Help!: Should I switch out of Engineering?

<p>I just finished my first year of engineering at Duke. It has been a tough year, mainly because I now have a sub par GPA compared to what I am used to. Also, my 2.95 is only at that level because I did well in my Geology and Writing. </p>

<p>I got a C- and a C in intermediate and Vector Calculus respectively . I got a B in a Programming class based around Matlab, although I have to admit I didn't understand it that well. My interest hs always been in the sciences, and I've always been very good at Physics and Math until I came to Duke. Part of me tells me its because I generally didnt' work as hard first semester and took a while to settle, but another part tells me that I just am not fundamentally able to grasp the material and essentials of being an engineer.</p>

<p>Should I switch out of engineering to something like econ just because its too hard and so I can get a better GPA? Or should I stick with engineering because Science is the thing I like? I am not really sure if I even like Econ that much, infact I hated my first class in it. Any advice is appreciated!</p>

<p>If you like engineering, and think you can keep your head above water, stick with it. Impostor Syndrome is a common problem, and your GPA is not that horrible. You won't need most of the calculus in depth for your engineering classes. You'll need some, but not all of it.</p>

<p>You could also consider going into the sciences, as opposed to engineering, but I'm not sure it would solve your problem.</p>

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My interest hs always been in the sciences, and I've always been very good at Physics and Math until I came to Duke.

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<p>Oh man, half the freshmen at MIT (probably too low an estimate), and a lot of upperclassmen, go around saying this sort of thing. In all likelihood, you're still very good at math and physics. It's just that the people you're being compared to are a lot stronger than the people you were compared to pre-college, so it <em>feels</em> like you're weaker.</p>

<p>My daughter finished her soph year at Vandy with a 2.7 thanks to Orgo I&II. She has no plans of switching out of ChemE. Her 2.7, like your 2.95, are likely not even close to the lowest GPA's in your class...</p>

<p>Engineering is hard but don't be discouraged by the material. You are a freshman and your grades in these courses should not severely impact your future job offers. Also, many engineers have bad first years and bounce back quickly and I bet your GPA is just a few clicks below the average. Don’t sweat it right now—study hard and you’ll be fine.</p>

<p>It seems to me it's the other way around, nshah. You have general ed classes and foundational math and science classes to pad up your GPA in the first year. This diminishes sophomore year and disappears by junior year.</p>

<p>At my university, there is a rule that your technical classes must have a combined average GPA of above 2.25 (slightly below a C+) at the end of sophomore year to go on to junior year. Check to see if Duke has such rules. As long as you meet the requirements, stay in engineering. You don't have to have a good GPA to get a job.</p>

<p>Even the low end in engineering have better job prospects than the average (or even the best) in most other majors, so stick it out for at least another semester and see if things get better.</p>

<p>What do you mean by better job prospects? It's only better if you won't a rote engineering job that will leave you lucky to ever make 6 figurers. They elite engineering jobs take high GPAs. Engineers make good starting salaries and then they go nowhere while strong econ grads will have more options and higher salaries in the long run.</p>

<p>I'm interested in engineering but would never want an average engineers job so have decided not to major in it. Think about what jobs you would want and then choose a major.</p>

<p>You're obviously a high achiever if you're at Duke. Personally, at this stage I'd focus on something I would be at the top in. Why fight nature?</p>

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It seems to me it's the other way around, nshah. You have general ed classes and foundational math and science classes to pad up your GPA in the first year. This diminishes sophomore year and disappears by junior year.

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<p>That's not at all the case. The intro math and science courses were often the most difficult, grade-wise, both in my experience and my colleagues' experience. Once you get into your 'real' engineering courses, you're doing things that are more interesting and more applicable, and more fun. Led to better grades, in the majority of our cases.</p>

<p>OP, your case isn't uncommon. If engineering's what you really want to do, don't back down. Good luck!</p>

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Engineers make good starting salaries and then they go nowhere while strong econ grads will have more options and higher salaries in the long run.

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<p>I'd like to see some citations and numbers to back that up. Make sure it only includes econ BA/BS holders as any major can go on to professional schools.</p>

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That's not at all the case. The intro math and science courses were often the most difficult, grade-wise, both in my experience and my colleagues' experience.

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<p>Depends on the school and individual I guess. For me, the large classes and lower caliber of students in the intro math and sci classes made it fairly easy to stay on the higher end of the grading curve. On the other hand, the EE classes, besides having much more difficult material, had better students to compete against because the college of engineering has higher admissions standards here.</p>

<p>A Duke econ grad with good grades would be a contender for jobs at investment banks, venture capital firms, top corporate jobs management consulting firms where salaries are multiples of what a typical engineer will make.</p>

<p>Let's see, he asked for citations and numbers. You provided neither. I don't think your argument is wrong, in fact it is very much true in some ways, but evidence is lacking in your arsenal.</p>

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A Duke econ grad with good grades would be a contender for jobs at investment banks, venture capital firms, top corporate jobs management consulting firms where salaries are multiples of what a typical engineer will make.

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<p>A contender, not guaranteed.</p>

<p>And is there any reason why a Duke engineer with a good GPA wouldn't be able to do any of those things? I know my engineering friends from undergrad that wanted to go into finance-related fields were able to, but they also had the security of a solid engineering background to fall back on if they changed their mind about career satisfaction vs. money.</p>

<p>it could be that you are just adjusting to college. It took me 2 years to get used to studying for college level math/science/engineering classes. You have to make exams a priority and just focus on understanding. </p>

<p>But if you are really having a hard time and not enjoying your college experience because of it, you should switch. </p>

<p>I know plenty of Duke Econ girls/guys at work, they weren't all thrilled with their job offers upon graduation. There's never anything guaranteed.</p>

<p><a href="http://web.mit.edu/career/www/infostats/graduation07.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://web.mit.edu/career/www/infostats/graduation07.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Take a look at MIT's graduation survey. See how many people are in finance and management consulting? These firms chase engineering grads as much as econ grads because of their quantitative skills. This is NOT a reason for switching.</p>

<p>And as RacinReaver said, these jobs are not guaranteed. There are a lot of people with the exact same mindset trying to get the exact same jobs. Competition is tough. If you don't get that nice I-Bank job, then what? An engineer has a stable back-up career that won't make him rich but will put him in the middle class or upper middle class. Econ major...?</p>

<p>Besides, why do you think these finance jobs pay so much? Long hours and misery. They need to raise the compensation so that there is enough supply to meet the demand. Not everyone is suited for these sort of jobs and it seems the OP genuinely likes science and engineering.</p>

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<p>you don't even have to make 20 bucks an hour full time to earn the average income in the United States. the econ major should be able to swing that without too much trouble....</p>

<p>edit: I'd say being an engineer would make you UPPER class, pay notwithstanding (nevermind that a lucky semi driver makes more than an unlucky engineer). they're pretty important people. middle class would be, I dunno, Hank Hill or something. most people don't have degrees, especially older people.</p>

<p>I'll reiterate a bit what AIR BEAR said. lol.</p>

<p>Building the foundation is often the hardest. Once you have a firm grasp of that, you can often extend it a bit easier in the advanced courses, especially if you have an innate interest in the subject matter. Stick it out in engineering if your grades are above the minimum required.</p>

<p>Indeed, football, econ majors should have no trouble making money, and in fact economists' salary matches that of engineers (or exceeds depending on the field of engineering). But MS and PhD degrees are required for a lot of positions and just a BS in economics won't match an engineering degree in most cases.
It still beats most liberal arts degrees, and my intention was not to disparage econ degrees but point out that engineering suits the OP.</p>

<p>thanks so much for all the replies. i really do feel a lot more comfortable. </p>

<p>I agree with Gshine in that all the stated finance and consulting jobs are open to engineers. my apartment building is home to many bankers and a large number of them are from an engineering background. i think the main thing i was worried about was the disparity between potentially engineering + not great GPA vs econ + good GPA</p>

<p>also, seniors at duke tell me the initial classes are difficult "weed-out" classes so it shuold get better in the coming years.</p>

<p>The runner at the engineering firm I worked at had a masters degree in econ, no joke, $10/hour.</p>