Michigan Engineering - Dilemma? Advice needed!

umich8790
Sun, 22 Apr 2012 09:10:17 +0000

My son is finishing up his freshman year in engineering at U-M. He’s working very hard, but also doing well. The classes take a lot of time and work, but are manageable. He’s also found classmates to be helpful (they’re all in this together) rather than cutthroat. There’s lots of ways to get extra help via tutoring centers, etc. Also, those who have taken AP physics will probably place out and not take the first physics class w/ you. He took physics as a senior in high school (not AP) but his schedule worked out so that he will be taking the 2 required physics classes at a local university this summer,

Advise re Calc and Chem…even if you’ve placed out of Calc I (unless you’ve already taken Calc II), retake Calc I at the college level. It will be more competitive and give you a solid bases for future Calc classes, while not being quite as difficult for you. Also, if you place out of gen’l chem at orientation (which my son did after only taking honors chem in 11th grade)…if you don’t need organic chem for your degree, take gen’l chem anyway…it’s not easy, and there’s no reason to put yourself through orgo if you don’t need it.

Good luck