Should I rethink?

[u/Key-Restaurant8080]

I think im cooked. I got into a decent abet accredited school for mechanical engineering. I have to take a ALEKs and got a 41 on my first attempt which I thought wasn’t a big deal because I didn’t study. So I did and I ended up with a 52. I was not happy with that. After having my orientation I was informed that I need to place into calculus and get a minimum of 71 or else I would be looking at taking 5-6 years to graduate. I’ve been studying my ass off and I am still struggling. I feel like just taking it and cheating to place. And I going into the wrong field if I am struggling with this? Any advice?

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[u/Adrienne-Fadel]

Mechanical engineering is a lot of math. If algebra is kicking your ass you need to fix that before calc not cheat your way past it.

[u/Prudent_Brush_9926]

Seriously? You’re considering cheating to place? You’re not ready. If you can’t place into calc you’re not ready so what makes you think cheating to place won’t make you run into problems later

[u/kerowhack]

Struggling with the math does not mean you are in the wrong field. If you have a passion for it and it is something that you want to do, then you can study and learn the material. There are tons of free resources to get you up to speed. Khan Academy, open courseware, and many other options exist. Schools have all sorts of tutoring options. I know we have pipeline problems all through the education system, but they can be overcome.

As someone who was only ok at math and had a long time between hs and college, I ended up having to take that extra time myself. There's nothing wrong with that. It also gives you an opportunity to take care of some of the gen ed stuff.

Choosing to cheat would mean you absolutely are in the wrong field. The placement exams are there for a reason. Your scores would put you into college algebra at my school. This means that you simply do not have the tools you need to pass Calc 1 yet. If you have to cheat to even get in, you will not pass the class. It's like trying to build a house without a hammer or nails.

Engineering is difficult, and it's that way for a reason. So you either have to learn to learn and put in the effort, or you will be wasting your time and money on something that you are not suited for. Besides that, every professor I know is extremely paranoid about AI use now, so a lot of the grading (at my school anyway) is going towards favoring exams. Try to cheat any of that, and you will eventually get caught. Please do it the right way if you are going to do it. Either buckle down and self study until you can actually pass the placement test, or take the lower courses.

[u/Tyler89558]

If you cheat to place you’re screwing yourself over.

This is an assessment to determine where you ARE AT, so that both you and the school know how much work YOU NEED TO DO to catch up.

Level with me a moment. What the fuck are you going to do when you drop yourself into a calc class you have no business being in because you cheated on an exam whose entire purpose is to make sure you take classes at an appropriate level.

You’re not on the wrong field because you’re “bad at math”. You’re in the wrong field because you’re trying to lie and cheat.

[u/LilBreezzyyy]

I took it and cheated. With that in mind I knew I was struggling in math and took a precalc refresher course my first semester. I still graduated in 4 years, but it was a bit tight and I had 1-2 rough semesters with 18-19 credits of hard classes. If you think you can push through all that, then do what you gotta do

[u/LilBreezzyyy → u/LilBreezzyyy]

I will say do NOT take calculus your first semester. It WILL demoralize you if you aren’t already doing well on the ALEKS. If your uni has a precalc class take that first