<p>I've been accepted into Rice, and I've suddenly become hyperaware of how much of an engineering school it is, and how unsure I am that I actually want to be an engineer. I know there are dozens of other non-engineering options, but it seems to me, just looking at the avaliable courses and major descriptions, that they aren't really very serious. Consequently, I'm wondering several things about Rice and majors in general:</p>
<p>If I were to major in some other sort of science (Biological or Physics), and not engineering, would I still be able to become an engineer?</p>
<p>If I were to major in Engineering, would other career options be avaliable to me (Biological Sciences or Anthropology specifically), or would I be boxed into engineering?</p>
<p>Are the non-Engineering departments at Rice reputable enough that earning a degree in something else would place me in a good position for graduate school and a career (if not all, which ones?)</p>
<p>If I were to major in Mechanical Engineering, (or x-Engineering), could I become a Civil Engineer (or x-Engineer)?</p>
<p>Essentially, I want to know how my choice of major (if it's stupid not to do Engineering) is going to affect the rest of my life, in the frame of Rice. And I would prefer an honest assessment of practicality than a "follow your dreams" speech</p>
<p>Rice is not “that much of an engineering school” - actually it graduates more social science majors than anything else, if I remember correctly. Regarding engineering; most of the first year engineering classes are the same across all fields of engineering, so not hard to change after the first year. My son actually changed majors from Chem E to Civil E this year as a junior and is still on track to graduate in 4 years.
You and I both know that this is an impossible question to answer! But, why do you need to decide now? Go to Rice, go to O-week, plan your first semester courses and change paths as you see fit. My DD graduated from Rice in Anthropology after cycling through several majors. She followed her interests and went with the courses and professors that appealed to her, and that’s what I recommend for most kids. It’s silly to plan your whole life before first stepping on campus!</p>
<p>I’ve always been interested in everything - I would quintuple major if I could - and I’ve spent most of my life postponing the decision of what I’m actually going to do (no one has ever accused me of planning my whole life too early - before today, haha). Frankly, I’m leaning toward something less practical than Engineering, but I don’t want to waste the tuition on something useless (and looking through the course guide, I suddenly became terrified that everything was useless). But thanks for your response, it makes me feel better about my decision to go to Rice</p>