Engineering Majors

[Anonymous]

My son (junior mcps) has always thought of choosing engineering as a major. Looking at his graders he is really a B (honors) math student who will finish HS having taken calculus I (likely A/B). Science grades are more likely to be A's but mixed. I just wonder how he will cut it as an engineering major. Should I be suggesting backup choices as I know it is a tough major. Thanks for sharing any experiences.

[Anonymous]

All students should have backup plans/majors, IMHO. It has nothing to do with whether he can make it as eng major. If he is serious about it, I'd let him try. Just go slow, don't skip over classes (retake Calc), and study VERY hard.

- Engineer Parent

[Anonymous]

I'd also encourage him to look at schools that have a practical applied engineering focus, as opposed to theoretical. I did engineering at an Ivy that was very theoretical and in hindsight it wasn't the best choice for me.

[Anonymous]

Depends on which field of engineering.
ALL engineers need to take the basic weed-out courses which are tough (i.e. calc, chem, etc).

But once you are past the freshman level classes, many of the engineering disciplines never touch the stuff again.

For instance its rare that a computer engineer will use advance calc or any chemistry.
They end up taking other different math routes (i.e. discrete math) which is way different.
But some other engineers will build on the calc classes for fluid dynamics etc.

It sounds like he has a good enough base if he really has an interest.
But as PP said -- always have the backup plan.

[Anonymous]

Does he like math? If he doesn't then I wouldn't encourage engineering. But if he likes it, go for it. I've found that children/young adults who like the subject matter will most likely succeed.

[Anonymous]

Similar questions with a younger student in a different county.

How can you tell if someone likes math?

My DD would tell you she likes math, but if you ask why, her answer would mostly be about why she doesn't like English. Generally, her reasons for not liking English boil down to her teachers not being able to defend either why they are covering particular subject matter and/or that the teachers are completely unable to help her gain a more complete understanding of what they are covering. She "likes math" because when she leaves a math class, she knows what she learned and that the teacher helped her progress.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Similar questions with a younger student in a different county.

How can you tell if someone likes math?

My DD would tell you she likes math, but if you ask why, her answer would mostly be about why she doesn't like English. Generally, her reasons for not liking English boil down to her teachers not being able to defend either why they are covering particular subject matter and/or that the teachers are completely unable to help her gain a more complete understanding of what they are covering. She "likes math" because when she leaves a math class, she knows what she learned and that the teacher helped her progress.

Sounds like she "likes math" then. She enjoys learning concretely. That's a good thing .

[Anonymous]

There are some fields in engineering that are fine for a B level math student.
Sure, you'd want to stay away from the more science focused areas (applied physics, chemical engineering).
But other types like systems engineering and civil engineering aren't quite as deep in math theory but can be very interesting.

[Anonymous]

I'm guessing aerospace and electrical engineering are more like your science focused list.

What about mechanical? Certainly it goes beyond civil into math theory, but can you get the degree with only one or two "killer courses" or are all the courses harder to build the students up to get through the "killer courses?

[Anonymous]

Any engineers have suggestions for collaborative engineering programs that are not as difficult to get into as Olin? TIA

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any engineers have suggestions for collaborative engineering programs that are not as difficult to get into as Olin? TIA

Purdue and University of Delaware

[Anonymous]

I've seen many B students push through an engineering curriculum on more willpower than intellect.

But you need to think about back up plans. At both VT and GT, business college takes a lot of kids switching out of engineering.

[Anonymous]

I am surprised by all the comments stating that some Engineering programs are not as math intensive. I have ME BS and a CE MS. Both had a lot of math and continued to use differential equations as well as calculus for completing the degrees. A B math student can do very well in engineering, but I found the course work takes dedication. I always did my homework either by myself or with a group of friends in the program. I found going to every class helped because engineering is not an easy self taught program. Textbooks help, but a good prof really makes the information click.

[Anonymous]

OP here.. Thank-you for the perspective. He is a great kid but I doubt he will ever be totally dedicated to his school work. At least at this point..he is fine with getting B's, does three seasons of sport and another intensive activity. He will go to class and spend some time on homework but if it doesn't come together-no big deal (to him)

[Anonymous]

This is why even schools known for strong engineering programs have plenty of other programs as well. It is also the reason that the freshman engineering curriculum is so tough. I went in as an engineering major and came out as an accounting major. Don't be too concerned about it. Many kids change direction (and many more SHOULD have but felt too much pressure to have everything figured out way too early by their parents and everyone else around them).