<p>In retrospect, I would say that I loved arithmetic and easier mathematics (algebra, trig, geometry to some extent, pre-calc, some calc). I survived higher level math (dfferential equations, boundary value problems)… but I was definitely NOT cut out for math major. </p>
<p>Mathmom - I agree. “Problem solver” is a good general description for Engineering.</p>
<p>Truthfully, I don’t think there really is that much of an overlap between those cut out for math and those destined for engineering.</p>
<p>When DS was younger, he showed an aptitude and interest for math and physical sciences. We busily bought him math work books, chemistry sets, electronic circuit boards, Lego Robotics etc etc. They all gathered dust much to our puzzlement.</p>
<p>Now in college, he’s headed to physics major with interest in particle physics and either a double major or a minor in math (loves those proofs, but only if they are ‘elegant’). Made the jump from a lousy non proof based Calc AB in HS to 100% proof based honors Multi-variable Calc as a freshman. We now know why he had no interest in how “things” worked.</p>
<p>All his Physics and Math tests start with “You will not need a calculator.” I suspect, although I don’t know, that this is not true in Engineering.</p>
<p>I am trying to help my son figure out this exact question!</p>
<p>I don’t see him as an engineer because I think of engineers as people who are interested in how things work and making things that work. My son never once has expressed any interest in that-and yet he keeps thinking of majoring in engineering.</p>
<p>He loves math but he hasn’t had near the exposure so many students on here have had-he is in Calculus first year and is really enjoying it but from what I can tell that is just scratching the surface.</p>
<p>He also loves to write and loves public speaking-I can really see him ending up in business more than a science or an academic setting.</p>
<p>I am encouraging him to be open to starting college as undecided-which is how he has been accepted everywhere already.</p>
<p>My husband and I are both CPA’s but that really isn’t as math oriented as people think and the highest level of math I took was Algebra II so I can’t help him at all with these questions.</p>
<p>I appreciate everyone’s comments so far. D1 is a sophomore at Colorado School of Mines, and she is currently hoping to do civil engineering, but I must say that she has never been interested in taking things apart or tinkering. She is fascinated by road systems and transportation, so she hopes to find something in that field. Engineering has proved harder for her than expected; she’s talked about switching to math, but computer science aspect of math is hard for her. Diff EQ is where she currently is in the curriculum, and she is doing well and loves it.</p>
<p>I think she would make an excellent accountant, but Mines doesn’t have that major. She thinks about that, too, when she is struggling with engineering. We will see.</p>
<p>D2 is iwaiting on acceptances and most likely will attend a LAC, but has also applied to Harvey Mudd, Dartmouth and Stanford. She is more into physics and math(than D1)and has a fair amount of patience to work at making things work that are broken, but not to the point of taking the object apart.</p>
<p>I’m not in a position to speak to the OP but am running into the same questions for my daughters.</p>
<p>Here is a nice site for students exploring careers in the STEM fields:</p>
<p>[Sloan</a> Career Cornerstone Center: Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine](<a href=“http://www.careercornerstone.org/]Sloan”>http://www.careercornerstone.org/)</p>
<p>You don’t need to be a tinkerer to enjoy engineering. I’ve actually got a number of friends that don’t know a phillips from a flathead, yet they’ve been quite successful so far in their field. It all depends on what you’re concentrating in. If you’re doing finite element modeling, you don’t need to be interested in taking an engine apart.</p>
<p>Most of the engineers I’ve known have seen math as a tool to find an answer. Most of the mathematicians I’ve known have seen this viewpoint as revolting!</p>
<p>Just another data point for you (from 150 years ago when I was in school). Math was my obvious strong point through hs. Went off to college in Arts & Sciences, took several math courses plus lots of others, did not really know what I wanted to major in. Decided to transfer into the School of Engineering. Survived the first few semesters of core courses. Came time to declare a major I went with Electrical because I’d heard it had the most math. I did not like it one bit. Dropped out for the remainder of the year, but realized during my time off what I should have had as a major all along–Applied Math through the Engineering school.</p>
<p>It’s important to point out that I NEVER considered majoring in math. I’ve never been about the theory–much more interested in the numbers than the greek letters. A math major in Arts and Sciences will be heavily theoretical.</p>
<p>FWIW, I ended up getting a Masters in Statistics, and then becoming an actuary. (BTW–chose my grad school because it was known for its applied statistics focus vs. a more theoretical one.) Many of my grad school classmates have had very interesting careers, from studying lake water quality to being professors of biostatistics and designing large clinical trials to quality control in major international companies.</p>
<p>And since we’ve gotten into the debate, I’ll have to share a quote with you:</p>
<p>“Mathematics is the language God used to write the universe.”</p>
<p>Thanks for the insights and stories and links! </p>
<p>I know that there is no “best” answer for all. I just wanted a discussion about what attributes give students clues about whether they would be a better fit for math vs engineering. </p>
<p>Interesting story - I once met a mom at one of our college visits that said her son LOVED science and tinkering and wanted study engineering. But he hated math and hope there would not be much required in college. Hopefully they investigated more before deciding.</p>
<p>You may also want to look into fields like industrial engineering, statistics, operations research and some areas computer science (e.g. data structures, algorithms, etc) which all combine some aspects of (theoretical) math with the problem solving aspects of engineering. </p>
<p>So for someone who is not a ‘tinkerer’ or ‘hands on’ but still enjoys problem solving, these may be good options. Also, within each of these areas you could specialize in more of the theoretical side or the applied side, depending on your personal interests.</p>
<p>Thanks everybody! </p>
<p>I’ve seen a lot of references to “research” for Math majors. Is that common at undergrad? Any examples? </p>
<p>(As an engineer, I can better picture that kind of research…and I’m sure there is lots of variety. At my college in my day, that was more of a grad school thing. But hey, back then calculators hadn’t been around all that long.)</p>
<p>@racinreaver= haha on the math vs engineer pov. good to hear you don’t need to be a tinkerer to enjoy engineering. I am not an engineer so I have no process mentally for being interested or not in it, so I appreciate comments on this site to give me insight into my Ds majors/intended careers. </p>
<p>@ingerp - thanks for sharing your background, helpful…loved the quote.</p>
<p>I love that quote too. :)</p>
<p>How about applied math-my understanding is it is less theoretical?</p>
<p>Pepper03 - That excellent link from scansmon has a “Mathematics” section that includes much info on applied mathematics -
[Sloan</a> Career Cornerstone Center: Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine](<a href=“http://www.careercornerstone.org/math/math.htm]Sloan”>Career Cornerstone Center: Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine)</p>
<p>This thread is great. I’m a '15er who is headed to school next year for engineering, but at the moment, I’m really note sure whether, with my interest/skill in physics (I do like it but I wouldn’t say I’m the best at it and I definitely enjoy Calc class a lot more), I should be in applied mathematics or my engineering field.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the insights. </p>
<p>My Undecided-Engineering freshman seems to be a rare bird that perhaps could be happy either way. He loved IB HL Math, and he’s doing great in his upper level math elective But he decided that he prefers Engineering, possibly with Math minor. </p>
<p>Keep the hints coming! Others benefit from the input too. Perhaps we could weave in suggestions for more non-STEM majors good for well rounded students that like AP calc and chem/physics but prefer a less techie major.</p>
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<p>Yes, the most common examples are REUs which are programs held at universities, funded by the NSF (you can probably google something to find specific programs). The only thing with math research though is that there is so much background material needed for certain subfields that it can be hard to get into research right away. You can’t just hop into a lab and get started. I participated in an REU last summer, and we actually spent half the time going over background material.</p>
<p>It seems as if “Directed Reading Programs” have been popping up a lot too recently, based off a program in the University of Chicago. These are just basically guided independent studies, but they can be really useful also.</p>
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<p>The freshman and sophomore math courses for a math major are the same as for an engineering major (if available, take the honors versions if you like math and want more theory and proofs, which is what math majors eventually do a lot of). For engineering, you would add some other courses, mainly physics, but also possibly computer science, chemistry, engineering statics, engineering materials, electronics, depending on which engineering. By the end of your sophomore year (or when you complete those courses, if you start ahead due to AP or other transferable subject credit), you are more likely to have an idea of which you may prefer.</p>
<p>Okay, so if I got that correct, this isn’t really a decision I really have to come to until after 4th semester. That said, I am looking at my typical schedule, and there’s ECE-department curriculum 2nd semester (1 class), 3rd semester (1 class), and 4th semester (3 classes) so hopefully I can have my mind made up after the 2nd semester, 3rd at latest. Hopefully the intro course in the 2nd semester will give me a good idea of which road I should take.</p>
<p>Correct, since the ECE freshman and sophomore course list should include those math courses needed for the math major (check to be sure if there are any school-specific requirements, including possibly different breadth requirements). Also, some courses that you may take for ECE, like intro computer science, may be useful for an applied math major anyway.</p>
<p>But consider taking the honors versions of the math courses if available to see if you like more theoretical and proof-oriented math courses, which is what most junior and senior level math courses will be. (What school?)</p>
<p>You also may want to consider a third option, say the mathematical end of computer science (theory of computation or theoretical computer science), though if you love calculus, you may not be so happy with the discrete math needed for computer science. Then again, if you’ve never taken any discrete math (most high schools teach very little which may make the college-level graph theory course fun for you) you may find your niche.</p>