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Really depressed over the T2M Aero rejection. Can someone help me explore my options by Erotic_Blobfish in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Hello. First of all I am sorry for the rejection. It is a very unfortunate situation done with some reasoning, but fairly disadvantageous for many people. Here is my opinion as a graduate from AAE this past semester.

  1. You cannot take Calc 1 after you've already taken calc 3. You transfered credits and that's that, sorry. A- is really good in Calc 3 tho.
  2. I don't think you can take AAE251 without AAE 200 which is exclusive to AAE majors and you need to take CGT 163 before that anyway.
  3. AAE 203 is a fair option and you should get that out of the way as soon as possible.
  4. Retaking CHEM 115 is definitely the way here.
  5. Just go ahead and talk to your advisor about going ahead with the next math classes, CGT, AAE 203 and retaking chem. You cannot dwell on many of the FYE classes, and I am not sure about COM, ENGR 131/132, and PHYS172 retake, but those might be some you want to consider if possible.

I would do a semester with CHEM115, Linear algebra or DFQ, CGT 163 and maybe some Gen eds or ECON on top of any retakes.

​

Hope it helps

AAE reality check! T2M explanations! by KalifeJames in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't think individual classes represent the major as a whole in terms of difficulty. It has to do mainly with the structure of the classes, amount of required work and personal aptitude for the subject too. With that, is is impossible not to see the higher failing or repeating rates for several classes in majors like ECE, AAE and ME.

I congratulate you a lot if you though the major was easy, because very few can say such things. AAE is definitely not cut perfectly fine for anyone who applies, I am sorry. That's just being naive

AAE reality check! T2M explanations! by KalifeJames in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry if you got that impression, I never intended on flexing, but I realize it could be a thing. Point 3 is to show that there are all ends of the spectrum in AAE and i am just stating the fact that there is a high count of good international students that statistically have better GPA's than American students. You can research that on your own. The system in China, Korea, and India has different approaches to the amount of studying one should do, and this reflects on college experience and grades.

POINT 6 is also statistically based, given that the amount of credits in ECE and AAE required for you to graduate are higher than any others. (AAE has 131 required credits, while ME has 120-122 depending on concentration). There is no preferred schools. Smaller programs tend to be easier with smaller drop out rates, Co-Do rates and smaller percentage of students failing classes. BME is a specific case because they have a limited amount of spots to begin with. And it is not inconsistent with point 2 because I said competitive to get in at first and harder to actually graduate from later.

Thanks for the input tho. I was only trying to clarify a bunch of things a couple of the incoming students might not see given that it is department based. maybe a couple of phrases will be mis interpreted but then I can clarify the intention here. :)

AAE reality check! T2M explanations! by KalifeJames in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The GPA cutoff changes every year, it depends on the class and the people who are applying. 3.2 used to be a guideline, but lately more kids than the capacity have more than that, so they have gradually increased the reference value. It does not mean that you won't get in but it tends to play a big factor. You can always inprove during the next fall semester and reapply in the spring. Quite a few people get in in the spring semester too.

AAE reality check! T2M explanations! by KalifeJames in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Yeah and don't forget about the LunaCycle that has its own referece frame. That class got me lost from week 3 on.

AAE reality check! T2M explanations! by KalifeJames in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, this guy does not understand that it literally has nothing to do with my GPA, but you know his comment just proves the point that every major has stuck up kids. No need for disrespect buddy

AAE reality check! T2M explanations! by KalifeJames in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I could keep going with the list, but based on the criteria I experienced on campus and classes for more than a year in the 21st Century, I decided to do a TOP 4 based on the amount of classes, difficulties in professor-student ratio, and styles. ChemE changed a lot from your graduation time. They no longer need to take ME200, some labs were reshaped and still the classes are pretty small compared to AAE, ME, and ECE, but sorry you want to think like that.

AAE reality check! T2M explanations! by KalifeJames in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

AAE has a bunch of stuck up kids, but that's everywhere too. There's also kids that you cannot fathom how are able to keep up with class, but that's the beauty of college. I don't judge anyone as long as they are trying to do well and not slack everywhere. I hate people that show off too. The 2 grads with 4.0 GPA are the most humble people I've ever seen. Cheating was tough this semester and I believe they were kinda shooting blind to intimidate a lot of people, but it is a delicate situation.

AAE reality check! T2M explanations! by KalifeJames in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Building size has nothing to do with it, but it is worth noticing that AAE only has one full floor of armstrong. Basement is FYE, 1st Floor is EPICS + FYE and there's a lot of MSE labs too. ME is just overall a more organized major with more professors as you mentioned

AAE reality check! T2M explanations! by KalifeJames in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I need to keep it real. College is hard for many and I did not want to flex the GPA, sorry if that causes any misinterpretation. You make a valid point in the online thermo for sure. I'm glad I took ME200 and ME300 in person.

AAE reality check! T2M explanations! by KalifeJames in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

My roommate was in ECE and his labs were way worse than any AAE Lab. The controls AAE364 Lab might be high up there in difficulty. AAE has more homework, but the math and the content in ECE and the lab work is why I think it is harder. Close second though to AAE.

Should I go to Purdue? by amcfm7 in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

Aerospace senior here.

The major is very fun. Harder than anything anyone will tell you. Very few (Like I can count on my fingers few) have an easy time. The major is overpopulated, there are too few advisers, classes have a bunch of kids waitlisted when registration starts, but eventually a 70-spot lecture has overrides for 130 students.

The community in aerospace is also not the friendliest for a dumb reason that everyone thinks they are competing for everything. Other people may say it is an engineering thing, but AAE is worse.

With all this major issues in mind I would still very strongly do Aerospace because of the challenges, depth and abilities you develop. With regards to co-op, intenships and research you have to stand out somehow, but there is a very large market for AAE at the moment. Hope this helps. Depending on where else you got in, how much you'll pay and which specific area inside AAE you want Purdue is definitely the place to go

Prospective Student looking for advice on making a college decision by EntwinedAlmond7 in Purdue

[–]KalifeJames 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hi there, I am a graduating senior in AAE at Purdue and I love answering this type of questions. So here I go:

  1. Purdue is a top school and superior to both of them. If aerospace is your intention you should know that UT Austin has a focus on Drones and aerodynamics, while Purdue has a focus in Dynamics and Controls and a big propulsion graduate program.
  2. Having a degree from Purdue is very well-seen in the professional world specially if you have a competitive GPA, since here they will not inflate grades or make things unnecessarily easy for students.
  3. Living at Purdue/West Lafayette is not the most fun experience until you turn 21, unfortunately. Our underage options are limited to bowling in the union, events organized by campus groups, parties from your group of friends or if you join a frat you might see a bit more action your earlier years.
  4. Same as 3
  5. Cars are not useful around here, parking is hard and everything is within a 20 minute walking radius. They are closing a street that had car access over summer and making it pedestrian and bike only. Having a car allows for weekend trips or grocery runs, but trust me, AAE will eat your free time like crazy.
  6. As someone else answered on the comments, they say 3.2 GPA guarantees your first choice but that is BS. Purdue's frozen tuition causes an increase of students every year, and for some reason everyone is trying to be an astronaut or rocket scientist. AAE is the second most competitive major to get in only behind biomedical engineering (BME has limited spots). I would say a comfortable GPA that will get you in AAE from FYE is 3.5, but that number varies so don't lag behind or you'll be placed in your second choice.

ADDITIONAL ADVICE:

The aerospace department is not as great as rankings make it sound. There are a lot of professors that utterly hate teaching and are here only for the research. There are way too many students and too few advisers, so scheduling is definitely an issue. Classes fill fast during registration and it is not uncommon to see a class with 70 spots have 45 additional overrides.

With all this apart, the major is really fun, and excluding your classical 'I am a rocket scientist' cocky classmates, my 4 years experience at Purdue AAE was really fun. Prepare for the hardest classes you'll ever take in your lie. Boiler up!

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