Two of my son’s five offers were aero and he’s starting with an aero company next month.
He was a mechanical engineer with the goal of cars - and that’s where he did his two internships - but job wise aero it was.
Nothing wrong with an aero degree but it’s not required to work in aero and may be more restrictive than a MechE degree…maybe…I don’t know.
Yep. That’s what I said… Lol
Was just giving her a real world example.
He was offered by both General Dynamics (same day he interviewed which was a real turnoff but shows you how desperate companies are…. He was also offered by a company in another industry same day.
The one he’s going to was all virtual but had multiple rounds
He was totally unimpressed by the two very large firms that made same day as interview offers.
Love your humility in a world of humble brags!!
Thx. I lived it and probably should know… Lol.
What we lose sight in is that no one needs to be perfect. Some colleges like to see how kids react when faced with adversity. There is nothing I see in this limited profile that says she can’t.
My own kids know my mantra of “betting on yourself” and “going out side of your comfort zone”. Again, I have lived it. It can be done 
Yeah, I’ve definitely heard varying arguments on aero vs. mech in undergrad. My current plan is to specialize more in space, so I figured there would be more opportunity for this in aero undergrad? But I’m not sure. I will definitely email different profs and do more research on this and general things about the schools as well!
I’m also doing two summer camps- one aero specific and one general engineering- so that will probably help solidify/change things.
My son did several engineering summer camps and found each one extremely beneficial plus they were fun.
It’s a matter of what you want to do in that realm. There are MEs, AEs, SEs, EEs, ChemEs, even Civils working in the space industry. It is really a matter of what you specifically want to do. Do you have an ideal yet about what that would be?
I’m not totally sure. What would the differences between mech and aero be in the space industry, if you know?
You might look at jobs at Blue Origin, SpaceX and more. NASA too. See the descriptions for context.
Ok I’ll look there, thanks
It’s not just ME/AE. Nearly every engineering discipline is represented in the aerospace industry. @HPuck35 is really well qualified to cover that for you.
I had a 40+ year career in the space industry. I’d say the aerospace engineering grads were the least in number that I worked with. You worked with engineers that had all kinds of specialties. You wanted an electrical engineer to design the power supply, a structural engineer to design the basic structure, a mechanical engineer to design the robotic arm, a materials engineer to choose the correct materials, etc.
I was a structural engineer analyzing structure for robotic arms (one of the many things I worked on). My bachelor’s degree was in Civil engineering with an emphasis on structures. My grad department was Applied Mathematics. Do what you like, and you’ll do the best.
Yes I know there are multiple disciplines involved, I just think I would prefer ME or AE as of right now.
Ah ok, that sounds really cool actually
So then there’s ME vs. AE.
AE is a subset of ME. I’ve even had professors say “they’re the same.” The fluids stuff really is, but systems level things are different. @boneh3ad is really the best one qualified to discuss the distinction.
If it were me, I’d choose a school that has both and then decide which way you want to go after you know more.
This is a bit old but might answer your questions about the differences. Also. Google is your friend… 
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I don’t think that’s accurate advice. My son has a BS/MS in ME and has extensive aerodynamics experience, not just “pipes and ducts.” In fact his MS thesis was on boundary layer aerodynamics. He had multiple offers in the aerospace industry.
As stated it is an old article but it highlights some differences that I have seen on multiple website comparing the two fields. As we all know there is lots of overlap and the OP will discover this with her own research.
No, it doesn’t have any bearing on getting in as an engineering major. Most colleges don’t even let you declare a major in engineering until sometime in your sophomore year.
That being said, I’m seeing another issue. The college list looks kind of like you were throwing darts at a road atlas 
Out of state tuition is triple the cost of in-state. Unless your parents are wealthy, or you have plans to take out huge amounts of debt, you really should stick with an in-state school. Engineering degrees are very employable, and you should do fine with any ABET accredited university. You don’t want large amounts of debt hanging over your head for a bachelors degree.