<p>I recently enrolled in an introduction to abstract math class, and was very turned off by what I experienced....venn diagrams and all that junk. It was then that I realized what I truly enjoyed was problem solving...not proving. A few x elements of whatever later, I decided to change my major to mechanical engineering.</p>
<p>I'm just looking for a little feedback about mechanical engineering. I've been the top student in every math/physics class I've ever taken. Should I be worried about the rigor that comes with the mechanical engineering curriculum? I go to a state school (University of Tennessee), but I hear it's about the same everywhere.</p>
<p>If you enjoy solving hands on projects then you'll like mechanical, for sure. If you aren't the type that likes to get your hands dirty than I would look into other engineering disciplines, preferablly computer based engineering fields. IMO, it takes a certain type of person to study specific fields, most of the math majors I knew were somewhat 'different' than the engineers I knew. I would join the ME club and see if you click. If you find your personalities are similar than I would think it would be a good fit.</p>
<p>Even if you're not one to get your hands dirty (though that is a lot of fun, honestly...!), lots of MEs I know do a lot of theoretical stuff. There'll be some labs where you're up to your ears in grease, or where you have to weld things, but if it's not your cup of tea, you don't have to do that forever. I'm a structural, and there are <em>plenty</em> of people in my firm who really don't like to get up to their eyebrows in concrete slurry and dirt, but we all went through it in undergrad. The folks who don't like that sort of thing spend almost all of their time working with complex computer models and figuring out vibration modes of bridges and cool stuff like that... It's the same sort of thing in mechanical engineering. Mechanical engineering can be <em>very</em> computer-based, if you want it to. It can be <em>very</em> grease-monkey if you want it to, also. It runs a very wide range, from mostly-theoretical to mostly-metal-shop. =)</p>
<p>From what it sounds like, you'd enjoy engineering a lot more. There <em>will</em> be some proving, but it's means to an end. You have to know how the principles and equations work, you have to derive them, in order to get a full understanding and appreciation of how they work, but it's not as though you're proving things just to say you have. </p>
<p>I wouldn't be concerned by the rigor involved. It's akin to the sort of rigor found in most math and science classes, but with a slightly more practical-minded flavor to it. I don't think you'll find it to be <em>that</em> much different, material-wise, to some of your science and math classes, but there'll be a sense that the stuff you're learning will eventually fit into a larger picture. (That sense will more or less lock into place your final year, when your classes all start merging and you get a bigger picture on how everything you've learned interconnects, so if your coursework seems disjointed for the first year or so, don't panic.)</p>
<p>Check things out, look at the curriculum, see what you think! I think you'll like it, and I think the purposes you're looking for with your college work are more aligned with engineering. I don't think you'll have a problem with your coursework if you've been doing just fine in the more theoretically-based science and math courses (those are the ones that most of us have a tougher time with). Good luck with your decision!</p>
<p>Rigor....lol. Truly, I envy your ability to like classes, OP. If I liked any class I'd ever taken....wow, that right there would be a shock to my system.</p>
<p>I've taken <em>plenty</em> of classes that I've loved, though most of them were within my major, so most were in my last two years. The core math sequence wasn't that enjoyable for me, as well as some of the physics courses. If you don't like any of the classes within your department, then perhaps you're in the wrong major.</p>
<p>Also, once you have the chance to take some electives, I'll be surprised if you don't like any class that you've taken. I enjoyed taking courses in urban planning, politics, and engineering management, which served as a good balance with the more technical courses of an engineering major.</p>