<p>Dd is trying to decide between a major in physics and engineering. She's met with a couple of physicists, toured a couple of private sector labs, and will be touring engineering and physics departments at schools to which she's been accepted over the next few weeks. Last summer she went to an engineering camp at one of those state schools and loved it, (but decided in the process that EE isn't for her). She's considering aerospace. She really likes science and math and does very well in those subjects, but has always also been a strong liberal arts student, having had a classical/Great Books high school education (loves literature and the arts, excellent writer and speaker, seems to be a natural teacher & leader). She hates the thought of completely leaving humanities behind. She does seem to prefer theory over hands-on tinkering, but she does like hands-on as well. She hopes to continue on to grad school, but is worried about employability in case that isn't possible. However, she's been told that if she sticks with science, she won't have to pay for grad school. She likes this idea!</p>
<p>Someone on the physics forum where I also posted this question suggested that she won't necessarily need to decide until after the 1st year, but the problem is also in choosing which school to attend. So far she's been accepted to 3 schools. Two are large, state schools with excellent engineering and phsyics departments. One is offering a near full-ride. The 3rd school is a small, LAC with a small, but very good, physics department. She's being offered full tuition at this school. It would allow her to continue a LA education along with research & internship opportunities. She applied RD to a 4th school - another state school without an engineering degree but does have a physics degree.</p>
<p>Does anyone have any advice on how to choose? Does personality/temperament type play a role in these two fields?</p>
<p>If she is in a hard science like physics or engineering, she MOST LIKELY will not have to pay for grad school. Pretty much all Ph.D. students get funding and a large portion of M.S. students get funding within a semester of starting. That holds for major research institutions anyway.</p>
<p>As for her choice, she doesn’t have to decide between physics and engineering now, that is for sure. The curriculum will be roughly the same for the first year, so there is no rush. If she really doesn’t know, then I would rule out that last school that only has physics, unless she is really set on going there, just to keep her options open.</p>
<p>Just because she does engineering at a large school doesn’t mean she has to leave the Liberal Arts behind. It is very easy to minor in something like that. On the other hand, if things like literature are just hobbies, then why ruin it by taking a class in it? I jest, but in all seriousness, don’t make a college decision based on the fact that she kind of likes literature and in the process go to a school whose engineering/physics department isn’t the right fit. If that is her ultimate goal, those departments should come first, and a good Liberal Arts department is just icing on the cake for her.</p>
<p>Good point if you want to design “airplanes, bridges, dams, power lines, solar cells…” but otherwise not. If you want to base a decision on the amount of education required to practice professionally, I’d recommend you go to real estate school.</p>
<p>If she like humanities how about studying engineering at school more “seriously” and doing humanities stuff in a form of hobby such as reading books, etc?</p>
<p>I second what boneh3ad said about not having to choose btwn physics and engineering sense the first year or two are the same. </p>
<p>I also second that you study at a serious engineering program and keep the LAS as a hobby…chances are a couple semesters into engineering undergrad your passion for literature will run off somewhere…</p>
<p>I’d play music (classical/acoustic) religiously all through high school, and even though I still have time to play here and there, I don’t even think about it now…engineering undergrad changes you, for those 4-5 yrs your life becomes engineering.</p>