I am a junior in highschool, I love physics and math. I think I want to become an engineer (not 100%). I want to stay away from anything involving computer soft/hardware. I hate biology and some parts of chemistry (other than the math parts). I am a very logical person by nature. I have no burning passion for anything. I am a lazy student who naturally breezes through everything. This is my first actually challenging year with 5 ap classes my focus is in ap physics B and ap calc ab. I know im going to have to fix my study habits sooner rather than later. I have 3.96 weighted gpa with a 26 on my act after taking it one time. I bombed the english portion and plan on getting my composite up to 29-30. With all this being said what basic advice would you have for a pathway or direction towards an engineering major. Mechanical and Civil seem the most obvious to me, however I am not as educated on the topic as I would like to be. Thank you so much for any advice!
Most engineering programs, of any kind, are competitive, so you need to get your ACT score up into the 30s. I’d put a lot of effort there.
I’d also suggest you look into other kinds of programs (like Math or Physics or Philosophy) that are good for logical people.
Have you also ever talked to an engineer to see if that’s a career you might be interested in? You could start there too.
You may want to try the SAT as well as retake the ACT if you believe your current ACT score is too low.
Taking the most rigorous math and physics courses available to you in high school should prepare you for studying engineering (as well as math or physics if you choose those routes instead) in college.
Chemistry is usually a peripheral requirement in engineering, but is more important in some types of engineering (e.g. chemical, biomedical, materials). Engineering students will usually have to take a computing for engineering course, since computer aided design and such is often used.
Engineering differs from science in the engineering is the use of science to solve design problems, while science is the study of how the natural universe behaves. If there are any courses or extracurriculars that can give a taste of engineering design (e.g. Project Lead The Way), you may want to consider them to gauge your interest.
Before next fall, be sure to talk to your parents about what they will contribute for your college costs, and run the net price calculators on some college web sites with them to check affordability and financial aid.