<p>This should be helpful to those coming to UT engineering as freshmen and internal/external transfer.
This thread is open to all engineering majors. </p>
<p>List all of your weed out classes (first year, second year, etc). Be specific with the courses. Meaning, don’t just say ‘Math classes’, or ‘second year engineering classes’. More like ‘Differential Equations’ or ‘fluid mechanics’, etc.</p>
<p>Also, give advice on how to pass those weed out courses.</p>
<p>Do you want me to move this thread to the engineering forum? You might get more responses there. I don’t think it differs too much from one school to another.</p>
<p>For me, it was physics (both semesters), dynamics, and fluid mechanics. Oh, also the two architectural design classes I had to take, but that probably wasn’t true for most Architectural Engineering students. I just don’t have an artistic (drawing) bone in my body.</p>
<p>This is actually a very useful thread. “Sticky” material like this is useful for attracting the casual forum viewer (aka lurker) and bringing traffic to the forum. I think it should stay in the UT section because each university runs their engineering programs a little differently.</p>
<p>For the 1st year of EE:
EE306 because most students have never been exposed to logic gates, machine language and the like before. Doing well in the class depends more on strong problem solving skills than textbook knowledge of the material. Each test presents novel problems so a thorough understanding of the material is necessary. Each problem is unique so while past exams may help a student develop a better understanding of the topics, they offer little in the way of test question familiarity through repetition. My advice for this class is to just take it seriously and practice practice practice. The amount of knowledge necessary for the class is minimal but the application of techniques and tricks and identifying nuances is paramount. </p>
<p>EE319K: Pretty much either a sink of float class. Most test score distributions were bimodal around 30’s and 80’s. This is due to a heavy programming curriculum compounded with a lab timeline that assumes some proficiency with computer science. The course has generally been considered as one with a heavy work load but has been made more difficult for some because the degree plan was rearranged so that the class no longer has Intro to Programming as a prerequisite, despite the prominence of programming in the course. It is only a weed out class if you’re a weak programmer. In class programming tests are time restricted and a trivial bug can easily lead to a failing test grade if the program does not run. However, if students have been exposed to programming before, the class is not bad and was honestly on the easier side in my opinion. Nevertheless, the ~15% of my class that withdrew mid-semester (thereby delaying graduation by a semester) seems sufficient to distinguish the class as a weed-out.</p>
<p>Yes, my son was one of the ones who dropped out of EE319K last semester. He had had only the BME Into to Programming class, and he didn’t feel that he was sufficiently prepared (I don’t think his school offers ANY classes in it - the school is very liberal artsy). But he took another programming class at ACC during the summer, and feels better about the EE class now. He’s already lined up a tutor for it. The tutor is paid by the engineering school! UT has really improved since I was an engineering student there in the early '80s. There is much more help for students.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to put a damper on this, but is it really necessary to discuss so-called “weed-out” classes (and make it a sticky)? In my opinion, discussion of this will mostly cause students to fear certain classes… sure, students could try to be “more prepared” for the classes, but shouldn’t you be well-prepared and putting forth your best effort for all your classes? Sorry if this is out of line, but I just feel like this is just one of those topics where too much information is either useless or detrimental.</p>
<p>Actually, it has already been helpful to my son. He was pretty discouraged after having to drop the class. He’s always been a strong student who works hard, so the experience made him doubt if he was in the right major. Finding out details about how many other students dropped the class helped him realize it wasn’t HIM. I will leave the thread stickied for a month or so, and see how it goes.</p>
<p>soadquake981, you’re on point, but to you’re argument, students can better prepare for certain classes than others. Meaning, for freshmen engineers if physics 303K is difficult, they won’t take 17 hours that semester. </p>
<p>I guess we don’t have to call it ‘weed out classes’; how about ‘watch out for this class!’ or something, no? Just to give students a heads up on what’s ahead of them. I think it could help students immensely (especially freshmen) when planning their undergraduate curriculum.</p>
<p>frever, you’re post is awesome!</p>
<p>Now I’m kinda scared for ee306, especially since I just got the book and don’t understand anything inside of it.</p>
<p>A lot of attention to EE is being given here.</p>
<p>I felt that EE 302 was harder than EE 306, but if I had Professor Patt for EE 306, it might have been a different story.</p>
<p>I think EE 319K can be described as a weed out course, not necessarily because of its difficulty, but mainly because of the time commitment required to complete all the lab assignments. This is the class that makes people realize they’re not as interested in engineering as they thought they were. It’s sort of a de facto requirement that 319K students spend much of their weekends to complete assignments.</p>
<p>Yes, frever, you’re right when you said:</p>
<p>“I think it should stay in the UT section because each university runs their engineering programs a little differently.”</p>
<p>That has certainly proved true! I have a senior engineering major at UT and a freshman engineering major at A&M, and there are some major differences between the programs that we parents did not anticipate. </p>
<p>Lackoflimits is correct about how impressive your post is. I know all the freshmen/sophs will read this and really appreciate the detail you have included!</p>
<p>@Carolein: like what differences are you talking about?</p>
<p>@wolfram
I had found that my computer engineering classes in both lower division and upper division (319, 322, 306, 460N etc.) were substantially more difficult and comprehensive than the EE classes (302, 313, 411, 438 etc.). For whatever reason, the CE curriculum is better defined and rigorously assessed. That is, you may fly by in 362L (power electronics) by memorizing tests and studying off last year’s homework, but there’s very little chance that you could thrive in 460N (computer architecture) without understanding the fundamentals through a combination of conceptual and applicatory learning.</p>
<p>That said, from what I’ve heard of A&M curriculum, it’s opposite. The EE side tends to be a lot more rigorous than the CE side. Never actually took an EE class at A&M though so can’t say for sure.</p>
<p>Major difference that struck me was the “cluster” that the engineering students may take in their first semester. This cluster consists of an introductory engineering course, calculus, and physics. They don’t have to take the cluster, but it is mentioned often and mainly means that the same group of students for that section have those 3 core classes together. In my son’s case, it was very difficult to schedule and also meant he decided not to use his AP scores in calculus and physics ( several students decided they were afraid jumping to the next semester might be too much, so maybe that was a good decision, but not sure yet about that). At UT, my older child was in a first-year interest group, but it was very different from this cluster of courses at A&M.<br>
Also, a programming component was part of one of these 3, whereas UT child took hers as a class on its own. As a parent, I wouldn’t have noticed this difference except for shopping for textbooks.
And I concur with what kkwa ended his comment with–the EE side does seem more challenging than CE at A&M, but that remains to be seen.</p>
<p>Could anyone compare and contrast the civil engineering programs at UT and TAMU or just tcomment about the Civil engineering program at UT?</p>
<p>Very interesting thread.</p>
<p>S2 is going to apply for Comp Eng at UT. S1 got in with honors but chose to go elsewhere, we had visited with him and liked UT. S2 is also interested in Physics and Mech Eng. He is hardworking but sometimes it takes him a while for things to sink in…I am wondering if he will survive the speed and rigor?</p>
<p>:( this thread hasn’t really taken off like I’d hope it would. The focus has stayed too narrow… I think it’s unsticky time.</p>
<p>@pixeljig, UT has a great CE program. While the job market for EE’s is looking more and more grim with the current outsourcing trend, CE jobs seem to still be in good demand.</p>
<p>I can’t say much about how well your son will be able to handle the curriculum but I can tell you that UT offers a great environment for him to get whatever help he may need.
An often overlooked criterion in school choice is the prevailing atmosphere of the school. Despite being a Top 10 program, the atmosphere of the engineering school is generally positive and friendly. If he needs help, he can ask anyone (barring cheating of course!). His professor, a friend’s professor, his friends, strangers, the hobo’s on Guadalupe (they’ll try). In all seriousness, the Cockrell School of Engineering fosters a nurturing environment and I have been touched by the compassion with which some of my engineering professors have taught. Most are sincerely interested in the progress of the student whether or not that student is even interested in it themselves. Additionally, free tutoring is offered on Sunday through Thursday nights in all introductory subjects, including ECE, at multiple sites on campus. All together, I hope you get the message that your son will be able to get the support he needs when he needs it. If he uses all of the available resources and still struggles then, in my honest opinion, he should perhaps take that as a sign to consider new majors.</p>
<p>1 month into school, let me say that both ee306 and 302 are very hard. Patt is a brilliant teacher but the material itself is very difficult as it’s pretty much like learning a new language. Telang is not great but not terrible. She goes so fast that anyone that hasn’t had any physics (circuits) background is screwed.</p>
<p>Both first exams are this week and i’m very nervous.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of Telang but EE302 should definitely not be that difficult of a class. If you’re getting stuck then I’d recommend sitting in on another professor’s lectures (I did). McCann is best if he’s teaching this semester and you’re free. The tests should all be similar so if you can get the techniques down then you should be good to go.</p>
<p>nv1993… I agree with you on EE306!</p>
<p>He is a brilliant person, but his lectures are hard to follow if you’re learning all of this for the first time. </p>
<p>I try and read the chapters before going to lecture and I still have trouble following what he is teaching. The homework problems are very difficult too… Some of the stuff you have to infer because it’s not in the textbook.</p>
<p>The EE306 textbook is your most valuable resource. I read every page of that baby all the way up through chapter 10. It is definitely worth your time to read before every class and even go back and re-read what you’ve already covered. The book is very well written and covers the concepts thoroughly. It contains every just about every “fact” that you need to know. This class is hard and you should approach it with the right mindset. However, unless you fail I wouldn’t let this course scare you out of ECE. It gets (at least a little) better afterwards.</p>
<p>
And that’s the beauty of engineering :)</p>