I am a Uruguayan freshman and I haven’t decided what I wanna major in.
I would like to write down my interests and possible major choices and then I’ll be really grateful if you can suggest at least 2 majors that fit with my interests.
Here they’re:
I like Chemistry and also Biology.
I’m good at Maths.
I’m really interested in the environment. I also am really interested about renewable energies.
I can’t stand majors like philosophy, history or law related.
I love animals but don’t like vet really much.
I have thought something like Biochem or Bioengineering but am not sure.
I have already been accepted at:
Iona College
DePaul University
College of Charleston
University of South Florida
University of the Incarnate Word
The University of Akron
I’m asking this because here in my country many of these careers doesn’t even exist and I don’t know exactly what are they about. Thanks really much for your help!
If you don’t see yourself going to grad school, then engineering might be preferable to a science.
Anyway, it would be a good idea to choose your school first, then pursue the best major (for you) at that particular school. If you focus too much on a major, right now, you could end up choosing a school that has a particular major/specialization that currently interests you, then if your goals change (as they do with many undergrads), you’re stuck with a school that you may not have chosen otherwise.
Which school are you leaning toward? Are you still waiting for decisions?
For now, my first choice is to major in Biochemistry but I haven’t decided my school yet (I’ll decide before these month ends).
I am leaning toward studying Biochem at Iona or UIW but if I get into Loyoloa Marymount University that will be my first choice for sure. I’m still waiting for Loyola Marymount University, High Point University, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Cal State Northridge.
After your education what work do you aim to do? and do you expect to return to Uruguay?
A topic I’m really interested in is working for example with bio-fuel extracted from algae, I’ve read a lot about it and my mother works on an animal laboratory where they are starting to implement this eco-friendly initiative against fossil fuels.
I don’t wanna use my knowledge directly towards medicine.
I basically want to leave the earth better than when I came, I know that it sounds like a cliche but I wanna do something to improve our situation. I know that I won’t change the world but maybe I can contribute to make it more sustainable.
I really don’t expect returning to Uruguay because I will be better paid in any other part of the globe. Uruguay is also a third-world country and it doesn’t have the adequate instruments to develop cutting edge ideas.
Bioengineering (not biomedical) / agricultural engineering offers the easy path to becoming a real contributor in biofuel development. A biological science track, as opposed to an bioengineering track, is liable to get you (distract you) into other things (as interesting or even more so) than biofuels, because it treats a much broader area, and you have to go longer in education to get to work that is interesting and in which you can contribute innovation.
Biochemistry is great to learn about, but you’re unlikely to get jobs outside of running assays with just a bachelor’s degree in it.
Unfortunately, judging from what I see on their websites:
Iona College and DePaul University have no engineering programs and are not very well developed in the sciences. College of Charleston and High Point University have no engineering programs. University of South Florida has chemical engineering and other main fields of engineering, but not agricultural or biological engineering. University of the Incarnate Word only offers a non-specific engineering degree. The University of Akron has biomedical engineering and (in its Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Department) chemical engineering, but not agricultural or non-medical biological engineering. Loyola Marymount University does not have an appropriate engineering program. University of Alabama at Birmingham has biomedical engineering and materials engineering, but not agricultural or non-medical biological engineering. Cal State Northridge does not have an appropriate engineering program, although it has a lot of sustainability courses.
There are, of course, universities which offer biological / agricultural engineering degrees (such as my alma mater, University of California at Davis.)
I don’t know how important becoming an actual innovator is to you - which is a critical point, because that is difficult to maneuver into, while becoming a supportive technician is quite easy.
I think that this year (that would be my first year on the American educational system) I will go to some of the universities that has already accepted me. Maybe I can use my first year to take broader courses and transfer next year to a better prepared university. I still have to choose between Bioengineering, Biochemistry, and Chemical Engineering that I think that are my top choices. It’s a hard decision but I think that my decision won’t determine my path through my education because I am 18 years old and if I am not convinced about what I will be studying, I will just take a step aside and concentrate in another area. I still have a month to think. Thank you really much for al the information that you gave me and I will take it all into account when deciding.
Thank you for your time and willingness to help me!