I am currently a Senior in HS and I am super concerned with choosing a major. I can’t decide.
Let me give you some background: I am (not updated) rank 13 out of 200 or so with a 3.9 GPA. Courses I have taken that would help with my future major would be AP Chemistry, Electronics (in which I learned AutoCAD), and will be taking AP Physics, Dual Computer Applications and Dual Java this coming Fall. I am also in the Robotics Club, Student Council, NHS, and I play the French horn in band.
I love physics. I think it is really fun (with all of that math!!), and I would really love to do it as a career, but I don’t know where I would find a job. I know I could teach, work in a laboratory, or in the army but I feel as if I wouldn’t be able to find a job. Also, they don’t get paid very much. I know the pay should not take you away from doing something that you love, but with the way the economy is getting in the US I don’t want to have to worry about financial issues in the future. I want to know I’ll be okay.
With Engineering I am in Robotics and building and problem-solving is a blast. It is only a little related to what engineers actually do in the real world but that would be so much more fun and challenging to work up to that level.
CS, I have no experience with this. The only reason I have added this to my possible majors is because it seems fun and easy. People say CS is hard but I feel like I would go well in the technology area. Again, I have no experience but I am planning on taking a Dual Computer Applications and Java class this coming Fall. I also (if this would help any) am the programmer on my school’s robotics team. We used Lego Mindstorms though, but this coming year we will start using Java.
Anyway, I hope I filled in enough information for someone to help me out. I’m just really concerned because some colleges open up their applications in August 1 and I want to be able to get my applicationa in early. I really want to attend, in preference order, either MIT, UT at Austin, or Texas A&M University at College Station. I know I shouldn’t rush into choosing a major but I don’t want to worry about this my entire senior year. Also, I wouldn’t mind having a major and minor. I just really need an idea of what I want to do.
Help me if you can, and thank you!!
Engineering is essentially just applied physics. If you’re a more conceptual person, then physics might seem more appealing to you. If you’re more into math and solving problems, then you might like engineering more. As for CS, I don’t recommend that you major in it just for the job opportunities or to have “fun.” Since you have no experience with CS, I suggest that you spend some time next year learning ONE language either by an online provider such as Codecademy or by reading prep books. It may seem boring at first because it’ll take a while before you gain enough knowledge to be able to do the fun stuff, but it’s worth it.
If it helps, many CS professions prefer to hire engineering grads because they learn just as much CS as a CS major, minus the theory.
Thank you!
To get an idea of what CS is like (beyond just learning a programming language), you can go through these introductory CS books:
https://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/
http://www.composingprograms.com/
You can certainly get jobs with a physics degree and physics is not necessarily only theoretical. My students span the areas of physics, materials science and chemistry and they are experimentalists. However, as far as an undergraduate education goes, a physics degree differs in focus from an engineering degree. It is more general and covers areas which each have their own engineering field. Our physics majors also have skills in programming and circuit design.
You could do computer engineering. thats a mix of everything…
An important question to consider first: Do you have any intent on attending graduate school for either a Masters and/or PhD?
If the answer is yes, then any of the 3 might be a good choice.
If not, then engineering or CS are the most realistic options.
Applied physics or engineeringphysics programs give you a combinationof physics and engineering and allow you to keep your options for graduate school more flexible.