<p>You will find that there is really no good indicator of high school success and college success. Most science schools require you take 4 units math 1 unit chem 1 unit physics etc… So you are pretty much in the same boat as everyone entering college. What makes engineering hard? Its because engineering is the application of science. You take what you learn from physics/math/chem and try to solve problems which are specifically constrained. Ill give an example.</p>
<p>–Typical high school chemistry problem (stoichiometry) </p>
<p>What is the total number of moles of H2SO4 needed to prepare 5.0 liters of a 2.0 M solution of H2SO4?</p>
<p>–Typical college general chemistry problem (acid-base equilibrium)</p>
<p>What is the hydronium ion concentration and pH of a 0.10 M solution of hypochlorous acid, Ka = 3.5 x 10-8?</p>
<p>–Typical INTRO chemE problem (mass balance)</p>
<p>A hot-air dryer is used to reduce the moisture content of 1500 kg/min of wet wood pulp from 0.75 kg H20/hg dry pulp to 0.15 wt% H20. Air is drawn from the atmosphere at 28 deg. C, 760 mmHg, and 50% relative humidity, sent through a blower-heater, and then fed to the dryer. The air leaves the dryer at 80 deg. C and 10 mm Hg (gauge). A sample of the exit air is drawn into a chamber containing a mirror and cooled slowly, keeping the guage pressure at 10 mm Hg. A mist is observed to form on the mirror at a temp of 40 deg. C. Calculate the mass of water removed from the pulp (Kg/min) and the volumetric flow rate of air entering the system (m^3/min).</p>
<p>As you can see, in engineering the depth of knowledge is far greater and you can’t expect to plug and chug because every problem is different. What I’ve learned is that ChemE does not deal with chemistry all that much, if you want to be a chemistry buff chemE is not for you. Which is why I wanted to ask you if you are so interested in chemistry, why not major in chemistry?</p>