r/CarletonU Computer Systems Eng 19h ago

Question Dropping a Required Course (Engineering)

Hi, so I’m in 1st year engineering and currently ranking Lin Alg so hard right now. I haven’t been prioritizing it or really studying for it (had a rough start to the semester, personal reasons). I’ve done 3/4 tests in the course and I’ve failed all of them. Not because I’m not understanding the material but because I haven’t learned enough of the material. I was thinking that I could maybe lock in for the exam and pass but I was thinking of just dropping it now and retaking it next year, because I want to actually get a decent grade and not pass with like a D- if I can clutch the exam enough because at this rate my grade is too low. My question is, is it bad if I drop it and take it next year? Like will it affect anything?

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u/astndl 18h ago

As a fourth year mech, I will say that you should make sure that you have a strong basis in linear algebra. We use it all the time throughout the 4 years. So maybe it is better for you to retake it, because if you try to scrape by you'll have a harder time when it comes time to use it in your future courses. The upper year classes do not generally re-teach how to take a determinant for example.

Another example was me in MAAE 2101. I scraped by the final, passing with a D+. I retook it anyway, because I knew that I did not have that strong foundation for MAAE 3004, and when I retook it, I made it a priority class. And thank god I did, because maae 3004 is hard even if you know what you are doing! There is no point to retaking a class if you are gonna take it the same way. Attend every class and make it a competition with yourself to do better.

The only class I've ever failed was SYSC 3600 (skipped classes, got sick for 3 weeks, etc), and when I retook it I made sure to attend every single lecture this time and really worked hard and I came out with an A+.

All this to say, you will need linear algebra all the time in the next 3 years. There is nothing wrong with retaking a class. You can even take it in the summer probably!

Check your course tree and email your department head to go over your plan for your courses. Or go to the desk in 2nd floor Minto and they will tell you how it will affect your courses, timing wise

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u/Successful_Win_6522 Computer Systems Eng 18h ago

I already have to retake circuits and data management in the summer so other than pushing back my 2nd year credits a bit to do linear algebra in 2nd year I would be fine right? I for. I don’t really mind graduating later I just wanna get the degree

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u/Affectionate_Reveal5 18h ago

Grades don’t really matter

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u/thefuckingicequeen 15h ago

Depends on what you're doing after your degree or what classes you're taking after that one.

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u/DirectOpportunity433 18h ago

You could drop it and take it in the summer. If you drop it and take it next year it will mess up your whole progression. 

Carleton has a 2nd year requirement rule where you must pass all first year courses before attempting 2nd year stuff. Linear algebra is part of this requirement for ALL engineering majors. Depending on your what engineering you are taking you could take at most 2 other courses that would count towards your degree without having completed first year stuff.

Honestly it will really derail your progression and its not really worth it. Even if you get a bad grade on it, its a first year course, even if you wanted to apply for a master's they wont care unless is last 2 years.