be a pilot, as I was born with a birth defected hand. It does not affect ANYTHING, I just gotta get the flight docs to believe it.</p>
<p>I also cant decide what is a better engineering school, University of Iowa or Iowa State. What is just a better school all around. On **************.com iowa state is rated higher than u of iowa in terms of how many people enjoyed their experience at the individual universities. weird.</p>
<p>I had absolutely NO AP-anything. The highest math course I had in high school was a course called Analytic Geometry which was the next class after Trigonometry. I guess since many college Calculus courses are called Calculus & Analytic Geometry my last high school course was the Analytic Geometry part…without the Calculus.</p>
<p>Anyhoo…</p>
<p>I ended up majoring in Computational Mathematics (a hybrid Math-Computer Science degree) as an undergraduate and did the M.S. Engineering in grad school. I was slightly below a 3.0 GPA as an undergrad but I can tell you that I partied quite a bit in college.</p>
<p>I have been a software engineer for 20+ years and earned a 3.8 GPA in grad school (9 years after undergrad).</p>
<p>You are starting off no worst than me and probably have better study habits already, so you will do just fine.</p>
<p>My step grandson started out with a hs prep background similar to GlobalTraveler’s. Did very well in Civil E in his state flagship (tier 1). Your work ethic should take you where you need to go, GPA-wise. Good luck.</p>
<p>I never took anything AP in high school, did pretty bad on math,advanced algebra and trigonometry(horrible, 42 on the state exam). I’m currently in civil engineering technology and will be transferring to civil enginerring fall 2011. For me it started out as being a bit difficult but you have to be aware of classes you need to take and put in the extra time to study and UNDERSTAND the concepts, for example if you are weak in science buy the book and get a early start.</p>
<p>OP: You are fine. The only real advantage of pre-enrollment credits is that it allows you to fit more in to your college years - perhaps a language, or a minor, or 16 credits of modern dance (JAZZ HANDS!!). With an engineering major and AFROTC, you will not have much time for other coursework, but it is not a problem., and may be an advantage - many people who get credit for AP exams or other pre-enrollment credit find that their high school preparation was not as good as the actual college classes, and struggle later due to the shaky foundation. Study hard, take the right classes in sequence, and you’ll be fine.</p>
<p>just wondering guys, is it possible at most colleges to graduate with an engineering degree in 4 years? I am going to the university of iowa this fall and need to know if I can do it in 4 years for a mechanical engineeering major.</p>
<p>As a physical science major I can tell you that when you take introductory math and science courses in college like Calculus 1 or Physics 1 they start with the premise that you have taken Algebra II, Trigonometry and maybe Pre-Calculus in high school but do not assume you have any prior knowledge of Calculus or Physics.</p>
<p>I would agree with Comicfish that in the long run you might be better off starting these courses in college rather than skipping them by taking AP courses in high school. One of my sons is taking AP Physics in high school now and my observation is that while it is certainly a difficult course by high school standards, it is not as rigorous as an introductory Physics course in an actual college would be. He is getting an A in it and wants to major in Physics in college but I have warned him that the AP course he is taking now will be useful background but that he is going to have to take Introductory Physics again in college if he is going to have the foundation needed for upper division Physics courses.</p>
<p>I got ap credits for calc 1 and 2. Instead of actually using that I spent a few years doing lib arts stuff. so when I finally went back I had to take calc 1 all over again (basically I had to start with no ap credits).</p>
<p>it helps to get ap credits. my friend got something like 40 ap credits and it essentially took a year off his time. lucky ■■■■■■■.</p>
<p>but yeah. completing in 4 years? possible if you take a bunch of summer classes each summer. try to get an internship in there though</p>
<p>In most cases, AP physics is not accepted for physics majors, since physics courses for physics (and engineering) majors assume that one is taking multivariable calculus at some point with or before getting to electricity and magnetism.</p>
<p>However, when available, someone who did well on the AP tests, but has to take introductory courses because the AP courses are not sufficient, may want to consider the honors versions of the introductory courses if offered.</p>