Should I take calculus based physics?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I am currently a computer science major at an LAC. I had gotten in to the engineering schools at UT Austin and A&M, but got NO financial aid at all. I have a low EFC, so this was very upsetting. I did get good financial aid at UTDallas (AES scholarship) but they only had limited engineering, not the one I was interested in. For the record, I am female. </p>

<p>I am not totally certain I will like Computer Science, but half the people in my family majored in that and the other half seems to work in that just with a different major. This LAC (I have close to as much scholarship and financial aid at this LAC as the AES gave me at UTD) has a 3-2 engineering program and a high acceptance rate to engineering programs even as a graduate student. They send a lot of students to places like TAMU and WashU. </p>

<p>Clearly, I cannot afford engineering school as an undergrad. I might not be able to afford it as a grad student. So the question is, should I throw myself completely in to the computer science major and not worry about any pre-engineering courses..or should I go ahead and start with calculus based physics (do not need that for computer science at the LAC) in case I do not like computer science and want to move on to engineering after this? I could also just wait until Sophomore year figuring I can get in enough of the science before graduation to qualify for an engineering program as a grad student. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>Yes you should. If you want to do engineering as post grad and don’t have a bs in engineering, you will have to take the appropriate undergrad clasess, which will include calculus based physics. These classes are vital because it is the foundation of engineering and it improves your critical thinking skills, which will help you in cs too. </p>

<p>Though CS can be a difficult major too. See if you can do both. If not, stick to CS.</p>

3

<p>If you do it right, you shouldn’t have to pay for a graduate degree in engineering, so if your goal is engineering, take the prerequisites you need to pursue that option.</p>