I don't have any BTDT experience, but it appears that the high school science recommendations need a revamping. The Wiley Self-Teaching Guides do not provide enough discussion of concepts and example problems. Here's a recent thread with more details: http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/558341-wiley-self-teaching-guides-have-you-used-them-reviews-please/

This ended up being bit long, but you had some great questions! And, of course, its a topic I'm partial too ;) -Overall, are Civ Eng programs competitive to get into? The competitiveness of a Civil Engineering program is proportional to the competitiveness of the University … getting into MIT’s civil engineering program is much more competitive than getting into your local state university. As long as your daughter has solid grades/test scores in math and physics, and completes the other standard high school requirements, I would not be concerned about getting into a respectable civil engineering program. (A good starting point for finding a respectable civil engineering program would be to look at the top 100 national universities as listed by US News.) -What high school science and math sequence would a well-prepared applicant have? For math, the traditional math sequence through at least Pre-Calculus is a must, completing calculus will make her first year of college easier but isn't a must. A strong understanding on how to use algebra and trig is essential … don’t rush through these courses just to get to calculus on the transcript. For science, most university’s will want to see the traditional biology, chemistry, and physics sequence. Go for the honors route when available. If there is time for AP science courses, I would prioritize AP Physics C and AP Chemistry. I would strongly recommend finding room in her schedule for AP Computer Science (or a similar course, doesn’t necessarily have to be an AP course). AP Statistics and AP Economics would also be nice electives, but not necessary. Please don’t overlook the importance of written and oral communication! Lots of practice writing essays (across the curriculum, not just literary analysis) and delivering oral presentations is very important. -Should she expect to put time into advanced degrees and/or training? Does that depend on her goals? (She isn't uptight about salary but has a leadership personality so I think she would prefer to lead and not be led, if that matters.) To be a “practicing†civil engineer (responsible for designing and managing projects), you need a Professional Engineer (PE) License. Here are the steps to get that: 1. Graduate from an accredited engineering program. 2. Pass the Fundamentals of Engineer exam (8hr test covering everything from math to economics to engineering, and is usually taken during the senior year of Bachelor’s study). 3. Work for 4 years under the guidance of a Professional Engineer, after graduating with a Bachelor’s degree and passing the FE exam. 4. Apply to your local state board to sit for the Professional Engineer’s exam (which includes several character / engineering work references and a detailed project/work history). 5. Pass the Processional Engineer’s exam (4 hr morning session covering all of civil engineering and 4 hr afternoon session covering your chosen specially with more depth, eg. structural, geotechnical, transportation, etc.) 6. For the duration of your career, take continuing education courses. The required amount varies by state, but usually one graduate course, a couple of weekend courses, OR 5-10 short seminars per year. Most companies cover the cost of these courses. So, right now, an advanced degree is not required. About half the engineer’s I work with have a master’s degree and about half stopped with a bachelor’s degree. Very few “practicing†civil engineers have a PhD … if I had to guess, I would say about 5%. There is some talk of making a master’s degree a requirement for the PE License. Because of this, and the fact that a master’s degree does give you an edge when applying for jobs, I usually recommend someone just starting out to plan on getting one. Many universities are starting to offer a 5-year bachelors/master’s degree … I highly recommend doing this if it is available. A lot of engineers work on their master’s degrees part-time while working and most companies will cover 50-75% of the tuition costs. Or a traditional 2-year master’s immediately following a bachelor’s degree is an option. Many civil engineers get a master’s degree in project management since there is so much overlap between project management and civil engineering (and since you say your daughter likes to lead, this is a path she may eventually want to pursue). -"You should enjoy subjects like ___ and/or ___ in school." She should be good at math and physics, but doesn't necessarily have to "love" them. She should enjoy anything that is based in problem-solving … not just “math†problems, but things like: how do I fix the clogged drain, what’s the fastest way to get from point A to point B, etc. -"You should enjoy doing things like _____ because you'll be doing that on the job most days...." Solving problems. Communicating with people. Working on teams. Learning new things. Reading. -"You wouldn't want to do Civ Eng if ________" You don’t like interacting with people. You don’t like to get your hands dirty (figuratively and literally!) -This field of engineering appears to be heavily related to construction - is this a heavily male-dominated field and should she be prepared to run into some issues (as I have heard about with Comp Sci female students)? The majority of civil engineers are still males, but I’ve never, ever, once felt that being a female put me at a disadvantage!!! Being a female is not viewed as “weird or unusual†in civil engineering. She will need to be comfortable interacting with men. And she will need confidence when interacting with contractors / senior engineers, but this is true for any engineer, male or female. From my viewpoint, this is really a non-issue … although I totally get why you had to ask because from the outside it can look intimidating. -Similarly, having a family someday is also a priority for her - are there positions in the field that can be family-friendly (or at least not anti-spending-time-with-family), and/or not put her at risk for major career backtracking if she should desire to spend a few years working part time or not at all when having young kids? This depends a lot on what path you take, but every private engineering firm I have worked for was VERY family friendly and I’m surprised there aren’t more women in civil engineering precisely for this reason. The hours tend to be very flexible … if you need to leave early to go a doctor’s appointment, you can just make up the time by coming in early or leaving late on another day. Every firm I’ve worked with has also let people work from home as needed … many of my male counterparts work from home when their kids are home sick from school because their wives (who are teachers, nurses, etc.) can’t take the day off from work. Although, I would say that most of flexibility occurs after you have a PE licence (the first couple of years an engineer is mostly doing the grunt work that doesn't have as much flexibility). I’ve known several women who worked part-time during their child rearing years … usually they didn’t take on more senior roles while working part time, but it allowed them to keep pace with the industry and once/if they did return to full-time work they could usually jump up into more senior roles. Taking a few years off can be a bit problematic because the standard of practice can change a lot over a couple of years. It can be done though if that is truly what she wants ... I would suggest getting her bachelors, working for 4 years, getting her PE and then taking time off for children When she’s ready to re-enter, she may also want to first get her master’s degree to make her resume look more "current" to prospective employers. Feedback on our current science plans If she will be taking calculus in 12th grade, I would plan on taking AP Calculus C in 12th. Otherwise, I would plan on an Honors Algebra-based Physics (AP Physics 1 & 2 are bit wonky in my opinion and I wouldn’t bother with them). I would add in AP Chemistry as your 4th high school science course. As far as math sequence, I'd say it's hard to predict … She will finish AoPS's Pre-Algebra 1 in September. She is finding it very easy to manage, although I would hope so since much of it is review. Things like C&P and Number theory are really not necessary … as you said, they are supplementary. I would only “accelerate†the pace if she is truly understanding everything. And while AOPS is a great program for the right student, it is NOT the only path for a future engineer. Any honors level high school / entry-level college textbook will be more than adequate. And while understanding the theory of Math (which AOPS focuses on) is great … math is a tool for engineers, knowing how to use it is more important than knowing why it works.

I wouldn't graduate a future engineering student early if they haven't completed a calculus course. And if he doesn't complete pre-calculus before high school graduation, I would be worried that he wouldn't be accepted into the engineering major at the university. Would he be able to knock out some of the university's general education requirements at the CC during his senior year... eg. history, economics, sociology? Its not unusual for engineering students to have to take 17-18 credits per semester to meet all of the major and general education requirements. Not having to take a 3 credit social studies course when you are taking 14 other credits in math/science/engineering courses is a huge plus!

What do students do for fun? (eg. movies, sporting events, theater productions) How big is the party scene? How big/active is Greek life? Are there nearby stores to pick up miscellaneous supplies (eg. toothpaste, feminine products, paper products) What is the food like? Do students typically stick to the dinning halls or are there other options? Since she's an athlete, where do they workout/practice? How far from freshman dorms / classroom buildings? Do they offer anything thematic/special community housing? (eg. honors, alcohol free, international house) Do they group the athletes together? Do students typically live on campus all four years or do upperclassman move off-campus? Where do they buy their books? (Back in my day, there were several off-campus used book stores that were much cheaper than the campus bookstore, but this might be a thing of the past because of amazon, alibris, etc.) Is class registration first come first serve, or are you assigned a lottery number? As an athlete, would she be eligible for early enrollment? Are there study-abroad programs? If she has a car, can she have it on campus? What are the most popular majors? Where would a student go for a medical emergency (and non-emergency illness)?

It would be helpful to post what he has completed so far for high school. A future civil engineering student really should have an algebra/trig-based physics course before graduating high school. Personally, I would drop the "Project lead the Way" courses in favor of a year-long study of physics. I've never seen an "Intro to Engineering" course that was really worth the time/money. Unless of course, these will transfer to the 4-year college and eliminate the need to take their intro course his freshman year. Does the CC offer any courses in drafting/CAD? A course in computer science would also be helpful.

For Civil Engineering, its sort-of important where you go, but not super critical. As long as the program is ABET certified, she should be fine. And no, she doesn’t need to go to M.I.T. !! In today’s market, co-op/internship experience is often more important in landing a job post-graduation than school name. So, I would look for schools that have a strong co-op program. At some schools these are built right into the program (eg. Drexel University). But more often than not, students work at co-ops during summer breaks. Look at the college’s Career Services Center for what help they offer. Do they have a list of local engineering firms / public agency’s that often hire co-ops? Do they sponsor on-campus career fares specifically for engineering majors? Also schools that have good co-op programs usually advertise that. If you have to search for information, that’s generally not a good sign. Most civil engineers work for private consulting firms (oil/gas companies usually hire the private consulting firm to do their civil/environmental work) or public agencies (eg. DOT, DEP, USACE). And the tendency at both is to hire local. So, even if your school doesn’t have a large “national†presence, if it has a good local reputation it shouldn’t be a problem. How do you know if a school has a good reputation … I’d probably start by looking at the resumes of some local engineers to see where they went (these are often on a company’s website). On the flip side of this, if you go to a school across the country it can be harder (but NOT impossible) to get a job close to home. Another sign of a good engineering program is that they offer a 5-year program that leads to a master’s degree. (And I HIGHLY recommend going down this path if it is an option!) Masters degrees are becoming increasingly important in civil engineering, and in another 10 years may become a requirement. If she absolutely falls in love with a college that doesn’t have a strong engineering program, she can always do her undergraduate at one college and then go to a bigger name college for her Masters degree. As long as she has a good GPA, she should have no trouble getting into a graduate program. (And for engineering she should be able to get some kind of stipend to help with the cost of the graduate degree.) I would also look to see if they have an active student chapter of ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) on campus. One that participates in the yearly Steel Bridge, Concrete Canoe, and/or GeoWall competitions. As for the debate that came up about whether she should play a sport and major in engineering … PLEASE IGNORE THIS !!!!!! I’ve known plenty of people that were student athletes with engineering majors. It is totally doable. Let me know if I can help with any other questions. I love supporting future engineers. :)

I second "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" ... my all time favorite! Betty Smith also has some other less-known books. Julia Alvarez has several coming-of-age books with female protagonists. At least one of them was a required reading in my public high school. "In the Time of Butterflies" and "How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" are on my bookshelf. Zora Neale Hurston's "Their Eyes Were Watching God" Anything by Toni Morison ... Beloved, The Bluest Eye Or the Bronte sisters ... Wuthering Heights, Pride and Predjudice John Steinbeck's "East of Eden" and Charles Frazier's "Cold Mountain" probably fall under the gender-neutral category Would she be interested in non-fiction? Cheryl Strayed's "Wild" was a fantastic read. Woody Holton wrote a good biography of Abigail Adams. Eleanor Roosevelt has a good autobiography, as well as another good book entitled "You Learn by Living"

Many colleges offer degrees in International Business. Sometimes it's a "concentration" in their business admin degree program. Marketing would be another option. I would suggest reading through the course descriptions for the required courses in each major and see what sounds the most appealing. If there was one industry she was particularly interested in, she may want to considering minoring in that field (so for real estate, maybe a minor in architecture; for pharmaceuticals, maybe chemistry; etc.) Or do the opposite, major in chemistry and minor in business. Just as an example, I use to work for a large national engineering firm and the project development / marketing / sales department was comprised almost entirely of people with a bachelors degree in engineering and then MBAs in Marketing.

AP Calculus BC is equivalent to MIT's Single-Variable Calculus (18.01) course. If you are giving one high-school credit for Calc BC, I don't think it would look odd to award one high-school credit for the Multi-Variable (18.02) or Differential Calculus (18.03) courses. Another way to look at it: MIT expects its students to spend 12 hours a week on a 4-credit courses; so for a 14 week semester, a student is expected to spend 168 hours plus additional preparation time for the final exam. This seams like more than enough time to justify awarding a high school credit for one MIT class.

Masters degrees are almost becoming required in engineering these days. If you son doesn’t find a job he is excited about, I think it makes perfect sense for him to continue his education. There are a couple of different options for engineers when it comes to grad school: 1. A large percentage of engineers work full-time and go to school part-time (with tuition assistance from their employer) and earn a Master’s of Engineering … this usually consists of 10 or so graduate classes in engineering, mathematics, and possibly management fields … you could swap a thesis for some classes, but usually one goes with the no thesis route in this scenario. 2. Some engineers will go straight into a full-time grad program after completing their undergraduate studies and earn a Master’s Degree. A thesis is not always required, but is usually strongly recommended. Some limited funds in the way of teaching or research assistants can be available, but PhD candidates get first pick of these and there isn’t always enough to go around. Five year programs, in which one earns both a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree in five years, are also becoming much more common. 3. A small percentage of engineers pursue a PhD. Usually, you are first accepted into a Master’s Degree program and then after a year or so, you apply for the PhD program. Often times there are “competency†exams that have to be passed before you are accepted in the PhD program. Once you are in the PhD program, you should expect your tuition to be waived and receive a small stipend for working as a teaching or research assistant. Many schools also offer Fellowships, in which your tuition is waived and you receive a stipend for doing nothing being a PhD candidate. These are VERY competitive and are award to the best of the best. So, at most, you might have to pay for one year of schooling. When looking at potential grad schools for a PhD, he should spend a lot of time researching the faculty in his intended field, paying attention to the type of research they do (is it something he is interested in), how much funding they have, how often they publish, do they include current grad students as authors in some of their publications, etc. Some colleges have general open houses for grad school; more intimate visitations with your potential department happen after you are accepted. If he has time in his schedule (and if he hasn’t already done so), I would suggest taking at least one grad class his senior year. Grad classes operate a little differently than undergrad classes and it’s useful to learn how things work, before it “counts.†As other’s have said, he should reach out to professors in his current department for advisement. They often have the inside-scope on different programs and can help point you in the right direction based on your interests. What an exciting time for your son! I wish him well on his journey.

I'm working on a masters in civil engineering, part-time, one course per quarter. The classes meet for three hours a week for 10 weeks. I usually spend 7-9 additional hours each week on homework, projects, and studying.

Late 90's in PA. Six semesters of PE and two semesters of Health. PE and Health only met for 2 or 3 days a week. For PE, if you were on time, changed into gym clothes (shorts and t-shirt supplied by yourself), and participated during class, then you got a B. In order to get an A you had to pass the physical at the end of the year. I don't remember everything that was in the physical, but I do remember you had to run a mile in under 10 minutes, which I was never able to do and therefore never got an A. There were showers in the locker room, but no one ever used them. The really crappy thing was that your PE grade was included in your GPA and was often the deciding factor between the valedictorian and the salutatorian.

What does he normally have for breakfast at home? Can he bring home "leftovers" from dining hall to reheat for breakfast. While this wasn't technically allowed when I was in college, I knew a lot of people that would bring a plastic food container to fill up in the dining hall and then reheat later in the dorms. And I almost always brought some fruit back with me. I've never been a morning person and even today I eat breakfast on the way to work. Usually a protein bar (eg. Luna or Cliff bars) and some fruit.

Thinkwell's AP Calculus BC course assumes mastery of the AB topics. I don't have any personal expierence with the course, but it sounds like it might work.

Three books that I really like, (as a super technical, non-flowery person): The Elements of Style, by Struck & White The Lively Art of Writing by Lucile Vaughan Payne A Rulebook for Arguments by Anthony Weston The first two together would make a great course in composition. The third book is a slightly more advanced take on how to write quality essays and would be extremely beneficial for anyone heading to college. The Lively Art of Writing includes exercises at the end of each chapter that can be completed using pretty much any topic you choose. There is a workbook put out by the publisher for A Rulebook for Arguments and I've seen a free workbook floating around for Elements of Style. ... Edited because I am a horrible speller.

The description of the high school provided by other families sounds a lot like the school I went too. The "honors" track was for the kids who actually wanted to learn something and were headed to a 4-year college after graduation. The next track down were for the kids who were smart, but didn't feel like working. Then there was a 3rd track for the kids who had learning or disciplinary challenges. I would say go ahead and put her in the honors course, but her math level may make things more challenging. Maybe consider skipping science this year and focusing on math ... with the goal of finishing Algebra I and Geometry. Most colleges only require 3 years of a lab science so you would still have time to complete this. You could also double up on science another year. Another option might be a course focusing on a specific field of biology ... ecology, anatomy, botany, cell biology, etc. I'd also take a look at some of the popular MOOC sites (edx.org, coursera.org, salyor.org) and see if there is a course or two that interests her.

First, architecture and engineering are two very different things. Architecture is much more "art" based, while engineering is much more "math/science" based. While there is some overlap, recommendations for the two paths will be a bit different. Most architecture programs I have seen require a drawing portfolio be submitted along with the college application. I would take a look at the requirements at some possible schools and figure out what is needed. If he doesn't have much drawing experience, I would find a class or two for him to take. Things focusing on line-drawing and sculpture would be beneficial. Oak Meadow has some courses that might be helpful. I would also suggest an art history course. MIT offers a nice History of Architecture course on www.edx.org that seams to run every fall. A course or two in drafting would also be beneficial. Most local community colleges offer drafting courses, so I'd check these out. I really like courses that start off with hand drafting and then transition into computer-aided drafting. Every "intro to engineering" course I have seen looks like a complete waste of time. Instead, I would look for design competitions/clubs for him to participate in. I highly recommend this bridge design competition: www.bridgecontest.org. There are numerous robotics competitions around. Or you could buy him robot kit to play around with ... I really like the MAKE Rovera Kits; one of these kits could easily be an elective course in Robotics. Drafting would be very useful. If he has a couple of semesters from a community college in drafting completed, he might be able to get an internship with an engineering firm. Although he will be competing with college students, so this might prove to be difficult. You could also call around to engineering firms and see if he could shadow an engineer for a day, although at my firm I know that we wouldn't allow this for liability issues ... engineers tend to be very lawsuit lery, LOL ... but it never hurts to ask!

This is an old thread, but I'm wondering if anyone has had any luck in gaining access to instructor materials from Wiley is the past couple of years?

I've tried on several occasions to read the Bible cover-to-cover and every time I end up throwing in the towel. Mostly, because of the format the Bible is printed in ... small print, thin pages, two columns, lots of numbers breaking up the text, lots of footnotes, etc. I find it all very distracting and tiring. Does anyone know if there is a Bible that is printed in a more standard book / paragraph format, on non-see-through pages? Maybe something that is printed in several volumes, or even better, in electronic format? And because that isn't enough to ask for, I'd also prefer the NRSV translation.

Don't forget Language Arts!!! A STEM student should have a strong foundation in grammar and then lots of practice writing essays/reports. Practice making formal presentations (include graphics / power point) is also very useful.

You could take a look at www.saylor.org. I think they have something like 300 courses put together that cover a range of topics. Its set up to mimic a brick-and-motor college education, but you can just work through courses you are interested. Its all self-paced, and free :)

Another website to check out: http://www.towerofbabelfish.com/

We have a FANTASTIC public radio station in my city ... WXPN 88.5. This is where I get all of my new music. When I was in my 20s, I use to go to a LOT of concerts (like 15 or more in a year), but now I spend that money on iTunes :)

I recently went white-water rafting out in Wyoming ... the water was freezing!!! I wore synthetic running pants (like these). Warmer than a bathing suit bottom but not as cumbersome as a wet suit (and much more comfortable).

I'll second East of Eden!!! By far my favorite Steinbeck.