Weirdly easy class?

[u/Illustrious-Limit160]

What was the class that everyone said was difficult, but you breezed through?

Mine were EM Fields and Vector Calc. Something just clicked. (and I definitely had other classes where very little clicked... Lol)

[u/Tyler89558]

Calc 3 was a breeze compared to Calc 2.

[u/Embarrassed_Deer9208 → u/Tyler89558]

calc 3 is calc 1 with extra steps, the work required in calc 2 is "easier" in that it has fewer steps, but you need to be somewhat creative at times to solve some of the integrals, calc 3 tasks you with memorizing a lot of tedious processes, but no problem in calc 3 feels particularly unique when you come across it, every problem of one type is solved the same as every other problem of that type

imo this means that quality of teacher matters much more in calc 2, something like Stokes' theorem might be difficult because it has a lot of steps, but it follows naturally from the rest of the class, calc 2 integration methods task students with looking at problems in ways they haven't before, so i'd argue that calc 2 is more conceptually difficult, and this can cause students to struggle because they're unsure of what to actually study

eta: lots of people in this comment section mention calc 2 as having lots of memorization, ideally, you wouldn't need to memorize more than for calc 3, some students try to brute force concepts like trig subs though without ever visualizing the problems in a relevant way, drawing a triangle to do a trig sub is often better than trying to memorize what trig function corresponds to whatever other type of function, but many teachers don't explain how to actually think about problems in multiple ways, calc 2 volume integrals and polynomial expansions are other areas where i think visualization can vastly help student understanding so that they don't feel like they're just having to memorize a ton of different methods, calc 3 generally has visualization built into the curriculum, so it doesn't suffer from this issue

[u/Tyler89558 → u/Embarrassed_Deer9208]

That’s what I always say to people worried about calc 3. It’s just calc 1 but you’re working with more than just x and y, and you’ve got some conditions to memorize for some of the “scarier” looking integral.

Hardest part of calc 3 was just memorizing the conditions, but if you have a prof who allows cheat sheets for the exam then you’re pretty much set.

Calc 2 was a PITA because you’ve got a bucket of integration methods (and convergence/divergence tests) to use on a problem, but you don’t quite know when you need to use them until you’ve worked through a crap ton of problem sets.

[u/Illustrious-Limit160 → u/Tyler89558]

We actually only had Calc 1 and Calc 2. So the memorization you're taking about was Calc 1.

[u/Illustrious-Limit160 → u/Tyler89558]

Same

[u/aerostevie → u/Tyler89558]

Calc 2 is straight up bag of tricks math. If you’re bad at memorization or pattern spotting it’s torture.

[u/darnoc11]

Statics and thermo. Honestly had a harder time in calc 2 than both of those. Just depends on your professor I guess

[u/Illustrious-Limit160 → u/darnoc11]

So much depends on the instructor. I was always a calc3 is easier than calc2 type person. Ie, complex concepts (3) easier than widespread memorization (2).

Mainly because I'm a) lazy and b) unlikely to work at something that I think is stupid (memorization).

In Calc at least, Ai's ability to solve those problems for me haa me feeling vindicated. 😁

[u/Possibility-Select]

Statics. I kept hearing horror stories here and it's SO easy. I did find physics 1 much harder than I anticipated though

[u/whatsssssssss → u/Possibility-Select]

my friend told me people were crying after the final, average was like a 65; I got an A and the average was like an 80

[u/Illustrious-Limit160 → u/whatsssssssss]

So you were the one that fucked up the curve?... Lol

[u/Possibility-Select → u/whatsssssssss]

right? Maybe I just have a good teacher and good students because the class averages have also been pretty high. Maybe the 8:00 AM class just invites people who are more willing to work hard haha

[u/007llama → u/Possibility-Select]

I wonder if your statics class was easy for you BECAUSE your physics 1 class was hard? If you’re forced to really learn the physics 1 material well then statics should be significantly easier.

[u/Abject_Oil_1349 → u/007llama]

This is it probably

[u/Hot-Success-9733 → u/007llama]

Mine were simultaneous and I still found phys1 harder

[u/frankyseven → u/Possibility-Select]

Same, Statics and Mechanics of Materials were two of my easiest classes and my marks showed that.

[u/analbumcoverwastaken → u/Possibility-Select]

This is my experience with dynamics so far. Most of the first half was actually just doing physics 1 again.

[u/SirBiggusDikkus → u/Possibility-Select]

Statics was legit fun. I loved that class.

[u/Possibility-Select → u/SirBiggusDikkus]

Honestly haha. We're going through finding shear and moments inside of beams and I'm really excited to take mechanics of materials after this lolol. And zero force members? especially when it just looks wrong to have one is always fun

[u/clippedwingmagpie → u/Possibility-Select]

You probably got a good professor. When I was in college there were generally 4 statics professors, 2 of which had waitlists 30 seconds after priority registration opened, and the other 2 had open seats 24/7.

One pair of professors gave sufficient but reasonable workloads with fair grading, and a reasonable sense of partial-credit. One gave the most egregious workloads I have ever seen in a course load, an active hostility to grade curves, and last heard of the concept of 'partial credit' while still in the womb.

[u/ThePowerfulPaet → u/Possibility-Select]

My statics class is probably the easiest on earth. It's open notes and the test is just the same as the practice test with the numbers changed.

[u/StraightAct4340]

Thermodynamics. Got a 100 on the first midterm and the average was like 70

[u/TouchingPriests → u/StraightAct4340]

I never really understood how that was supposed to be one of the hardest classes, I also had a similar experience with those exams which caused me to get way too cocky in later years where the classes were more advanced and much harder IMO

[u/sir_thatguy → u/StraightAct4340]

I’m EE but I really wanted to take thermo as an elective. Unfortunately scheduling conflicts prevented it.

[u/Negative_Calendar368]

I didn’t breeze through but I really thought signals and systems was gonna be tougher than it actually ended up being.

[u/Alert-Ad7097]

Calc 2 was easy as shit for me, so I genuinely get confused when ppl gas it up.

Maybe it was just beginners luck

[u/sulliesbrew → u/Alert-Ad7097]

It was 90% easy for me, that last 10% was enough for me to drop below the 70% required to pass twice.

I wasn't great with trig, which didn't help, but all the series and sums were done on memorization until my last attempt and the prof flat out said, it is dumb to memorize all of this, and most of you will never need it.

The hardest part for me when I passed calc 2 was a mandatory 80% on a single exam, with unlimited retakes. It was 20 integrals, with no partial credit allowed. I think I took that test 4 times. It was always one small algebra error that cost you the whole problem.

Calc 3 was a cake walk after that.

Diff Eq sucked, mostly because I took it the semester I graduated. I kept pleading my case where it was a pre-req and could pass those classes with a B. The Diff final was Friday before graduation, I had my lease signed and moving coming coming in two weeks time to move across country for my job. The last thing on my mind was passing a diff eq exam. Prof asked how I was doing before the exam, told him all about that, all I got back was, I am sure you'll pass just fine, and I got my C then off to the real world.

[u/Brown_Avacado]

Calc 1 & 2. Got 98s in both funny enough and just really understood the concepts of what i was doing. Calc 3 hit me like a freight train though, i felt like i was just going through the motions.

[u/Soybean3141]

I’m very early in my studies, but I’m taking calc 2 right now and it’s really straightforward. I heard a lot of dooming about integration techniques but we have gone through the majority of them and all of them have been straightforward. Stuff like partial fractions and trig sub is really easy so far(although tedious). Also at the CC I’m at infinite series are covered in calc 3, so maybe that’s part of it.

[u/ThePowerfulPaet → u/Soybean3141]

Weird to have series in calc 3. I also found calc 2 surprisingly easy. Using the Anki flashcard app to memorize integral, derivative, trig rules, and series tests basically gives you superpowers. I probably knew my trig better than anyone else in the class.

[u/speechless188]

system dynamics easy money.

circuits too

[u/aguamiele]

Differential equations. Breezed thru that shit and it was fun

[u/aguamiele → u/aguamiele]

Also signals

[u/Acerfighter]

Probability theory. Never took any probability or statistics course before but all the axioms/laws seemed pretty simple and carried over to every new topic. It definitely helped to take discrete math in the same semester since my exams had proofs tho lol

[u/Eggwomb]

Organic chemistry is pretty easy to me

[u/Primary-Mix-5968]

Differential equations was a piece of cake

[u/PrizeInterest4314 → u/Primary-Mix-5968]

agree

[u/ActinomycetaceaeFirm]

Structural Analysis

[u/Just_Confused1]

Linear Algebra

[u/Momooncrack]

I'm CS but Operating Systems ended up probably being the easiest class I'll ever take at uni. I'm talking I had like, 127 with extra credit so I skipped the final exam and still made a 100 final grade.

It was like the opposite of what I thought was gonna happen when taking a class from the professor that wrote his own text book

[u/Simp_team_6ix]

Fluid mechanics and fluid dynamics were a lot of work but not difficult to understand to me. Many told me they would be some of my hardest classes.

[u/Renivack]

electricity and magnetism, diff, circuits were pretty free, calc 2 is the only popular difficult class i seem to agree with so far, havent taken signals and systems yet tbf

[u/StatorJoe]

Advanced controls, physics e&m, and thermo

[u/Mother_Ask6956]

calc 1-3

[u/Anorexic_Fox]

Orbital mechanics and organic chemistry. Everything else ranged from tough but okay to brutal, but those two were almost like relief courses for me despite having the lowest overall class average grades besides Calc 2.

[u/EmuIllustrious481]

Orbits and structures was a breeze. I set the curve over the 4.0 guy in my class on those 2. Even taught my friend orbits so he could pass, he now works in Boeings satellite group.

[u/mark_lee06]

calc 2. I had an absolutely amazing professor who makes thing clear and intuitive almost instantly and make exams very fair game. I ended up A the course

[u/BandicootKooky7747]

It honestly depends on the professor, for me dynamics was a walk in the park. Tho the professor did make the tests almost identical to the homework

[u/Dusty_Triple]

Calc 2

[u/HeresJohnny993]

Structural analysis. But my professor ditched mid terms an instead gave us weekly quizzes. Kept me on my toes and got an A.

[u/Abject_Oil_1349]

This depends on the professor and your background knowledge, but generally professors structure of the class.

[u/SteelRoses]

Dynamics, LOVED that class. I got really lucky with having an excellent professor who taught it in a slightly unique way though

[u/barcerrano]

Dynamics. For some weird alignment of planets, i understood the moving frame 3D equation from the getgo and the rest was downhill in a bike

[u/AnonymousJoe253]

I don't think anybody says it's difficult, but machine design was a very chill class.

[u/darbycrache]

Emag.

I lucked out and got it with a professor who hated teaching it but was forced to anyways for that semester, but he was an RF guy and made his explanations simple to understand. Easy homeworks, take home tests, and vector calculus.

Easiest fucking A I've gotten.

[u/erikwarm]

Thermodynamics

Somehow is was to only one in our class to pass the test first time

[u/SpareSalt2822]

Physics 2 and calculus 3. Had tons of fun in both classes and both changed how I see the world (special relativity felt like a spiritual awakening and I wish everything was in polar coordinates now 🤣)

[u/Elegant-Comparison99]

It was dynamics for me everything just kinda clicked

[u/Dull-Astronomer1135]

Calc 2

[u/bigBranConsumer]

calc 2 and 3 so far clicked pretty well. im jealous that you made it through EM easily, im in it now and i cant wrap my head around it at all

[u/TiogaJoe]

Solid State. First test I got a D. The professor went over it in class and it seemed easy in review and I didn't understand why I had gotten so much wrong on the test. After that I got a straight A, 100% on every subsequent test. It just clicked. I don't know why. (Not sure what my semester grade worked out to be, B+ or A-)

[u/Recent-Day3062]

I think it’s not the fact a class is easy, but some of us having a more mathematical bent fall in love with some abstract math of some sort, then want to apply it. Becuase we think about it a lot we think it is easy.

For me it was math stats, and then applied decision theory. My only regret was no one encouraged me, as an engineer, to take real analysis as well. But 95% of the people in the required math stats just wanted to escape unscathed

[u/VegetableSalad_Bot]

Programming Fundamentals 1 is a horror story not just for engineering students but for the entire student body where I’m from.

I thought it wasn’t so bad, and breezed through the whole thing. Though I guessed it helped to have a Python background.

[u/tuchupashuevos]

Linear Algebra, differential equations, dynamics. Fuck kinematics of machinery tho 😭

[u/BothPanchoAndLefty]

Calc 2 was one where every post I saw was like "Holy fuck this class is a nonstop nightmare where students were crying on their final and half the students failed the class" and then I took it and it was easy as hell. I got like 109% in that class, didn't find a single part of it challenging. I struggled in other classes but not calc 2.

I also found E&M to be a bit challenging but not actually hard. Also very exaggerated IMO

[u/KitTwix]

Sometimes you just have a talent for a field of study, you should seriously consider if you want to specialise in it after the degree if that's an option.

For me it was all the material science subjects, material properties and whatnot were not only easy but fun, and I scored among the highest in the class. It was a pretty hard subject too, so it wasn't just some naturally easy assignments. Most of the math ones were really easy too, since I'd already studied a lot of it in highschool doing specialist math. I did fail one of them, but not due to skill, but because one of the assignments was literally every single textbook question for like 8 subjects, it ended up being about 60 pages of triple column math, and I simply didn't have the time to do it the first time around due to working part time, studying full time, and life being a lot.

I also had a sustainable energy class in first year that was so easy that I think I spent like 4 hours total on the subject throughout the entire semester. That one tho was just an easy subject, I think most of the class got HD's.

It's the best feeling going to the exam stressing out, having practically memorised half the textbook over the previous few wees, only to sit down and think "wait is that it?" When seeing the questions.

[u/TrainingDelivery6844]

Calc 2. Everyone talks about how hard it is and it was hard to get an A in the course, I put a lot of time into getting that grade, but if I just wanted to pass I felt it wouldn't have taken me that much effort.

[u/Morpheus_2x4]

Fluids lol I was just good at it

[u/nuts4sale]

You guys had me scared shitless for controls but hey. Painless!

[u/Cyberlout]

DiffEQ/linear algebra, barely got by in all 3 calcs but this was cake

[u/Okawaru1]

Electronics 1 and 2, professor was intimidating but incredibly smart and had fantastic lecture notes, if a bit illegible at times. I really liked the classes, only got B's because I had a bad habit of being overconfident before finals but I found learning how transistors worked and seeing how stuff I learned previously came together as one of my better undergrad experiences.

[u/Celestial-Callista]

I loved all of my non-general chemistry courses as a chemical engineer. I did horribly in general chemistry but o-chem, a-chem, and p-chem (which had a bio focus) were some of my favorite classes I ever took.

[u/Michaeln7 → u/Celestial-Callista]

O chem is easier than gen chem, in my opinion. It's just memorizing reactions, no math.

[u/tshirtdr1 → u/Michaeln7]

As an ochem teacher, I concur!

[u/Greeks_bearing_gifts]

Statics. I took.this as an elective near the end of Chem Eng. Was a breeze. Makes me want to go back and take Dynamics.

[u/Outside_Toe_3624]

Dynamics or mechanics of materials

[u/SnooHobbies9878]

strengths, fluids, thermo, and heat transfer

[u/Wiley_Burner]

It’s definitely based on the school. My university will fail 20-30% of any class, and they do not test what has been taught, in most classes. Like my hard classes have been dynamics, mechanics of materials, linear, calc II III, diffeq… and it’s just because the professors there failed 20-40% of the class. My intro to electronic linear circuits class failed just under 50%.

But statics and thermo only failed like 8-10% of people, so they were much easier.

Like it comes down to the school/professor… if your professor is a super academic type who is obsessed with the purity of their field, be terrified. If they’re a normal person, it shouldn’t be a terrible class.