<p>I'm back again. This college app process is getting to me. Trying to roll with it. </p>
<p>Here's the issue. D was thinking engineering. Now she's not sure. Already applied to two colleges for chem eng. Still have 4 others to apply to. </p>
<p>I have talked and searched and provided info. She's just confused. She knows she likes physics, math, and chemistry, but she's really worried about the level of math needed for engineering and also about whether it'll be a people-person job in the end. </p>
<p>I'm not sure how good/bad it looks to put undecided on applications. I also know that getting into engineering is harder and if accepted there, she could transfer to another major later. </p>
<p>Anyone have any good strategies for this? The only good thing is freshman engineering and most science majors start with pretty much the same foundation: calc, general chem and general physics. We have looked at BA programs in both chem and physics, because they usually offer more flexibility with regards to math and other majors/minors. </p>
<p>Most colleges know that most kids change their minds.</p>
<p>I think you need to reassure your D that she will end up finding a major, but that she doesn’t have to have her entire life mapped out now at the age of 17.</p>
<p>She’s got two applications in for Chem Eng. She can apply as undecided to the balance of her schools, and as long as there are two schools where she’s likely to be admitted AND you can afford, I think she can relax.</p>
<p>Movement between majors is very common. Starting in engineering and dropping engineering is very common. It is very hard to start out in the School of Arts and Sciences and switch into engineering (in most universities) but it is generally easy to start in engineering and end up in Applied Math, Econ, Urban Planning, or whatever.</p>
<p>Relax. I’m not sure this is something she needs to worry about now unless there are schools on her list that make absolutely no sense unless she majors in Chemical Engineering.</p>
<p>At some universities, you have to apply to a specific school within the university, and the Engineering school is separate from the others. </p>
<p>However, it’s not uncommon for students to transfer out of engineering into other colleges within the university.</p>
<p>In my opinion, if a student may be interested in engineering, the engineering major is a good place to start. Engineering programs are highly structured; many other majors are not. It’s much easier to transfer out of engineering and be able to complete graduation requirements on time than it would be to transfer into engineering after starting in another major. My husband transferred out of engineering into a math major and graduated on time. </p>
<p>One piece of advice: A student who’s interested in engineering but isn’t absolutely sure about it would be better off at a university rather than a technical school. The university offers a greater variety of alternate majors.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the typical hs student (and most parents) are only familiar with the standard college majors…engineering, business, chemistry, physics, etc…there are many other majors out there worth exploring once you get to college…perhaps through books, advising office, career services, etc. </p>
<p>Some majors worth looking into that utilize physics,chemistry, and/or math…</p>
<p>Engineering…know quite a few engineering majors that never actually did engineering work. Instead went into technical sales and IT consulting (companies like Accenture).</p>
<p>Agronomy…lots of jobs in this field…sales and consulting.</p>
<p>Construction Management</p>
<p>Culinary Science…lots of chemistry and biology.</p>
<p>Geology</p>
<p>Transportation Planning…often involves hefty amount of data analysis.</p>
<p>Based on personal experience, I suggest applying to engineering programs at universities where other types of courses are offered. It is very hard to get into the engineering programs from another “school” within the college or university. But I get the sense it isn’t hard at all to switch majors from engineering to something else.</p>
<p>If she just wants to do the minimum amount of math, very little. Depending on the specific major, engineering could require a lot of math or science, but usually not both. If she wants to do something more sciencey she could look at Material Science maybe. </p>
<p>I didn’t exactly know what i wanted to do when I was in HS. I liked Math and Science more than English/History.
I majored in Electrical Engineering but quickly found out I didn’t really love the hands on stuff.
My job is a Systems Engineer…I spend my days talking to customers and translating their needs into requirements that our software developers can code to. At the sort of regular level of engineering I didn’t need more than calculus. If you go on to grad school/specialized areas then you take more.</p>
<p>It is best to start in Engineering if you can and then you can transfer to anything else relatively easily.</p>
<p>It is my impression that ABET accredited programs will generally require a minimum of calc 1, 2, 3 plus intro compsci, depending on the major,so I would look at how these classes are taught and managed at individual schools if she is worried. Difficulty of these classes and the amount of support offered can vary quite a bit by school. The same is true for basic science classes such as gen chem, physics, etc. </p>
<p>ArtSci majors seem to offer more leeway when it comes to math requirements. Some geology or environmental studies majors we have seen require only a semester or two of calculus, for example.</p>
<p>At most schools it seems very difficult to transfer into engineering, but there is lots of movement in the other direction. If this is because there is little support in weeder classes required for engineering majors, this is perhaps a cause for alarm. (IOW, check out support services!)</p>
<p>Being undecided is perfectly rational. I’d avoid applying to schools that make her apply “as” some particular major, or at least have a reasonable number of schools that don’ton her list so she isn’t stuck at one of those schools.</p>
<p>Depends on the school. There are some things to consider:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Sometimes, some majors are filled to capacity or impacted, so entering the major later after enrolling can be difficult (requiring a high college GPA and an admissions process). Often, engineering majors are in that category, but that depends on the school. If a student is undecided between several majors, entering in the impacted major allowed greater choice later to choose other majors which may not be impacted or are less impacted. But that can mean a higher selectivity threshold for frosh admission.</p></li>
<li><p>Engineering majors typically have long prerequisite sequences; a student who is undecided but considering an engineering major needs to follow its course plan for the first few semesters to ensure on-time graduation if s/he does choose the engineering major.</p></li>
<li><p>The first few semesters of a chemical engineering major should include most or all of the courses that a chemistry, math, or physics major will need, so if those are the alternate majors, then there should not be too much difficulty in keeping all of those options open in the first few semesters from a course selection standpoint. All of them require at least sophomore level math (multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations); obviously majoring in math requires more, and physics majors often take more.</p></li>
<li><p>Chemical engineering jobs, like other jobs, will involve interaction with other people. Perhaps more so than chemistry, where the job prospects are weaker, increasing the risk of being unemployed and socially isolated for greater amounts of time.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My daughter is going to a tech school and applied as chem engg, but she was unsure so she switched to a gen engg class for this semester. There are 33 kids in that section and their intro to engineering class will introduce them to all the types of engineering offered - chem, electrical, mechanical, aeronautical, ocean, computer - and they will select majors at the end of the course. If she doesn’t like any of those, she can always switch to just science or math, or even to one of the other majors at the school like business or communications. Very unlikely. This is not a kid who is going to take an English or social science class that is not required. She’ll end up in a hard science or engineering.</p>
<p>I agree that if she doesn’t want a science or wants to take a lot of non-science courses, she should go to a university. I went to school with a civil engineer who planned from the beginning to go for 5 years. She wanted to take music and english classes, to take a few other classes that engineers don’t have time for.</p>
<p>Physics, math, chemistry: these are many of the prerequisites for a doctor of Pharmacy program. A job as a pharmacist is a people-person career.</p>
<p>She’s in AP Calc AB right now. She’s got a B. But she feels like she’s struggling and not loving it. Prior to this she breezed through. </p>
<p>Most of the programs we are seeing require Calc 1, 2 and 3, plus Diff equations and linear algebra. These are state schools too. That seems pretty daunting. </p>
<p>I do like the idea of just planning from the beginning to do 5 years. Co-op required schools are automatically 4.5 years. Perhaps adding an extra semester would ease stress. </p>
<p>Most of the time only 4 of those will be required. But even if all 5 are required, it’s 5 classes. And Calc AB=Calc 1 anyway. </p>
<p>I hated science, I still had to take a few science classes. I got through it. She can get through a few math classes. When she’s done that’ll be it. </p>
<p>It is okay for her to not be sure. My D2 thought maybe physics before she started college, but the required Special Relativity course her first semester of college sort of knocked her for a loop. But she loved her Intro CS course (she had no idea she would even like it, but it was also required). So… maybe CS major, and she did CS research the past summer after freshman year. But… next two semesters of physics have warmed her back up to that idea, so she is still not sure. I am not too worried, she is still on track for either major for now because there are a lot of technical core requirements at her school. </p>
<p>Also… she is not a hot shot math student. She is taking mulitvariable calculus this quarter, and has a linear algebra/differential equations II class next quarter. She is making it through with a lot of tutoring help and grinding out the problem sets. One thing kids in STEM need to accept is that they might not get an “A” in every class. Bs are okay in a few of the tougher courses, and even the occasional C isn’t a killer. I feel like one reason women drop out of STEM majors sometimes is because they don’t get all As, and that makes them think they are just no good at it. I don’t think male students always react the same way. The material is hard and unyielding, but worth pushing through for the interesting careers that can await them.</p>
<p>It all depends where she is applying. My kid went to a college and applied as undeclared arts and sciences. Her school allowed her to transfer to engineering…which she did. She took the same sequence of courses her freshman year as the engineering majors. At the end of that year, she switched to the college of engineering…which her school allowed. YMMV…depending on the school.</p>
<p>Most kids switch majors multiple times in college. Help your daughter choose a college where there are many y options…she doesn’t have to declare a major as an entering freshman.</p>
<p>With co-ops, the course load would be the same, since it would be 8 semesters or 12 quarters of school, interspersed with time off school doing the co-op job(s).</p>
<p>What other majors is she considering if the math in question is too much for her? Availability of alternate majors of interest can be important in picking a school.</p>