... is what i'm feeling like right now.If I could go back and do it again, I would have done my homework, but alas, it seems like there is little chance of me getting into a second-year engineering program now. I dropped chem and 1zb3 to take both in the summer, but now i've gone and failed Materials and electrostatics. fml, thats four courses i would have to do over the summer, and i can't really live on campus. can I take four courses with athabasca? would that even help me stay in the program? am i going to get kicked out? I really thought eng was for me, and i was just getting excited about starting software engineering. with four courses to make up in the summer, i doubt MAC will let me in next year for eng. am I better off switching to compsci? i've always been good at writing and using software, its what i really want to do. I just feel like such a failure for not being able to do eng tho. I'm not really dumb, i jsut never learned to do homework in highschool (i never had to do any. ever.) and now i've gone and fallen behind in so many courses. fml.

my goal in life is secure a good job so i can support a family, and i'm pretty sure I want to develop software. is there any hope for me or am i just going to have to be a drop-out?

You spelled failure wrong, bro.

Originally Posted by ryanbadgley

... is what i'm feeling like right now.If I could go back and do it again, I would have done my homework, but alas, it seems like there is little chance of me getting into a second-year engineering program now. I dropped chem and 1zb3 to take both in the summer, but now i've gone and failed Materials and electrostatics. fml, thats four courses i would have to do over the summer, and i can't really live on campus. can I take four courses with athabasca? would that even help me stay in the program? am i going to get kicked out? I really thought eng was for me, and i was just getting excited about starting software engineering. with four courses to make up in the summer, i doubt MAC will let me in next year for eng. am I better off switching to compsci? i've always been good at writing and using software, its what i really want to do. I just feel like such a failure for not being able to do eng tho. I'm not really dumb, i jsut never learned to do homework in highschool (i never had to do any. ever.) and now i've gone and fallen behind in so many courses. fml.

my goal in life is secure a good job so i can support a family, and i'm pretty sure I want to develop software. is there any hope for me or am i just going to have to be a drop-out?

I think you can look at my avatar and find the answer

You should talk to Sally Williams. She's your best bet for information right now

Originally Posted by ryanbadgley

my goal in life is secure a good job so i can support a family, and i'm pretty sure I want to develop software. is there any hope for me or am i just going to have to be a drop-out?

Get rid of your shitty attitude! Low CA gets you on academic probation.. they won't just kick you out for failing two things.

I think a physics equivalent is offered through Athabasca, but I don't see materials there though! (very easily completed in the summer through McMaster, even if you do it next year)
http://neva.mcmaster.ca/lop/equiv2.php

Go and talk to the engineering office on the 2nd floor as soon as possible (today or tomorrow) and speak to an academic advisor (tell front desk lady and wait in the waiting area).

I dont see a physics equivalent ! Unless its 1*03 .... what does the star mean?

Don't feel helpless. You can change. The biggest battle now is in your mind. Don't let this crush you.

If software engineering is really what you want to do with your life then you have to just get through this summer and retake all those courses.

Doing poorly in physics/materials does not make you a bad software engineer. Sometimes courses in first year feel irrelevant, especially when you know what stream you want to get into. I used to think I was crap because I did pretty bad on the first physics (I hate mechanics and dynamics). Its just not like that. Maybe you failed those courses because you just weren't interested?

Think of it as something you have to get through to get to software engineering and just do it. Four courses is a lesser course load, especially if its two per term. You can do it.

take solace in the fact that you're in one of the few programs that accept mediocrity. It is more than possible to bring your average up to the accepted 4 or 5, if you were science or commerce you'd be screwed.

Originally Posted by SydVicious

take solace in the fact that you're in one of the few programs that accept mediocrity. It is more than possible to bring your average up to the accepted 4 or 5, if you were science or commerce you'd be screwed.

ouch.... Can you be anymore blunt to the guy?

Originally Posted by thedog123123

ouch.... Can you be anymore blunt to the guy?

that's a good thing though right? find a smart guy, copy his assignments, and get 60 on the midterms, its not that hard right? RIGHT?

At least you're doing bad with an interest in something. You're already 50 steps ahead of me.

Well if you were to switch into CS, you'd still need 1ZB3 obviously, and you would also need to take CS 1FC3. CS level 1 only has five required courses; the three first-year Engineering maths, and CS 1FC3 and 1MD3. Your Engineering programming course can probably be counted as a credit for 1MD3, but you would need to talk to an academic advisor (Sally Williams) about that. In any case, you have at least 1ZB3 and 1FC3 to do still, and maybe 1MD3 (personally I doubt you would need to take it if you passed whatever the Engineering programming course is called). But, 1FC3 is pre-requisite to two or three second year courses, so before getting into those, you'd have to finish 1FC3 as well.

So all in all, if you continue in Engineering, you have four courses to finish up before continuing to Level II. If you switch to Computer Science, you'll have two or three before you can get into Level II.

My personal opinion? If writing software is what you want to do, stay in SE. CS is a little more theory-oriented than SE, so you write fewer programs and more algorithms, basically.

Talk to Sally Williams and she'll be able to tell you exactly what you can and cannot do about that.

Generally though, if you can take all the failed courses in summer school, and attain a cumulative average that is 4 or above, you'll be able to get into second year engineering though not necessarily the program of your choice if your average isn't high enough...but talk to Sally, she's really helpful.

Will i be able to talk with sally over email? i live a few hours away from hamilton and cant really just drive all the way there for a few minutes of meeting time.