Transferring into Engineering school

[Illuvitar]

Hi everyone,
I am currently attending community college to get my basics out of the way before transferring to a university for mechanical engineering. I am tentatively planning my academic goals/schedule for the coming years and am seeking advice about when to transfer. Staying out of debt is important to me so I wish to push off the transfer as long as I can to minimize this.

My original plan was to do all of my humanities and science (physics and chemistry) at community college as well as math up to differential equations (I am a couple semesters away from this unfortunately). With this plan I would not take an engineering course until I got to the university. So here is my dilemma, my current college offers some intro engineering courses (statics/dynamics/mechanics of materials) and I am not sure whether I should take these while I am at CC or wait to take these important classes at the university.

This came to my attention because I was looking at the prerequisites for the Statics class for CC (which are calculus II and Physics II) but at the university I am hoping to transfer to, the prerequisites are Applied Linear Algebra for engineers, differential equations and physics II.
Furthermore the statics class at uni has a lab while the one at my CC does not. This alarmed me because I am concerned about getting the best possible education I can and from what it seems like the classes might be of differing levels of difficulty considering the prerequisites.

If the engineering courses at CC are kid-gloved then I would be better off taking them at uni. But I also want to be exposed to some engineering course work before I transfer just so I have an idea of what is to come. What were your experiences with transferring and do you have any advice for me?

I would really sincerely appreciate anyone's input. I am scheduled to talk to my advisor tomorrow but she is not an engineer/engineering student so I am also interested in what you guys have to say. Thanks.

 

[heatengine516]

I would get them out of the way at CC. As long as you make sure that the classes transfer to the university you're planning to transfer to. It's likely cheaper and the smaller class sizes of a CC may enable you to have more one-on-one help with the instructor if there is something you don't understand. Statics and Dynamics are tough courses. Plus, you can always ask the instructor to expand on ideas you think may be relevant.

Getting them out of the way will also allow you more time at university to take more advanced courses for which those classes will be a prerequisite. Unless you plan on transferring after one year.

 

[Illuvitar]

Thanks esuna. Those are reasonable points, I guess I never had to take for granted the fact that I am allotted one on-one-time with my professors it is a valuable resource indeed. My advisor however told me I should transfer as soon as possible but I know that is not what I want to do, I want to like I said, take at least diff eq's before transferring. I am really eager to transfer! but I want to be very careful in my decisions so thanks again.

 

[heatengine516]

You mentioned that your advisor is not an engineer. I would get in touch with the instructor(s) that teach the engineering classes to see if any of them can advise you. At my CC we have an actual engineering advisor, and going to anyone but her for helpful advisement is an act in futility.

 

[AlephZero]

I think you need to check if your CC statics course is transferable to the university as an alternative to their Statics course.

Also, if the university course requires differential equations etc, check if it is the first course in statics or a more advanced course. The first university course where you learn statics might be called something like "introduction to mechanics" or "even strength of materials", not "statics".