Science vs engineering

Hello
Im a freshman in college and really confused what major to go with! I was actually a science student and wanted to go to dental school but for some reason changed my plan and now i want to get my bachelors. My husband is engineer so I thought to major in engineering but I’m confused because I’ve never experienced such courses. I don’t know what it’s like! Infact I’m not sure if I’ll be able to do it. But no other choice so my concern is that can a science student be good in engineering specially who is little weak in maths?

You’re a freshman, so you have time to decide. Take the initial calculus courses (and physics), if you handle those fine, you’ll be able to handle the math. You always have choices other than engineering! Don’t feel like it’s engineering or bust, if it’s not a good fit, try something else. It’s your life. :slight_smile:

Good Luck!

Engineering in many fields requires a specific sequence of specialized courses, so you do not have a ton of time to sort it out. If you are at all interested in engineering, run don’t walk to an academic advisor in the engineering school to discuss your options. In all likelihood, you will be fine by taking calculus, chemistry, physics, etc.—the general STEM core introductory courses—but there very well may be a key course or two you must take to be eligible to take other key courses in a required sequence for some engineering majors.

You probably do not have to fully commit to engineering as a freshman, but you also don’t want to miss a key course or two that will set you back and lengthen your time in school unnecessarily.

I will also add that these sorts of “specialized” courses can be quite important in giving you a better idea of what being an engineer is all about—this will help you decide whether engineering or a STEM major and career is right for you. People can be equally good at math and science and yet have very different orientations on how they want to spend their career using that knowledge.

Freshman engineering students take Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science and other classes. You can start with these and you still will be able to decide between engineering and science later.

There will be a lot of overlap in terms of freshman level courses. You may not have to declare a specific major within your college, but depending on the school changing colleges may be tricky. Changing from the College of Arts and Sciences to College of Engineering at some schools can be as simple as filling out a form. At others it can be a formal application process. Look into this carefully.