Question for Current Students or Alumni

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Nov 20, 2020
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Hello, I am currently a Highschool Senior aspiring to attend KP in the class of 2025. I want to best prepare myself over the course of the days preceding my first year at USMMA from an academic perspective. Are there any subjects, concepts, etc. that tend to be troublesome or would just be valuable to review prior to my attendance (Marine Transportation Major)? I know Indoc is a ways away, but I wanted to get this question out here for the maximum amount of time possible. Any other advice for a potential USMMA appointee would be gratefully received. Thanks, guys.
 
Don't focus on Indoc as much as Calculus and Physics. Those two courses are very important. There are reviews available to help prep you for those classes online.
I have taken AP Calc AB and AP Physics I and AP Physics II algebra-based currently- are these at a relatively equivalent level for what I will see at KP?
 
I have taken AP Calc AB and AP Physics I and AP Physics II algebra-based currently- are these at a relatively equivalent level for what I will see at KP?
The Calc and Physics at KP will be harder. But, if you do well in those AP classes, you will be well prepared.

I would say the biggest difference is that in HS, you can pretty well absorb all the info in the classroom. At KP, you actually have to study before the tests. Some of my classmates never understood that difference. They didn't make it. Calc and Physics were the ones that students fail the most.
If you fall behind, talk to the professor and get tutoring early. If you are doing well, tutor your classmates.
 
My DS is taking college courses concurrently while in high school and will graduate with his Associates degree. He has taken and passed Calc 1 and currently takes Calc 2 and Phys 1 and will take Calc 3 and Phys 2 next semester. Does anyone know if they will transfer or will he have to retake
 
My DS is taking college courses concurrently while in high school and will graduate with his Associates degree. He has taken and passed Calc 1 and currently takes Calc 2 and Phys 1 and will take Calc 3 and Phys 2 next semester. Does anyone know if they will transfer or will he have to retake
According to DD (2017) you can test out of some courses, but she does not recommend this if one plans to be an engineer. Also, if you are good at math and physics, the"easy A' in the basic courses is great for your GPA.
 
No classes transfer to KP. You can test out of calc but most mids think it's not a great idea. During INDOC, you will take a placement test to place you in four day per week calculus or five day per week calculus. My opinion is it is better not to test out totally. You need to learn calc the way they teach it at KP. It is also nice to have at least one class you can be confident in and extra time to help your fellow plebes who might not be as strong in math as you are. Keep in mind that your DS will be among other high achievers who may be smarter and have even more knowledge than your DS. Hard for some plebes (and parents) to get used to.
 
No classes transfer to KP. You can test out of calc but most mids think it's not a great idea. During INDOC, you will take a placement test to place you in four day per week calculus or five day per week calculus. My opinion is it is better not to test out totally. You need to learn calc the way they teach it at KP. It is also nice to have at least one class you can be confident in and extra time to help your fellow plebes who might not be as strong in math as you are. Keep in mind that your DS will be among other high achievers who may be smarter and have even more knowledge than your DS. Hard for some plebes (and parents) to get used to
I definitely agree it would be a good idea to retake. His counselor was all up in arms when I told her. 😁. He definitely understands that he will need a very nice GPA and other factors such as leadership and team camaraderie to get that flight seat
 

No classes transfer to KP. You can test out of calc but most mids think it's not a great idea. During INDOC, you will take a placement test to place you in four day per week calculus or five day per week calculus. My opinion is it is better not to test out totally. You need to learn calc the way they teach it at KP. It is also nice to have at least one class you can be confident in and extra time to help your fellow plebes who might not be as strong in math as you are. Keep in mind that your DS will be among other high achievers who may be smarter and have even more knowledge than your DS. Hard for some plebes (and parents) to get used to.
I am curious to know the rationale behind this.

If you can test out of all calculus classes I would do it in a heartbeat. I think the lighter course load is light years more advantageous than any perceived "easy A".

As I recall the only calculus in any of my engineering classes was to demonstrate the derivation of the formulae we would use throughout the course but we never had to use calculus to solve any actual problems. I don't recall ever doing a single calculus problem outside of calculus class and for 99.99% of Marine Engineering career paths you will never do any calculus again after KP.
 
I am curious to know the rationale behind this.

If you can test out of all calculus classes I would do it in a heartbeat. I think the lighter course load is light years more advantageous than any perceived "easy A".

As I recall the only calculus in any of my engineering classes was to demonstrate the derivation of the formulae we would use throughout the course but we never had to use calculus to solve any actual problems. I don't recall ever doing a single calculus problem outside of calculus class and for 99.99% of Marine Engineering career paths you will never do any calculus again after KP.
I was going to ask this- was the Calc at KP the relatively simple stuff when it comes to Calc like differentiation, integration, etc., or was it more specialized? Also, would it be a bad idea to do my absolute best on the placement test during INDOC if that means I will be placed in a more challenging course for the rest of the year? I think it would be smarter to find my way to an easier math level if GPA is calculated equally...
 
I was going to ask this- was the Calc at KP the relatively simple stuff when it comes to Calc like differentiation, integration, etc., or was it more specialized? Also, would it be a bad idea to do my absolute best on the placement test during INDOC if that means I will be placed in a more challenging course for the rest of the year? I think it would be smarter to find my way to an easier math level if GPA is calculated equally...

The calc at KP is FAR more simple than AP Calc BC. When I was there the difference between doing well on the placement test was the difference between a class that met 4x/week or 3x/week. It isn't "harder" or "easier" they just meet fewer days per week. If you're doing well in a legit AP Calc BC you should have 0 issues at KP. KP calc I is mostly derivatives and calc II was integrals. Clac II didn't get much farther than the classic water tank problem.

My advice, place out of everything you possibly can. When I was there and had a 3.XX GPA it was to the point that anything less than a B+ would lower my GPA. Getting a B+ or above is really hard in a lot of KP classes. If you can place out, the hard classes won't hurt you. That frees up more time to put in to other classes.

The parents here all say don't place out. The grads all say that you should place out. Do with that information what may.
 
I am curious to know the rationale behind this.

If you can test out of all calculus classes I would do it in a heartbeat. I think the lighter course load is light years more advantageous than any perceived "easy A".

As I recall the only calculus in any of my engineering classes was to demonstrate the derivation of the formulae we would use throughout the course but we never had to use calculus to solve any actual problems. I don't recall ever doing a single calculus problem outside of calculus class and for 99.99% of Marine Engineering career paths you will never do any calculus again after KP.
Yup. Several years after graduation, I found myself at a blackjack table in Carson City, waiting for the snow to let up so I could cross into California on US 50. I struck up a conversation with my dealer, and he was from the East Coast and familiar with KP. He asked if there was a lot of math and calculus to take there, and I told him that there was. He then asked how much I use it in my job (at sea). I told him to just deal the cards. . . . .
 
Yup. Several years after graduation, I found myself at a blackjack table in Carson City, waiting for the snow to let up so I could cross into California on US 50. I struck up a conversation with my dealer, and he was from the East Coast and familiar with KP. He asked if there was a lot of math and calculus to take there, and I told him that there was. He then asked how much I use it in my job (at sea). I told him to just deal the cards. . . . .
He probably does more math in a month as a blackjack dealer than I have done in 20 years as a practicing marine engineer.
 
He probably does more math in a month as a blackjack dealer than I have done in 20 years as a practicing marine engineer.
I do more math now as an insurance adjuster than I ever did as a marine engineer. . . .
 
Alright. Before you salty dogs leave people with a completely one sided impression, I'll intervene on behalf of math in marine engineering. While I agree there is pretty limited math in the operations side of this business, if you find yourself on the design side you'll do plenty. Even as an office guy supporting a fleet I do math all the time. That thing you want to weld on the boat that I have to sign off on? On my end that's free body diagrams, transformation of stresses, load calcs to determine what the weld should be and if any backup structure is needed. That pipe mod? Somebody needs to do the size selection based on a limit velocity and hoop stress to determine wall thickness. There is plenty of math going on, you're just not the one's doing it. There's a reason they offer a PE in NAME.
 
Alright. Before you salty dogs leave people with a completely one sided impression, I'll intervene on behalf of math in marine engineering. While I agree there is pretty limited math in the operations side of this business, if you find yourself on the design side you'll do plenty. Even as an office guy supporting a fleet I do math all the time. That thing you want to weld on the boat that I have to sign off on? On my end that's free body diagrams, transformation of stresses, load calcs to determine what the weld should be and if any backup structure is needed. That pipe mod? Somebody needs to do the size selection based on a limit velocity and hoop stress to determine wall thickness. There is plenty of math going on, you're just not the one's doing it. There's a reason they offer a PE in NAME.
Oh, I agree. I just didn't go down a path where much was required. Even as an adjuster, the math isn't too complicated, but there can be a lot if it.
 
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