<p>My understanding is that Columbia's Core requires Writing Seminar, Art Hist or Music Humanities, and one of Literature Humanities or Contemporary Civilization. LitHum covers lit from Aeschylus to Yeats or so, CC covers PreSocratic thru modern day. These core courses pretty much equal or substitute for the distribution requirements at other places. In addition, there is opportunity for electives, both technical and non-technical. I still think, without any real basis for thinking so, that an ABET accredited program allows less choice than non-ABET since there are those requirements but if my S wants to be an engineer and if as you gentlemen say engineering offers the versatility that applied math does then let him go do his thing. I am educating myself re the issues, perils, advantages and traps and in no way will control my son. After the stock market crash of 1927 (correct date?) one wisdomic banker who lost a lot is supposed to have remarked, "better to have loaned and lost than to have never loaned at all". More apt quote than the loved and lost original.</p>
<p>So, maybe my son could major in mechanical and do some core EE/CS or some other engineering courses or even applied math as minor. I am perhaps reacting to my upbringing in India where you are tracked into a domain in middle school, so to speak. So many lives wrecked when you wake up at 22 and find that your choices at age 14 are not what you want to do. Unless outstandingly gifted, like in music or math, where such gifts show early, I believe a mature postponement by sampling a wide domain is better. Am I so wrong in thinking this?</p>
<p>Also, help me with this: my son found HS AP Calc AB easy and AP Physics C easy. Physics teachers in 11th and 12th grades described him as OUTSTANDING in physics intuition. Does it foretell talent or just a good student like many others? I am clueless as to what to make of this since I have heard that calc. and physics are difficult and my passion-less son finds them easy. Thanks for all your help.</p>