<p>I was accepted to Amherst, and though I really love some of the humanities courses and the broad range of learning at Amherst, but at the end of it all, I definitely see myself in a math/science profession, and I’m definitely leaning towards Engineering right now.</p>
<p>Are the science/math courses at Amherst good enough that I’ll have an opportunity to pursue a career in one of these fields? And more importantly - I know that Amherst doesn’t have a true engineering department, but would I still be able to find an engineering job of any sorts or be admitted to a good engineering grad school after leaving Amherst?</p>
<p>What options do you have at schools with Engineering Departments?</p>
<p>There is no question that you can major in math or science and go on to Engineering grad school from Amherst. Is it the easiest route to go to engineering grad school without ever having taken an engineeering course? Probably not.</p>
<p>It is nearly impossible to argue with the logic that, if you are definitely leaning towards engineering, it might make sense to at least consider a school that teaches engineering! </p>
<p>So rather than ask people to stab around in the dark, give a little more background on your various options.</p>
<p>Well...if you really want to know my whole story...</p>
<p>Right now I'm deciding between Cornell Engineering or Amherst.</p>
<p>It's quite a hard choice for me right now...
I'm not dead set on engineering, though I see myself, far more than any other kind of profession, in some kind of engineering job in the future. I've always been a math/science guy, and I enjoy the thinking, logic, and problem solving that's gone with it.</p>
<p>But I definitely like Amherst so much more than I like Cornell. I kinda feel that I'll be a better, more educated person coming out of Amherst than coming out of Cornell. I love the small community feel of Amherst far more than the huge, distant kinda feel of Cornell. Amherst felt more family like, while Cornell felt kinda corporate. And at Cornell Engineering, I think I'd be more tied to engineering, whereas at Amherst I could branch out and enjoy some other classes, like psychology or philosophy, that I think I would enjoy.</p>
<p>I'm not dead set on engineering, but I do feel that the job would fit me, more so than any other. If not for that I would have already signed for Amherst. But, what I'm afraid of is that picking Amherst would shut me off from engineering for good, which is a little worrisome.</p>
<p>Thanks. I understand exactly where you are coming from. If I were in your shoes, I would be faced with exactly the same dilemma. I think all of the advantages you cite for Amherst are spot on. </p>
<p>I don't think Amherst would shut you off from engineering, but it would shut you off from an engineering job directly out of college. You would have to go to get a masters in Engineering and you'd be playing catch-up without having taken any engineering courses.</p>
<p>Why don't you poke around on the Amherst website. Do some searches for engineering and see if you can identify a faculty member who is in charge of herding Amherst grads to engineering school -- maybe a Physic prof? E-mail him and get some advice.</p>