<p>I am majoring in Psychology and I have a 4.0 GPA. I am currently applying as a Psychology major to top schools right now, but recently, I have become extremely interested in Industrial Engineering to the point where I cannot ignore it.</p>
<p>I plan to follow through with my application to UCB, & UCLA for Psychology but if in the next few months I do decide that I want to pursue Industrial Engineering, I will be adding Calculus to my Spring semester to get a jump start on my pre-req’s and so that I can be in line to finish all the Indust. Engineering pre-req’s to be eligible for the next transfer rotation (Fall 2015)</p>
<p>MY DILEMMA: For Indust. Engineering, I must take Calc I, Calc II, Multivariable Calculus, Linear Algebra and Differential Equations, General Physics I, and General Physics II.
I pretty much failed every high school math since Algebra 2 and have never taken Calculus before. (Not because I was bad at math, but because I didn’t try. The point is, I have no prior knowledge in these subjects.)
I consider myself a diligent student, and I make school a priority. My only concern is that I will not be able to do well in these classes, because these classes are so abstract and require prior knowledge in Math and other various subjects.</p>
<p>Any inputs on just how hard these classes are for students who do not have a strong background in Math?</p>
<p>Also, what would you do/ do you think I should do? If I did get accepted to UCB or UCLA for Psychology. Should I just go as a Psychology major? UCB is my dream school and frankly, I am scared that I would not be readmitted to UCB if I did major in Indust. Engineering for whatever reason. (Lower GPA from pre-req’s / 3 Years to transfer / etc.)</p>
<p>Please let me know what you guys think. Anything would help! I appreciate it.</p>
<p>IMO follow your gut and try to double major or take related industrial engineering courses. I have some advice for you:</p>
<p>You really need to look up industrial engineering and related majors to it. UCLA doesn’t have many courses or majors related to industrial engineering but UCSD has management science and SB has financial mathematics and statistics. Both of these UCs have a lot more operations research and stochastic process classes needed for IE compared to LA. </p>
<p>Have you looked at UCB operations research and management science major in the LS school? It’s pretty much the same thing as the engineering major without ENGR 120 course and physics. Also it still allows you to be still eligible to do the 4-year bachelor’s (two-year for transfers) and one year masters program in industrial engineering. Another note, UCB doesn’t care if if takes you three years to transfer. It’s common for engineer majors.</p>
<p>You haven’t taken engineering math?</p>
<p>Honestly, to be an engineer you must be exceptionally well in mathematics and the natural sciences. Those who struggle greatly with prereq mathematics are generally not those who continue. If you struggle with mathematics a lot, then engineering might not be for you.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses, I really appreciate it.
@ocnative, I don’t consider myself bad at Math. I finished my Statistics class in college this past year with a 110%… Obviously that number is a bit arbitrary in terms of giving you a feel for how well I would do in math classes like Calc and Linear Algebra. My concern is not so much that I’m bad at Math (b/c I don’t think I am bad at Math) as much as it is with the fact that I have no prior knowledge in subjects like Alg 2 and Trigonometry.</p>
<p>Also, if anyone else can give me their input on the latter part of my question, that’d be greatly appreciated</p>
<p>Jumping into calculus without decent knowledge of Algebra 2 and Trigonometry would be pretty difficult. However, calculus is a basic class in terms of math and I’m sure if you devoted your time to it you would catch up. Just keep in mind, it would be exactly that, catching up. A lot of people enter college already having taken some level of calculus at their high schools.</p>
<p>Whether or not you apply as a psych/industrial engineer major really depends on your performance in those math classes. You can easily look up the average GPA of admitted students to UCSB for engineering to see what to aim for. I would honestly suggest getting a taste of what’s in store and signing up for a calculus class. Then you can always drop it if you realize that you weren’t adequately prepared and that it may affect your GPA. I emphasize the word taste because you would begin with single-variable calc, however multivariable calculus is much harder (as you can imagine) but it doesn’t stop there. If you’re struggling with the basic math classes (yes I am calling single variable calculus and multivariable calculus basic because in all practical sense it is) then most branches of engineering will only be harder for you as you enter your upper division courses. It may seem daunting however the plain truth is that engineering is tough and you don’t want to go into it halfheartedly and then realize you’ve made a grave mistake.</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong though, hard doesn’t necessarily mean bad and most definitely does not mean impossible. In most of my math courses, there were some students that were extremely well prepared but the majority forgot their basic trig identities, geometric relationships, etc etc. Most people don’t remember every single mathematical relationship they learned, if anything probably a majority of what they learned is completely forgotten due to lack of use. Too many times a professor would pull a math trick out of thin air and flabbergast half the class. Except no one says a thing because everyone is too afraid to look stupid and thus the fear of thinking you’re the only one who doesn’t know it is perpetuated by the inaction of everyone else and yourself. I saw one woman in my C++ programming class who didn’t even know how to properly login to the class website. Everyone thought it would be over for her. Yet she was relentless and shameless - asking questions left and right. She eventually obtained an A in the class. The key really is being aggressive and understanding that your situation is not unique - many others have accomplished it too. Go by to the professor office hours whenever you feel like it, study when you have to. If you truly are a rigorous student and relatively comfortable working hard - you will be okay. Math isn’t scary, but unfortunately many people believe it is because it is taught very poorly. However whatever circumstances may have brought you to where you are now, as long as you realize what you are working for, math won’t only be do-able, you can even obtain moments of pleasure from the achievements thereafter and how far you’ve come. Who knows too - maybe it won’t be difficult for you and you just never gave it a chance. </p>
<p>Either way, my final advice is that in all honesty, if you find that you are struggling terribly, it doesn’t mean you’re bad at math or not prepared, it just means you most likely aren’t spending enough time. That’s the realistic truth that most people don’t want to accept or overlook blaming it on a reason that they believe cannot be fixed to excuse any more effort put in. After all, trust me, in the long run if you continue down this path, these classes really are elementary, difficult yes, but elementary nevertheless.</p>
<p>Appreciate all the input. Any more?</p>