Hi guys, this may be a very odd question (or a very simple one) to answer, but:
How do colleges view taking classes in relation to determined interest in a major? I am interested in Electrical Engineering and want to take Multivariable Calculus this summer in addition to Physics E&M and an introduction to circuits class at a local community college out of self-interest (I wanted to take these classes last summer, but my math skills would not have been enough to do well in these classes). Would taking these classes show a demonstrated interest in the major?
This will not be the only electrical engineering oriented thing I do (hopefully) as I do plan to work as a research assistant in a university lab this summer on an EE related project, but would the classes by themselves mean anything?
@mundyt College courses contribute to course rigor, so they will help your application. However, remember that the grade you get will be figured into your GPA by colleges. (And for non-UC/CSUs you should plan to send them a transcript.)
From your other posts, it looks like you are in California. Summer classes after junior year will be figured into your UC GPA. In fact, each community or UC/CSU college class counts as 2 semesters (if it is 4 or more units, I believe). So, be sure that you can get an A in these classes.
It sounds like your summer class plan is:
– Multivariable Calc
– Physics E&M
– Intro to Circuits
– EE-related summer project in a university lab
That is far too much! Summer classes are typically condensed to a 6-week quarter and even the 10-week UC quarters will be very fast compared to your high school semesters.
I would recommend either one of those classes and the EE-related project or
2 classes (but don’t take both multivariable and E&M in summer).
If you decide to go with the Intro to Circuits class, make sure it is UC transferable. I’m pretty sure the others would transfer.
As an EE major, I expect you would need to take an E&M class that uses multivariable calculus. I don’t know if this one will. If so, I wouldn’t recommend taking E&M without having first taken multivariable.
I think the UC Physics E&M classes only require you to have Calculus knowledge up to AP Calculus BC before you start the class, which I am currently taking.
My main concern is in how well it would show my interest in EE. I would be incredibly happy doing either the classes or the project, and I would not be disappointed if something came up that only forced me to only take classes or only participate in the project as I am genuinely interested in the subject / major. I’m just wondering whether the project or the classes would be able to better reflect that interest.
Physics courses at UCs with E&M suitable for engineering majors, and presumably transferable CC courses for those, typically have multivariable calculus as a co-requisite (i.e. should be taken previously or concurrently).
For a typically 8-week summer session, a full time course load should be about 7-8 credit units (about half of the 15-16 credit units one normally takes in a 15-week regular semester in college).
@ucbalumnus Right, that is why I said BC knowledge before going in (and having MVC as a coreq), not needing to know MVC in its entirety before taking the class itself.