D is trying to make a decision about college and we are down to the wire. She applied and was accepted to UF and initially though she wanted to major in physics but now she feels Aerospace might be a better fit for what she wants to eventually go into as a career. Would appreciate any insight or comments on your experiences.
My 10th grade son is interested in Aero, so we’ve been looking into it. Mechanical and Aerospace engineering is the most popular engineering department at UF. Within Aero we found two very popular options are a combine degree (4+1), were you complete both you BS and MS in 5 years, and a dual degree in AE and ME (takes as little as 9 additional credits to complete).
http://www.mae.ufl.edu/current/undergraduate/4-1-bs-ms-program
http://www.mae.ufl.edu/current/undergraduate/dual-me-ae-degrees
UF has several design teams/projects that work great for AE/ME students. Working on these teams is a huge plus when interviewing. One student I talked with last summer (Preview/Orientation), a dual ME/AE student had spent last year working on the R&D team (Formula car), and interviewers would spend most of the interview, wanting to talk about his experience on that team (not what classes he had taken).
http://www2.mae.ufl.edu/asme/saerd.aspx
UF is fairly well recruited by national aerospace companies. The top employer is (I believe) Lockheed Martin. I’ve used Linkedin in the past to determine what companies and locations UF engineers in Aerospace end up, and they tend to be all over the country and not only located in Florida. They also seem to do well with internships (nationally).
http://www.honors.ufl.edu/Internships.aspx
http://www.honors.ufl.edu/uploads/images/UF_SpaceX.jpg
*Gator students and alumni working and interning at SpaceX in Hawthorne, California during spring 2012.*
Based on my daughter’s experience (Freshman, Industrial Engineering), I recommend your daughter join ASME and SWE (Society of Women Engineers) and attend a few meetings (especially eSWAMP, which SWE host in August) and get on the mailing list. It’s a great way to meet other engineers and start learning the ropes…
http://www2.mae.ufl.edu/asme/Default.aspx
http://sweufonline.■■■■■■■■■■/
I would also love to hear more feedback from current students!
Thanks so much!! She just emailed the undergraduate adviser’s office. I must say it is very difficult to communicate unless you know the right person to get in touch with. We have been waiting for an aerospace student ambassador to respond to her “Gator for a Day” request only to find out that Aero has their own peer adviser program. Do you know anything about the engineering fraternity Theta Tau? We heard that was an excellent organization as well.
Thanks so much!! She just emailed the undergraduate adviser’s office. I must say it is very difficult to communicate unless you know the right person to get in touch with. We have been waiting for an aerospace student ambassador to respond to her “Gator for a Day” request only to find out that Aero has their own peer adviser program. Do you know anything about the engineering fraternity Theta Tau? We heard that was an excellent organization as well.
I don’t know much about Theta Tau. My daughter just finished rushing at Phi Sigma Rho, an engineering sorority. She wanted “sisterhood” while being with a group of folks that understand the rigors of engineering.
This Saturday is “Phi Sigma Rho’s Mom’s Day”, and they are having a picnic at Lake Wauburg Park (I get the honor of driving the wife up to Gainesville for the event).She’s going to met the members and my daughter’s “Big Sister”.