My son applied as an engineering major to three schools. š± Luckily it worked out, he got into two of the three and enrolled at UCI. Fast forward to freshman orientation. It was a two-day event and parents were invited to join on the second day. At the conclusion of the parent orientation session, the students filed in. My son was nowhere to be seen. When I found him outside, he was emersed in a course catalog and informed me that he had a meeting scheduled with a counselor so that he could change his major. Engineering orientation must have been eye-opening. My guess is that they did what many engineering departments have done and told the students to look to the person to their left and the one to their right, and know that in six months, only one of the three would still be there. Philip went on to thrive at UCI – as a business econ major.
More and more high school students are deciding early on that they want to study engineering. Some are drawn to the expectation that there will be abundant job offers on the other side of graduation. Many decide based on a fondness for math and that they enjoyed their physics class. These are not bad reasons, but engineering applicants should be realistic about the difficulty of the major, should learn more about the different disciplines, and be acutely aware of how competitive admissions can be. The bottom line is that aspiring engineers need to plan way ahead of senior year.
How hard is it?
Itās hard, especially if you donāt have the academic history to support you such as haven taken calculus. I donāt have first-hand, anecdotal information on how difficult the engineering major is. My son, as we know, didnāt stick around to find out. He was told that it would require studying all night, and it was his hope that in college he would find better options than that for his evening hours. First year students are often taking chemistry, analytical geometry, two levels of calculus and sometimes a lab bio class or physics. These are typically in addition to general education classes. Worthy of concern, though, is the alarming fact that mental health disorders among college students are rising. Engineering students are particularly vulnerable and often less likely than their peers to seek help. They call it the āNormalizationā factor. Engineering is supposed to be hard, so the resulting stress is ānormal.ā For more information:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10123580/
What type of engineering?
Over the last few decades, the four major types of engineering have each developed a number of sub-specialties creating options but also confusion for aspiring engineers. Some students know they want to zero in on a discipline that connects them to a personal interest such as biomedical or environmental engineering. Others want a broader education in hopes of making themselves more marketable. For instance, a mechanical engineer can work in aerospace, but aerospace engineers might have more limiting options outside of their field. That said, the time could come when industry prefers the candidate with the more specialized knowledge base. For these reasons, I prefer engineering programs that admit to general or undecided engineering as opposed to specific engineering disciplines so that the students are exposed to the different disciplines and given information to help them predict what the job market is going to prefer.
There are many resources available that explain the different types of engineering. Here is one that has good, comprehensive detail:
What do colleges want to see?
āFit for Majorā can be shown in obvious ways such as extracurriculars that reflect an intense interest in STEM-related activities. Obvious choices could be robotics, learning more than one coding language (Computer Science), or having a display at a science fair. On a higher level, one might have an internship, do research (independent or with an organization) or enter an engineering competition.
A less obvious but important way to stand out is to demonstrate an adeptness at creative problem-solving. Engineering majors, engineering technician majors, and computer science majors all benefit from having an ability to think of creative solutions to problems. They also MUST need to be able to work well in a group. This skill can be showcased for colleges in activities and essays.
Plan ahead
You can help your admissions chances by engaging in STEM-related activities as volunteers or otherwise participating in research or other relevant endeavors. Maxing out math and science options at school is helpful, as well, and a strong score in the math portion of SAT/ACT is always a good thing.
You can succeed in engineering by being academically prepared and knowledgeable about your intended discipline. If you crave hands-on learning, then find colleges that emphasize field studies and have modern makerspaces. Research the programs that best fit your learning style.
Yes, majoring in engineering is challenging, but if you plan ahead, you can do it!