<p>I'm extremely interested in Columbia's Environmental Engineering program, but I'm also passionate about the humanities, and want to use college as an avenue to explore subjects such as literature, music, and foreign language.
1. Would I be able to fit these things in if I was in the engineering program?
2. Also, am I hurting my chances of getting into Columbia by applying to the engineering school? I'm president of the math team and got 800s on Chem and Math 2 subject tests, but the 92 I got the AP Chem exam is really a blight on my transcript, and I don't have any engineering experience.
3. So: pros/cons of applying to engineering school?</p>
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<p>I doubt you can do engineering and be interested in all those things you are planning on at the same time. Engineering requirements take over the 4 years.</p>
<p>92 is not a blight.</p>
<p>Okay, maybe taking that amount of subjects is idealistic. But am I hurting my chances of getting into Columbia by applying to their engineering school rather than the college? I know it has a slightly higher admit rate, but the pool is probably A LOT more self selecting.</p>
<p>Columbia SEAS and CC both have separate core curricula. Though SEAS’s core is obviously more focused on STEM areas, there are some humanity requirements. Due to its core, Columbia engineering is much more interdisciplinary and “well-rounded” than most other engineering programs. This can be appealing to those who are interested in STEM majors, but still want to take some humanities classes.</p>
<p>You can check out the core requirements for SEAS students here:
[Curriculum</a> | Columbia Undergraduate Admissions](<a href=“http://www.studentaffairs.columbia.edu/admissions/learn/academiclife/engineering/curriculum]Curriculum”>Engineering Undergraduate Experience | Columbia Undergraduate Admissions)</p>
<p>As for selectivity, yes SEAS has a higher acceptance rate, but I wouldn’t apply to SEAS just to get into Columbia University. If you end up wanting to switch to CC, it can be very difficult. Apply to the school you want to be at. I think the accepted applicants for both schools are comparable, just with differing interests. The acceptance rates are so low for both schools that you can’t say one is definitely easier or more difficult to get into.</p>
<p>Ahhhh so many decisions why must i decide my future so early in life</p>
<p>It is great to have some bearing before entering college.</p>
<p>Regarding SEAS, it attracts a lot of people who embrace the nerd/geek culture. They are passionate about science, research, tinkering w/ machines, etc. It is this pull that would make them prefer SEAS over CC. It trains the students to be creative yet empirical and methodological. </p>
<p>Same thing could be said with CC. Lit Hum and Contemporary Civ are the gems of College’s curriculum. You learn to read/write/think in a leaner, more intelligent way. You have access to great western philosophers and have the option to immerse yourself in natural sciences, pure sciences, and humanities. </p>
<p>A few majors overlap (Computer Science), however they will have different requirements - the core. SEAS has limited access to humanities classes due to degree requirements and a credit limit per semester. And CC cannot delve into engineering classes due to a long chain of prerequisites an engineering track comes with.</p>
<p><em>I am personally a SEAS student who studies Computer Science in SEAS. I took Contemporary Civ instead of global core and minored in Econ. Most of my friends are CC, due to the fact that I enjoy humanities more than most of my SEAS classmates. Would I have applied to CC if i knew? Sure. But it all works out in the end. So choose the one you really want, and know that it will be a good choice regardless.</em></p>