So after 7 years I am returning to Electrical Engineering. I’m going to be taking both of the Summer Sessions and here is a list of the classes I need, that I can take in the summer:

ECE 109
ECE 200
ECE 209
MA 242

I completed some of those classes, but the last Semester had to be scrapped. Currently I remember the intro EE stuff much more than I do Calculus. If I remember correctly, Calc III was pretty much completely separate from Calc II. Like you didn’t need to know Calc I/II at all to do well in Calc III.

The reason I am bringing this up is because I need to start reviewing for Calculus and I want to know how far I need to go on that. How much Calculus do I need to refresh on in order to finish Calc III and then do well finishing my EE degree? Obviously I know the basics of Calc, but some of the details were definitely forgotten.

BTW, I have every test I took for Calc I/II/III and ECE 200; I also have the ECE 200 book from 2007 and my Calc textbooks. A few other books I have are The Art of Electronics, The Humongous Book of Calc Probs, EE Know it All, etc. So I already have a lot of tools at my disposal, I'm just trying to prioritize how to prep for my return the best way.

Also with me coming back to school after being out for 7 years, how would you go about the Summer Sessions? Do you think it would be better for me to spread ECE 200 or MA 242 into 2 sessions? This way I'd have time to catch up if I had to study something else in order to solve what I am doing.



Any tips from someone who has either done this before or from someone else currently in EE to give insight?

3/9/2015 5:45:48 PM

Yeesh, the prospect of being out for 7 years and then being faced with an accelerated single summer session Calc 3 course does not sound enjoyable. ECE 200 may be a little more manageable. Maybe?

3/10/2015 11:38:21 AM

Yea I am pretty sure I will be spreading them both out over 2 session.

3/10/2015 12:28:46 PM

Isn't ECE109 where you learn assembly using a pseudo-assembly language. Wish they would man up and teach 8051 or something.

3/10/2015 4:34:33 PM

Yep that is ECE 109.

If anyone could answer my question about Calculus I would really appreciate it. Right now that is the most important thing I need to know.

Since I have to retake MA 242 I am going to be refreshing on Calc, but do I need to refresh all of it for MA 242 and EE in general? Some first hand knowledge would be great here.

Anyone in EE or CE please give me some first hand insight.

3/11/2015 11:25:41 AM

Quote :

"Like you didn’t need to know Calc I/II at all to do well in Calc III."

wait, what?

3/11/2015 6:04:29 PM

What is true is that most of Calc III doesn't rely much on Calc II, although it surely does rely on Calc I.

Instead it's about generalizing theorems about differentiation and integration to higher dimensions, and it doesn't make much use of the numerous methods of integration covered in Calc II, or of the material on infinite series that is mostly shoved in there because it's useful in Differential Equations.

3/12/2015 12:58:15 AM

Yea I meant Calc II, I said it the right way once and then for some reason wrote I/II in the following sentence.

I think I am going to go with refresh it all with a focus on Calc III.

3/12/2015 7:29:26 AM

What do yall think of auditing MA 242 in one session and then taking it in the next? It may be a better idea than splitting it and it gives me time to get used to ECE 200 again.

3/22/2015 7:26:55 PM

Quote :

"What is true is that most of Calc III doesn't rely much on Calc II, "

[NO]

3/24/2015 11:37:44 AM

Those are all very fundamental ECE classes.

3/25/2015 9:21:21 PM

I'd check with saps on this one

3/26/2015 12:18:21 PM

Quote :

"How much Calculus do I need to refresh on in order to finish Calc III and then do well finishing my EE degree"

you don't need any review whatsoever. just walk into the class, and if you can take derivatives and do integrals, you'll be able to keep up. Calc 3 is a tough class, but it doesn't assume any more than a basic knowledge of calculus.

3/26/2015 2:37:17 PM

I'd really like to hear some opinions on taking MA 242 across both sessions vs. auditing the 1st session and taking it in the 2nd session.

Which one do yall think would the best for my situation? I just think taking the class through an audit once and having it rammed down my throat every day and then taking it for real sounds like a good plan.

3/28/2015 11:11:52 AM

just enroll and keep an eye on the date to change to audit if you need to

3/30/2015 3:23:40 PM

Also. See my topic on GPA and Jobs.

3/30/2015 3:58:41 PM

Blackdog,

Thats like the real start ofEE classes, basically your resuming college where EE starts, not a bad place to start.


Personally i think talking the calculus as close to taking the 300 level EE classes is best. I had a 1.5 year gap between calc III and 301/305 306 and it made them much more difficult.

4/2/2015 9:58:38 AM

Would not take calc3 over the summer, too demanding.

I took ece200 back ages ago over the summer, enjoyed it. Had class in AM, and lab in PM (hint do hwk in lab and get TA help).

I never had to take 109 (I was pre-split of java and the 109/assembly curriculum), but I dont see why you couldnt take it and 209 over the summer.

What else are you doing over the summer? This is accelerated so expect to be spending even more time than normal hitting the books.

5/10/2015 10:47:46 PM

So

How's it going?

5/21/2015 11:56:57 AM

Well due to Financial Aid and the advice of engineering graduates like my brother, I won't be returning until the Fall. Being out of school for 7 years and then trying to go back in the Summer seemed like a terrible idea the more I thought about it. It was basically like not drinking any water for 7 years and then getting hit in the mouth by a fire hose. Tests every 1.5 weeks or so would have been brutal after being out for so long.

Oh and get this, they changed the minimum grade requirement on Physics 205 and of course I made a C-. Made a B+ in PY 208M...

Here are the classes I am taking in the fall:

MA 242
PY 205
PY 206
ST 370
COM 110

In regards to the reviewing, it is a pretty damn daunting task, but I am making my way through it. Recently I finished my review of factoring and I am now focusing on things like logarithmic/exponential functions. Yes this is Algebra, but the more I reviewed, the more I realized how far I needed to go back.

I have been spending about 3-4 hours per day and I still have 3 months left. I can actually get through my entire MA 141 Test 1 and 2 now, but not without having to look back at a few things.

Really the hardest part is determining what subject materials to focus on and for how long. There are a lot of subjects where you learn some long ass way to do it only to later learn a very simple way. One thing that really helps me is having the syllabus for all the Calcs and Physics. I have every test from MA 141/241/242 and PY 205/208M.

I know that I don't need to know all of this shit to do well in MA 242 or PY 208M, but I need to know this shit in general to do well in Engineering and then in the job field.


Do yall think I should continue studying like this or should I start studying Calc and just hit the Algebra concepts that are required that I don't know as they come?


One thing I really need help with though is something to help improve general cognitive function. I can't do math in my head nearly as well as I used to and this kind of thing worries me. I am trying not to sweat the small stuff, but I feel like there are mobile games out there that are proven to help this type of thing. Does anyone know what I am talking about?

If anyone has anymore words of wisdom, please post them.

5/21/2015 12:18:56 PM

I take it you didn't finish the first time?

5/22/2015 3:26:13 AM

I had to leave in the 5th semester due to chronic neck pain and had to drop two semesters.

I should have left waaaay before then to focus on getting healthy, but I was a dumb ass.



[Edited on May 22, 2015 at 10:01 AM. Reason : _]

5/22/2015 9:59:21 AM

I believe this free site is going to come in VERY handy: http://www.khanacademy.org

5/24/2015 2:14:50 PM

i've only taken Calc 1, but i felt it was really easy during the summer.

6/20/2015 9:19:31 AM