Need help choosing a major.

College Majors Science Majors
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<p>I'm in a sort of unique predicament currently, and could really use some input and advice. I'm currently at a state school (UMASS Lowell Freshman, damn college is different) with a full scholarship. The stipulation is, I need to maintain a 3.25 or I lose it, and I really can't afford to do that (might mean having to leave school). I originally came here for chemical engineering, but the more I learn about it, the more I think its not for me. I thought it was more chemistry/material science and less process. So lately I've been trying to figure out what I want to pursue, as I'm the type of person who needs a clearly defined goal to give purpose, especially with all the damn core requirements I'm taking right now.</p>

<p>About me: Basically I'm a very analytical person with heavy interest in science and technology. The problem is, lately I've been finding that I've really lost all interest in abstract math, and would like a field where I wouldn't have to take a lot of high-level math, but wouldn't be adverse to applying it within the field. I am O.K. at writing research papers but really hate it, but I do find essays enjoyable. Social sciences generally don't hold much interest for me, but economics looks like an interesting hybrid between math and business, and seems like it would give me a lot of opportunity to work in different fields (tech company vs. agricultural firm or something). I enjoy doing logic problems but generally dislike group projects. My strengths are being able to focus in and devote time on a single thing, and I easily get overwhelmed when I have to learn a lot of different things, which is why the packed engineering curriculum is even less appealing. I ENJOY reading from books and learning, and generally test rather well. I don't mind having a substantial workload, but it would be nice to maybe have room for a part time job or just the ability to have downtime. I'll admit to being a very stressed person and don't take the prospect of failure well. I don't dislike working with people but would enjoy being able to mainly work in relative solitude.</p>

<p>The majors I'm currently looking into are geoscience (concerned about the large amount of labs), economics (never took a class in it so I don't know if i'll actually like it), computer science (it seems like it may be a little too theoretical for me, and I don't know about the math required), food/agricultural science (a little out there but I like these aspects of biology) or even just getting an associates in IT or computer repair and maybe moving on from there when I know what I actually want to do. Any advice would be appreciated.</p>

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<p>I used to be in the dilemma of deciding my major just like you when entering college. Originally I applied for Chemical Engineering with the same belief as yours that it is gonna be more about chemistry/material science rather than process. However, I recognized it very early that the major is not right for me because I am not into the process/physics side of it. I like chemistry and science in general, but I doubted my ability to pursue the pure science major of like chemistry/biology. I am not interested in abstract theory or principlr, but rather work with the application side of science. If this is also what you like, I suggest you have a look at the life sciences programs, of which food/agricultural science is maybe a good choice to consider. By the way, I major in food science and really enjoy it.</p>

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<p>If I am correct about most Computer Science requirements being the same, then most likely you’ll be taking Calculus I, II, and III. For my school, the BS for Computer Science requires Calculus I, II, III, Discrete Math, and Linear Algebra. A BA in Computer Science is the same except you don’t have to take Linear Algebra.</p>

<p>Also, you’ll be required to take a few science courses, most likely either Biology, Chemistry, or Physics (I believe a combination of two). Just look it up at your school because it’s most likely different from mine.</p>

<p>As for your other choices, I don’t really know what to give you for advice. I’m not even sure myself if I want to do Computer Science but I’m going to try it out. I suppose I’ll suggest, as everyone else has been doing on this forum, to check out MIT’s youtube channel</p>

<p>[YouTube</a> - MIT’s Channel](<a href=“http://www.youtube.com/user/MIT]YouTube”>http://www.youtube.com/user/MIT)</p>

<p>I’ve only checked for Computer Science, but I’ve heard they have many other things. After all, I see 1100+ uploads. Check it out and maybe you’ll get an idea of how the material is for certain areas that you said you were interested in.</p>