What do you mean by “more in the weeds”?
Great question that I probably should have clarified. An example of high level would be something like a propulsion system. There’s a lot of components, tank sizing, thruster placement, etc. In simplistic terms, systems engineers “assemble” the whole from parts they understand, but don’t design. Being “in the weeds” is much more at the component design level, supersonic/hypersonic aerodynamics, cone design, etc. as examples. They figure out the finer details. The latter is more about math heavy minutiae while the former is bigger picture.
Thank you for the explanation, would this difference be based on the college’s program or is it a choice?
Thank you for the suggestions for “The Goal” and “Is There an Engineer Inside You?”
I purchased both of those books for our son after seeing them recommended in other threads (I think by you) and gave them to him yesterday. He said they look really interesting and will start reading them this week.
2 Likes
All these programs mentioned sound like a good introduction to engineering. But realize that freshman year is basically the same for all branches of engineering. Many, but definitely not all, colleges have you decide which branch of engineering you want to pursue after you finish your freshman year. You can and should investigate the various branches to make that decision.
If you are unsure of which branch be careful about those colleges that lock you in during the application process.
I haven’t compared a bunch of curricula, but my understanding as told to me by my son is that it’s choice based on tech electives, but framed by a school’s philosophy, evidenced in the required curriculum.
I’ll use Cal Poly as an example. They have separate AE and ME departments and don’t share any major specific engineering classes, even of the same subject (each department teaches their own version of Fluids, Thermo, etc.). The AE curriculum has one Thermo and one Fluids class whereas the ME curriculum has two of each (AE does have an aerodynamics class that is technically a fluids class). AE doesn’t have Vibes. ME does. AE has multiple systems level classes ME has none. Now you can get to Continuum Mechanics in either department. The AE curriculum just adds system level classes at the expense of depth in other areas.
How that plays out in other programs will be different. You’d have to compare curricula to see.
My son as an example, was a ME who took the full Fluids coursework through Viscous Flow, Continuum, etc. and did his thesis on boundary layer aerodynamics, could work in aerospace, but on very specific things. He has no background on system level design.
Ok, thank you.
Cal Poly seems like an amazing school from what I’ve read. Low tuition, strong engineering program, and they have popular soccer games?! 
My gpa recalculated for them is around 4.11, which is just below the majority of students who get in, so I’m hoping it’s enough. I don’t want to get too infatuated and then get rejected lol.
Did you include 9th grade? The 25th percentile for all CENG majors was 4.12 last year, so it’ll be a reach, but if it intrigues you, I’d apply. Make sure you understand all of the a-g requirements. Get a job, even if it’s only a couple hours per week, that ties somehow to ME. Even if it’s a volunteer position, it’ll boost your chances. Also in your ECs have any type of leadership position. It’ll help your app too. Go to the thread that I started on the Cal Poly forum about understanding the MCA and it will make more sense.
Look at WPI too. It’s much smaller without the thrill of 20,000 soccer fans, but it’s a great program, right up your alley and a little less competitive.
Good luck!
1 Like
Yeah, I included 9th grade. Thank you for all of your help!
1 Like
I would submit to the readers here that shadowing an engineer is next to useless. Essentially all doctors have similar daily routines (obviously private practice vs. hospital etc. can be very different). Engineers are so varied, even within a single discipline, that it really isn’t going to give you much insight.
No reason to put this in quotes. Building and programming robots certainly has relevance to real engineering.
Too specialized for what? For getting a job? That doesn’t make a lot of sense, because if it were true, then unemployment among aerospace engineers would be high. It’s not. Mechanical engineering is a wonderful field and has a wider range of possible career paths. Aerospace engineering has fewer, but there are also many fewer aerospace engineers to go around, so it works out fine for either path.
This is one of the sillier things I’ve read on these boards. It’s not true.
Better in what context? It all depends on your goals. There are jobs for which you would be at an advantage with an AE degree. There are jobs for which you would be at an advantage with an ME degree. There are many jobs where they are functionally equivalent.
At any undergraduate level, every college program for a given type of engineering is going to be substantially similar. It will be a broad education on the foundational topics of the field in question. The range of technical electives available will vary from one program to the next, though. You don’t really get too far down into the weeds until graduate school. At that point, every graduate program has a different mix of weeds based on their faculty members’ particular expertise.
1 Like
But also be careful of colleges where first year engineering students must meet high secondary admission requirements for the majors of most likely interest. For example, Texas A&M, where mechanical, biomedical, and computer engineering are unlikely for those who do not make the 3.5 auto-admit GPA threshold in college.
… from a content point of view. However, there may be differences in curricular organization between different colleges. For example, a more traditional curricular organization, which is efficient from a prerequisite sequencing point of view, starts with math and natural sciences, then engineering sciences, then engineering design in senior year. However, that has been criticized for not introducing students to what engineering is about early enough and keeping them interested, so some schools try to incorporate some lower level design course work earlier in the curriculum.
Another big difference to consider between schools is whether the department of the desired major is filled to capacity, and how that is managed (e.g. direct admission to the major, or apply for the major after taking frosh year college courses) and how competitive the desired major is.
OP, I kind of mislead you on this. I tend to forget that my son was so far ahead. He took a lot of his graduate classes in his 4th year of undergrad. It would be uncommon to hit classes like Viscous Flow and Continuum Mechanics as an undergrad on a typical undergrad curriculum path.
Thank you for all of the information! So essentially, no matter which field I choose I’ll be ok? That’s very reassuring. While I would love to do AE, I’m not a US citizen so I won’t get many job opportunities, so I think I’m going to do ME.
Also, I put robotics in quotes because I didn’t really have any structure or solid plan. The day before my competition I was rebuilding half my robot because the whole thing gave up 
What happens if you apply to a major after your first year courses and it’s full? Do you have to switch tracks?
That’s ok, I really appreciate all the insight and information I’m getting.
1 Like
Where there are capacity limits on the major, those who do not get admitted to the major need to choose a different one.
2 Likes
Schools handle admission into major differently. Their are pros/cons to each model but you should do some digging into the schools on your list to be sure you are aware of the process.
My D specifically wanted a school that had a first year engineering curriculum, inclusive of engineering design courses. She knew she’d have to maintain a certain GPA to be guaranteed a spot in her major. In her opinion, if she couldn’t get Bs in intro classes, she was probably not in the right major.
The benefit of having a secondary admission process is that students don’t run into a problem scheduling courses or classes being overcrowded. The downside is you may get closed out of your major of choice and have to pick a secondary interest.
The GPA threshold vary widely from school to school so do your homework. Some schools are as low as a 2.0, others as high as a 3.5.
1 Like
My son was the opposite example. He wanted direct admit into ME with ME specific courses taught day one. He knew the tradeoff, especially at Cal Poly. CP applicants only compete against other applicants wanting the same major. Some majors are barely competitive. Some are brutally so. ME is one of the toughest ones. The downside…there is no plan B. If you don’t get into your intended major at the school, you don’t get in at all.
I’m not sure this has as much to do with the admissions process as it does with school organization, planning and funding.
CP is as different as it can be from Purdue, but students don’t have problems getting classes unless they dodge early time slots or specific professors.
Avoiding classes being overcrowded is the reason departments put capacity limits on majors. However, they choose different ways of implementing capacity limits. Some variations:
- Engineering majors are not capacity-limited. Frosh apply to the school, and are free to declare any engineering major later. Examples: MIT, CWRU. There are also schools where frosh apply to a major, but changing to engineering majors after enrolling is not restricted beyond having the needed course work completed. Example: CSU Chico.
- Engineering division is capacity-limited, but specific majors are not. Frosh apply to the engineering division, and are free to declare any engineering major later. Examples: Michigan, Pittsburgh.
- Engineering division and specific majors are capacity-limited. Frosh apply to the engineering division, and must go through a secondary admission process to declare major. Examples: Cornell, Minnesota, NCSU, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Texas A&M.
- Engineering division and specific majors are capacity-limited. Frosh apply to specific engineering majors; those admitted are already declared in their majors. May be very difficult to change majors. Examples: UIUC, California public universities where engineering majors are capacity-limited or “impacted”.