Transferring Schools to Stay in Engineering or Changing Majors to Accounting

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>Hi everyone. This is my first post but I wanted to seek some advice from all of you. I did search the forums but my situation seems to warrant some fresh eyes. I am currently a junior in mechanical engineering at a decent public university. Here's my dilemma: </p>

<p>My engineering school has a limit on the number of times you can attempt certain courses; two attempts for engineering courses and three for natural sciences and mathematics courses. Due to a death in the family in the spring of 2011, I withdrew from all my classes. Thoughtlessly, I re-enrolled in two of those same courses in the summer. For whatever reason, I ended up dropping those as well. For the fall of 2011, I had to fill out two petitions to take those two summer courses a third time. The two petitions were approved and I was stoked. Unfortunately, I dropped again this semester. </p>

<p>I'm not a bad student; my GPA is 3.976 as I've only had one A- during my time in college. It may have something to do with the family death but I don't know and I don't want to make excuses. Faced with this issue, I think I have two options: transfer schools to continue mechanical engineering or stay at this current school and switch majors to accounting. Both of these options will increase the amount of time needed for graduation but the accounting major will probably take a semester longer.</p>

<p>My primary desire is to transfer schools and finish engineering; I feel like I fit the major well and from what I've seen, I'll like the work after college, as well. I've already put in my application to the new school and judging by the requirements posted online, I'll be accepted. The only problem with this is that I'd have to move quite a distance and start paying bills like rent and what not. Right now, I live with my folks and it's easy to go to school, go to work, and make good grades. I do pay for all my expenses and I'd have to figure out how to make this work financially without any help from my parents. If I moved, I'd have to supplement my financial aid with quite a few work hours to get by and I'd probably be pretty stressed. Not to mention, I don't have much saved, it'd be difficult to find a job there until I move, and I'd probably have to ask my parents to co-sign on a lease for me. All of these seem like pretty daunting obstacles but the norm, I'm sure, for college students.</p>

<p>The second option is to stay here and change majors to accounting. I've already looked into this and it's certainly doable. I can continue my current lifestyle here but I'd have to change my career path to something that I'm not very thrilled about. When I think of changing majors, I kind of get a little nauseous like I'm making a big mistake. I'm definitely not excited about this like I was with choosing mechanical engineering as my original major. I don't want to switch but I know that accounting can provide a pretty decent career and it does seem to be the path of least resistance. I just don't think I'd be happy. I'm not really the business type and I'd have to take all these Intro. to Bus. courses, which would really stink.</p>

<p>The third option, which I didn't mention because it's highly unlikely to be possible, is to stay at this current school and continue engineering. This would involve putting in two petitions to attempt courses a fourth time, which is highly unlikely to be approved, and I'd have to put in two more petitions to attempt courses a third time, which may also be unlikely given my record. I plan on speaking with my academic advisor about this tomorrow and submitting those petitions but it will be weeks before I know whether or not they're approved. This would obviously be ideal but it's highly unlikely and it would involve sitting around and waiting on a decision without taking any action, which is something I don't like.</p>

<p>My current plan is to talk to the advisor tomorrow, put in all the petitions necessary, follow through with my application to the new school, and carry on like I'll be transferring. If I hear that the petitions were approved, I'll get out of classes at the new school and carry on here. Otherwise, I'll move on to Texas Tech. </p>

<p>I know that was very long-winded so thank you if you made it to the end. I sincerely appreciate it. Please give me any advice you can think of on the matter. I'm all ears, or eyes considering it's the web.</p>

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<p>Can you switch to a more closely related major?</p>

<p>If the line of work that you want to go into does not require PE licensing and an ABET-accredited engineering degree, perhaps majoring in physics and using elective space to take additional ME courses may be another option (note: physics majors typically take junior/senior level mechanics and thermodynamics from the physics department, as well as junior/senior level quantum mechanics and electricity/magnetism).</p>

<p>A public university under budget pressure has good reason to limit the number of attempts or late drops (i.e. dropping courses past the point where someone else could add the course and take your space), since you took up a space in course that ended up being wasted (i.e. that no other student could use). Do your best to avoid late drops in the future.</p>

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<p>Our school has the same policy but it only applies if a grade is posted. I assume that because you had to do petitions your school counts drop/withdraw as an “attempt” which is (even considering the above reason mentioned) complete idiocy. Anyway, no one is going to tell you no you can’t pay your good money to buy their service, specially not because you dropped. I can’t imagine there are swarms of engineers beating down the doors to fill those classes. </p>

<p>Just from what you wrote, accounting isn’t for you. Some of us may admire your GPA but if your personality is lacking the least bit your chances at making anything close to your original career just vanished. You would find our work remedial, we barely use math above a basic level. </p>

<p>I wish you luck in fighting for this because I personally have been there, I was in Computer Programming my first year of college and have a similar story. I learned that I hated the path I was on after fighting to stay on it and eventually found what I liked to do. You seem to like what you do, so keep with it.</p>

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<p>There probably were/are if the school has such a policy to penalize/deter late drops.</p>

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<p>And I could understand a school doing that for monetary reasons, but to build a case that Wiki can argue to the registrar/head of advising/administration I would point to the fact that twice it was spring/summer which tend to be lower enrollment periods for many programs. </p>

<p>I personally didn’t like a semester of grades during a semester when I finally jumped out of my old major and argued until the entire semester was wiped from my transcripts. The school is there for you, they should be doing everything possible to help you be successful.</p>

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<p>I would explore other possible engineering majors at your current school. I don’t know what your school offers, but I could see ME’s switching to Civil, Engineering Management (which is close to Industrial), packaging (which my school didn’t offer, but sounds really cool) Mining, Metalurgical, Geological Engineering, Nuclear, Petroleum, What else is there that isn’t too heavy on the chemistry or EE? Explore them all. Look to see if the classes you need to take are offered under slightly different names by different departments. I understand if the classes you need are only offered by the physics department (I’m thinking A-bomb, Atomic and Nuclear Physics) then you are in trouble unless you can take it elsewhere and then come back. Hard to do after attaning 60-75 credits. Also ask your advisor if you can substitute classes. My school had a chem 3 and a chem 5: one was for engineers and one was for science majors. It was a freshman level class and nobody cared if you switched majors and ended up with the wrong one.</p>

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<p>The school is there for you, but it is also there for the other students. Late dropping a class not only wastes your time in the class, but it also prevents another student from taking the class in your place. Essentially, you just caused the school to waste a class space if you late drop the class. And when your education is being subsidized (through financial aid, or reduced tuition for in-state students at public schools), you are wasting the subsidy that everyone else is paying for.</p>

<p>(Yes, I am for helping needy students with financial aid to become educated, since better education pays large dividends in both economic and non-economic terms. But I don’t like it when people are wasteful of the help that they get.)</p>

<p>The OP’s school already seems fairly lenient, since one would have to be attempting the course the third or fourth time to run into the policy. A more practical policy would be to just say that anyone repeating a course can only pre-register for the waiting list, and will only be allowed to add at the beginning of the semester after everyone taking the course for the first time has had a chance to add.</p>

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<p>i would switch schools and move to where you need to go to restart your engineering degree. thats what i am doing in a sense. if accounting is making you sick to think about it. dont bother doing it. </p>

<p>moving across state or a state over isnt so bad. live in a dorm for the first while and it will make it easier on you. student loans will help you pay for this. would you rather pay for rent now and take engineering or save some cash and take a career you dont like?</p>