Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
That's definitely going to be more than 3 years away...
You were absolutely right about this. The courses keep building on each other and as a result, even with all the math I've completed, it will take me a minimum of 3 years but more likely 3.5. Physics and Chem aren't the limitation, it's the elementary engineering-specific courses like Programming, Data Analysis, etc. that one needs to take before moving onto Structures and so on. Even for someone with another STEM background, if you have not taken the elementary engineering courses, it will still take you 3 years. And the 3 years assumes that all courses are offered every semester, which they are not.
The program requires a total of 134 units. My math + liberal arts courses give me 55 but leave 79 units to be completed, all of which are engineering-specific. The 3.5 (round to 4) year commitment is like getting a PhD in my current field so I need to have a long think about this.
Last edited by AnalystTherapist; 11-25-2014 at 08:12 AM..
What makes the program so difficult? According to the first post by jobaba I should have the quantitative preparation but are there other factors? Is it that the math isn't hard but there's a very unfair distribution of scores - done on purpose to make the program seem more competitive by statistics alone? For example, if you get a 90, will there be a curve that takes your grade down to an 80 because the Department has decided there can be no more than a certain % of As (I hated this about University)?
Consider the statement "math at Columbia is hard." I would respond by saying "math at SUNY, University of California/Texas/wherever is hard due to the nature of the subject." What is it about CUNY that makes the program more difficult than others? Maybe I need to check out a book on Statics to see exactly what you're talking about because I had no problem at all with Vectors, Greene, and Stokes. And that class was full of engineering students.
I read a similar account of the difficulty of the program here: City College (CCNY CUNY) Grove School of Engineering - Page 2 - College Confidential One summer I took a Themodynamics course and met 4 Columbia University EE students attempting to take this course at 'lowly' CCNY to get credit for their Columbia Degree. Guess what ?only one survived, the rest withdrew from the course.
More than likely that is what it is. I've heard the same occurs @ Baruch with Accounting and Business programs. If you are not dead set focused on getting the degree from City College I would look into the other CUNY's or a SUNY.
You were absolutely right about this. The courses keep building on each other and as a result, even with all the math I've completed, it will take me a minimum of 3 years but more likely 3.5. Physics and Chem aren't the limitation, it's the elementary engineering-specific courses like Programming, Data Analysis, etc. that one needs to take before moving onto Structures and so on. Even for someone with another STEM background, if you have not taken the elementary engineering courses, it will still take you 3 years. And the 3 years assumes that all courses are offered every semester, which they are not.
The program requires a total of 134 units. My math + liberal arts courses give me 55 but leave 79 units to be completed, all of which are engineering-specific. The 3.5 (round to 4) year commitment is like getting a PhD in my current field so I need to have a long think about this.
Just so you know, CE 316 can't be taken if you haven't taken CE 332, so you have to move that to a later semester. CE 332 is known as the hardest civil engineering class, and that's the one that really opens you up.
But yeah, that's definitely something worth thinking about.
Dude! Don't go back to undergrad for engineering. Go to med school! There will always be sick people. if your gpa is still good, just do some postbach crap. You got no wife or kids and you still have motivation. Go to med school!
Dude! Don't go back to undergrad for engineering. Go to med school! There will always be sick people. if your gpa is still good, just do some postbach crap. You got no wife or kids and you still have motivation. Go to med school!
I agree that medical/dental is safer but MD will take 8 years and DDS, although affordable, especially if you go to Texas A&M, LSU, or Georgia, will require $140K. I really don't want to take on debt for a DDS. One main reason CUNY is attractive is the cost ~ $25K. For someone who's younger, 22-26, your idea is excellent. At 29, I can only handle 4 more years of study then I need to get serious and start working to qualify for Social Security, etc.
Last edited by AnalystTherapist; 11-25-2014 at 05:17 PM..
I agree that medical/dental is safer but MD will take 8 years and DDS, although affordable, especially if you go to Texas A&M, LSU, or Georgia, will require $140K. I really don't want to take on debt for a DDS. One main reason CUNY is attractive is the cost ~ $25K. For someone who's younger, 22-26, your idea is excellent. At 29, I can only handle 4 more years of study then I need to get serious and start working to qualify for Social Security, etc.
People are living until 100. No one is even getting married anymore especially in New york unless you get some mail order bride from eastern europe, russia, or asia. You are still young. you should seriously consider med school or dental if that is cheaper if you have the opportunity. Look at suny or umdnj.
The postbach med program is for older people.
Engineering will leave you miserable, a low gpa, and an ugly miserable wife unless you seriously love it. Plus with civil engineering, you definitely need to get the PE license which is harder than the MCAT. Plus, you get sued if the bridge collapses.
Don't be like that Rob Lowe! Get the postbach and go to med or dental.
If you need to pay off loans, go to talk an armed forces health recruiter and join the air national guard medical corps or something.
People are living until 100. No one is even getting married anymore especially in New york unless you get some mail order bride from eastern europe, russia, or asia. You are still young. you should seriously consider med school or dental if that is cheaper if you have the opportunity. Look at suny or umdnj.
The postbach med program is for older people.
Engineering will leave you miserable, a low gpa, and an ugly miserable wife unless you seriously love it. Plus with civil engineering, you definitely need to get the PE license which is harder than the MCAT. Plus, you get sued if the bridge collapses.
Don't be like that Rob Lowe! Get the postbach and go to med or dental.
If you need to pay off loans, go to talk an armed forces health recruiter and join the air national guard medical corps or something.
don't waste your life!
Plenty of people are getting married both in and out of NY. Speak for yourself.
I also find it amazing how people can tell people how to run their lives. He asked for info on engineering, and gave specific reasons as to why he does not want to do medical school and dental school and yet you still push that on him. What's up with that?
Most people don't live until 100.
Are you going to pay for his medical or dental school? Since you seem to have all the answers on what he should do, can you help him out financially to do it? If not, you might think a bit more carefully about dispensing advice.
Also, 140k even in NYC is a significant downpayment for a house/co-op/condo. After a certain age it may not make sense to invest large sums of money in additional education when you could be using that to purchase a home.
As for your military suggestion, you want him to spend potentially 8 years in school, then join the military for awhile to pay that off. That sounds like nothing like the life he said was interested in.
I agree that medical/dental is safer but MD will take 8 years and DDS, although affordable, especially if you go to Texas A&M, LSU, or Georgia, will require $140K. I really don't want to take on debt for a DDS. One main reason CUNY is attractive is the cost ~ $25K. For someone who's younger, 22-26, your idea is excellent. At 29, I can only handle 4 more years of study then I need to get serious and start working to qualify for Social Security, etc.
I had a friend that studied engineering in Columbia and then went into finance. Hated it and after 6/7 years or so quit and went to med school. He was just a bit younger than you, but was married I think at the time. At 29 with nothing tying you down you shouldn't restrict yourself to a limited set of opportunities. After undergrad I told myself that I was never stepping foot into a college again, but things change, the world changes with or without you, and I rounded up going to grad school part time after all. So never say you can only handle so many years.
Is this a reference to his stint in softcore porn?
Quote:
Originally Posted by NyWriterdude
I also find it amazing how people can tell people how to run their lives. He asked for info on engineering...
As for your military suggestion, you want him to spend potentially 8 years in school, then join the military for awhile to pay that off. That sounds like nothing like the life he said was interested in.
I do recall your prior post being irrelevant as well. That's why I asked the Mods to delete it along with others.
$140K is not much in the grand scheme of things. It should only take two years to pay it back given my spendthrift ways.
I've actually thought about ROTC as well but only if I apply to Ivy League. It doesn't make sense to commit to the military if I go to a cheap school. However, I'm quite sure MD/DDS isn't for me. I just want a safe job with little politics that's 9 to 5. It's going to be either engineering or academia in my current field.
Last edited by AnalystTherapist; 11-25-2014 at 09:59 PM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
