My daughter is only a HS sophomore but is mapping out her Junior and Senior years. She has been really enjoying engineering classes the past two years and there are more engineering classes she can take Junior and Senior years. However, she is also very interested in a few other electives and taking some AP classes. If you or your kids have gotten into an Engineering program , would you say the caliber of engineering courses you took in HS helped you gain entry or would a well rounded yet challenging curriculum with heavy math be as valuable? Other electives she wants to take include marketing, business, finance and speech. She’s already fulfilled her foreign language requirement so she can drop that to make more room for things shes interested in. She in particular is looking at Purdue so if you have experience there I’d love to hear!
My kid went to MIT and never took an engineering class. HS didn’t offer it. I don’t think any of his friends took specific engineering classes in HS.
What to take? Math, math and more math. History and English. The better your d is at reading and writing quickly and concisely, the easier a tough engineering curriculum will be. Run through the traditional science sequence- if your HS offers AP Physics that’s a good way to make sure she’s prepared for college level science classes.
The finance classes offered at many HS’s are something of a joke- mainly because the kids taking it don’t have strong quantitative facility (i.e. not strong math students) so before she enrolls, make sure it’s a challenging class and not just some vague financial concepts without any analytical rigor.
Doesn’t your HS have a “recommended” most rigorous track for science and engineering oriented kids?
Purdue is a fabulous place!
Wonderful input - thanks! A 1 semester finance class is required so she has to take one regardless. The recommended track is to take the engineering classes that are offered as electives, but I agree that taking a lot of math would be beneficial even if she doesn’t pursue engineering
Your DS should take a rigorous curriculum, consisting of the hardest math, hardest chemistry, and hardest physics classes offered. Your school’s guidance counselor can offer suggestions on what exact courses offered at your school would be the best option, but the basis for engineering in high school is hard math, physics, and chemistry.
We don’t know the specifics of what is offered at your high school to comment on the exact courses but can make comments in general.
Take the highest math available, and take physics and chemistry.
I’d differ a little. She should take the highest math she can do well in. She should take the next level up each year, but if she’s on track to take calculus as a senior (ideally AP Calc BC) she doesn’t need to take a math class in the summer or double up if your school offers a post AP Calc or linear algebra class. She should take both chem and physics at the honors or AP level and at least one if not both at the AP level. She should also be sure to take either the chem or physics SAT at the end of junior year because some engineering colleges will require it. She should take the math SAT when she’s finished pre-calc.
Most students who go into engineering don’t have the opportunity to take any engineering in high school and some discover they don’t like it when they get to college. Your daughter is lucky to have gotten a taste of it already. If your school has Science Olympiad she might enjoy participating in some of the engineering contests. (Usually there’s a bridge, a robot and some sort of Rube Goldberg contraption.) There is also FIRST robotics at many schools. So even if she doesn’t take more engineering classes she could keep doing engineering type projects.
Mathmom, I think we’re saying the same thing. I wasn’t aware that linear algebra was offered at the high school level but if it is it is not a requirement for admission to an engineering program.
Again, though, I don’t know what classes are offered by the OPs high school, so I think that the best advice is for the student to talk to a teacher or guidance counseler at the school. They will know what classes are the right ones to take.
Actually I was addressing ucbalumnus. Some schools have math for the extra accelerated. Most don’t though. Our very large high school did have a Linear Algebra class and a half dozen kids were in it. But believe me many of the other 650+ kids in the school got into good engineering schools without taking the “highest” or “hardest” math available. It was just a small nit.
The GC should be able to give good advice, but sometimes they don’t.
I was referring to the more general case where the highest math available to the student is precalculus or calculus. Students who are two years advanced in math based on middle school placement and in high schools with post calculus math available are rare cases.
My daughter is a 3rd year engineering student who attended a high school which only offered the IB Diploma program.
I would recommend taking higher level math, physics, chemistry, and possibly a programming class if possible. I think a basic programming course in high school or over the summer would have been helpful since many freshman college students come into engineering with some programming background. She has also had to take classes like statistics, psychology, sociology, and economics so I think if there is a class for which she can get AP credit for so that it can be waived in college that would be helpful. Prior to freshman class registration she had to sit for math placement testing to make sure she had to prerequisite knowledge to register for her math class. (calculus) Those that didn’t perform well in the placement exam had to take a remedial class before enrolling in general engineering core classes.
OP here - AP Calc is an option, as is AP physics. The school will also duel enroll you if you need more math (middle son is currently taking Calculus of Several Variables and took Calculus and Analytical Geometry last semester - he’s a senior). The engineering is a strength here too, by taking the intro classes Freshman and Soph years she is eligible to take some more interesting engineering classes - the curriculum is PLTW, if you’re familiar. A few years ago one of the classes spent a semester building a snow removal robot and got to go to a national competition in Washington DC with it. She’s just torn between wanting to keep exploring a lot of different interests now, but still keeping the door open to a great engineering college if that’s what she ends up wanting to do. Either way she’s going to take as much math as possible at the highest challenge she can.
It’s always a struggle. I don’t really think high school is a time to specialize, but it’s hard if they are offering good stuff and you are interested in it.
I hate to shout, but if she’s interested in it - TAKE SPEECH! An engineer who can also handle public speaking and presentations is valuable. She does need to balance taking a rigorous curriculum at her school against exploring other interests, but I firmly believe everyone benefits from taking classes outside of their main area of study. That can be hard to do in college if you are trying to complete an engineering degree in 4 years, although if you can come in with a lot of AP or IB credits it helps. I know as I’ve evolved within my career my communications minor has proved a valuable counterpart to my Math/CS degree.
Let her enjoy trying some different experiences in high school. S, an engineering major, has never regretted his art classes in high school. Having one class a day that used a completely different part of his brain was a real stress release for him.
@InigoMontoya along the same lines I found out that my son’s public speaking skills SOARED once he started Model UN. Now that he’s a junior and starting interviews for various things I really see how his increased public speaking skills have helped him.
Another thing that might be helpful for your daughter is to meet with the school counselor to find out about some mentoring programs. For example if a local engineering firm hosts a career day for high school students or if an association like Women in Technology (WIT) has a high school mentoring program for girls interested in STEM or STEAM. My daughter attended one such program where they met with professional women that worked for different companies and discussed their education, roles, and experiences in the engineering field. It gave her a chance to explore a career path outside of school. Look also for programs offered over the summer which provide exposure to different fields of study.
@3scoutsmom both my kids did Model UN. In my mind it was the best extra-curricular either of them participated in. What’s not to love about an extra-curricular that requires kids to educate themselves on world issues, write position papers, learn to present and debate, understand the importance of professional attire and presentation - these are skills that are so valuable in the business world and in life in general!
MIT looks for kids who challenge themselves, so take tough courses in high school. If you can take AP Calc AB and BC, that would be great, but if your school does not offer it, they won’t hold it against you. They look at all your courses, not just Math and Science. Best of luck!
@InigoMontoya that is so funny - she wanted to take speech so badly this year that she took it as a third elective - which meant two days a week she only has 20 minutes a day off, for lunch. She loves it though and was able to use it already competing for DECA.
Good for her. Like every other person, an engineer is so much more than their profession. Those interested in it will want many STEM classes in HS because they like them and are good at the subjects. But- HS (and college) is also a time to obtain a well rounded education. She should explore other interests, even if she does not excel in them. Who knows- she may even change her mind about her future career once she is in college and exposed to courses there.
It sounds like your D is doing just fine without interference from parents or us. Taking charge of her life instead of letting you tell her what to do. btw- of course one takes a full load without a study hall. Plus does many activities that interest one along with getting good grades. That’s the mark of most top students. There simply isn’t enough room for all who qualify for the most elite schools however- her peers will be found at many top schools, including state flagships.
One comment, slightly off topic, is that your daughter doesn’t need to be concerned about getting into “great” versus “average” engineering schools. As long as it is ABET accredited, it’s golden. I’m from a regular college, one of my high school classmates attended an elite school. We both have similar jobs today. I see this all the time. Elite engineering schools don’t translate into elite engineering jobs.