<p>My d is a science nerd but not yet sure what she wants to major in -- chemistry vs. chemcal engineering, for instance. Which school might make the most sense for her to apply to?</p>
<p>Any university with chemical engineering is likely to have chemistry as well. The most important thing to do in order to decide which is the right major is to take an introductory engineering course first to see if that is more appealing than chemistry. Your d will likely be taking a chemistry course in the first semester anyway so the exposure to engineering is essential.</p>
<p>Yes, I agree. But my understanding was that she had to choose a program (at Tufts) to apply to. Is this incorrect?</p>
<p>A couple of things to consider - Engineering majors require more classes/credits than science majors. so if she’s considering engineering it’s probably better to start out on that track. It is easier to transfer out of engineering rather than in. Secondly in most cases a female applying to an engineering program is a leg up in the admissions process. Most engineering schools/programs are still male dominated.</p>
<p>My D is a current chemical engineering student at Tufts and she loves it.</p>
<p>Thank you! We’re going to visit in early April and will attend an information sessions for engineering. From there we will see!</p>
<p>momof2inma is absolutely correct. If your daughter is a strong science and math student, she should apply to the School of Engineering because engineering schools always have more men than women (both as students and as applicants), so she increases her odds of admission. In addition, if she decides engineering is not for her, it’s very easy to transfer into Arts & Sciences (in fact, most of the first year courses in engineering are not pure engineering courses).</p>
<p>Thanks, this is great advice!</p>
<p>NJ: our D is doing Chemical Engineering and a minor in econ. She started at T in liberal arts but transferred to Eng school after frosh year. It’s a tremendously demanding program but very rewarding. Teachers grade very hard and there is NO grade inflation whatsoever. This may be different in the liberal arts school.</p>
<p>Men clearly outnumber women in the school of eng. This is a benefit especially when your D will be looking for summer internships and the like. Our D had a great internship last summer (after soph yr) and has another one coming up this summer. She is also do research for a Prof on biogenetic engineering. </p>
<p>If your D loves math and science and wants to study hard, Eng is where it’s at! Good luck.</p>
<p>My S is doing bio-engineering first as his 4 year degree, then will pursue the science for his masters and PhD. He wants to learn the tools/real world application of his intended scientific research. I’m certain he’ll be busy in the science labs doing research while pursuing his engineering degree.</p>
<p>We are visiting Tufts in April as well. My d is interested in Chem E and loves economics as well. It’s great to here there’s the chance to major and minor as well. How small are the numbers for the engineering school?</p>
<p>The engineering school has about 200 students per year, +/- 10-15.
My son is an engineering major and econ minor. Not a problem.</p>
<p>@WCASparent: Thanks for the info. Does the workload limit time for extracurriculars? High schoolers are so maxxed out in general. I want my d to choose her college wisely in regards to having a balanced work/social life. I realize that engineering is tough at any school.</p>
<p>^^Sounds like you already appreciate the main point - which is that engineering is simply a harder curriculum than arts and sciences. They take hard courses and more of them.
That being said, my son seems to be doing just fine with it. He is involved in one sport, socializes with friends, has a girlfriend, and takes 5 (or in one case 6) courses each term - most of which sound pretty tough to me, but he is unfazed by it and seems very happy at Tufts.</p>
<p>Hello. I encourage you to read my post because I was in the same shoes! I am a chemical engineering student in the Tufts University class of 2015, but I wasn’t always in the School of Engineering! I applied to Tufts for Arts & Sciences for… you guessed it… chemistry! Let me just say that the transfer process to engineering from not-engineering is a BREEZE. All I did was sign a paper, actually. So, with that being said, if your daughter is unsure as to what to go into, don’t worry. I wasn’t sure either. The good thing with chemistry and chemical engineering is that the first few sets of courses you take are nearly identical with a few exceptions. So, if she were to, let’s say, try chemical engineering and realized it wasn’t for her, the switch to chemistry would not even set her back. There are a few courses that explain what you do with a certain degree (I took one about ChemE). There are also tons of groups (like American Chemical Society or the American Institute for Chemical Engineers) that can help figure out which path is best. I’m not a “builder” by any means, but I still like the applied side to science, so that’s why I personally chose chemical engineering over chemistry. As someone has mentioned, it is easier to transfer out of engineering than into engineering, but it is by no means impossible to transfer into engineering if you figure out it’s what you want to do fairly early on. I’d say perhaps apply to the school of engineering, but, regardless, both options are almost just as good. </p>
<p>P.S. I’m loving chemical engineering here at Tufts! I’ve never learned so much.</p>
<p>Penguinmaster93, wait until you get a real taste of chemical engineering classes this coming year.</p>
<p>At many schools it’s better to start off in engineering since missing out on the freshman engineering courses will slow you down. If you don’t like engineering it’s usually pretty easy to switch out eventually. Tufts is unusual, in that I’ve heard several people say it’s pretty easy to switch INTO engineering. That’s not always true.</p>