Match me for aerospace engineering [TX resident]

[Publisher]

Start here to get some ideas about the profession:

Degrees & Programs

Lots of relevant information for you to consider.

[DadBodThor]

Lots of good advice here. The main thing is to do well in high school now. I didn’t see any foreign language in your courses. Some schools require 2 or 3 years of a foreign language to be admitted (yes, even for engineers).

Aerospace engineering is basically a specialized subset of mechanical engineering. So don’t rule out some good schools that only offer mechanical engineering. Honestly, if the goal is just to work in the space industry, and you’re open to it, take a look at electrical engineering. Those are usually in high demand in the aero industry as well as everywhere. But it’s really different than mechanical/aerospace engineering.

Get a budget from your parents, that will determine a lot of what your choices will be.

[MaineLonghorn]

And try to have some fun in high school. That’s probably my biggest regret - I took things way too seriously.

[MontyBurns]

Since you mentioned TARC as one of your extracurriculars, take a look at the colleges represented on the team list for IREC (here: 2025 IREC). This is one of the larger international collegiate rocketry competitions that take place each year with lots of opportunities to network with aerospace industry folks that attend and recruit there each summer. Schools on this list run the gamut in terms of selectivity, so you definitely should be able to find some that might be fits.

I agree with the other comments here that an aerospace major is not necessary to work in aerospace. My son is an ME major with just an aerospace “certificate” (sort of like a minor, school does not offer an aerospace major) and he has not felt like he’s been at any disadvantage in the recruiting process. He’ll be working at SpaceX this summer on the Starship program, and his IREC team participation and leadership (along with networking and probably a little luck) were much bigger factors in landing that internship than any particular major designation or aerospace course he has taken in school.

[JebediahKerman]

This isn’t possible as I have no friends and I just want to get out of my school and my town and make something of myself.

[JebediahKerman]

This is incredibly helpful, thank you! If this isn’t too personal of a question, what school did your son attend?

[JebediahKerman]

I am taking Spanish 1 this year and I will be doing Honors Spanish 2 next year, but this class is definitely my weakness, as I do not understand any of it.

[MontyBurns]

Sure, he’s at Duke. Got an 1180 on his PSAT as a sophomore but was able to bring that up by more than 300 points by the time he took the SAT in spring of junior year. So there’s still plenty of time to bring up your scores if you want to work at it.

[JebediahKerman]

That school is definitely out of my abilities. Also another question, how difficult is it to get on a rocketry team when you are at college?

[MontyBurns]

First, don’t sell yourself short. I’m sure transitioning from a home school environment into a school of over a thousand students (in the middle of the year no less) is not easy. Do your best and throw yourself into the stuff you love to do, and the rest will come.

At Duke, the Aero club does not have competitive admissions, you just show up and start doing the work. If you show up regularly, you’ll get more responsibility. STEM-focused clubs in general seems to be a bit more egalitarian than finance, for instance, but I’m sure that can depend on the school.

Once you narrow down your college list, you could always contact some of the clubs at target schools and find out what their policies are.

[sbinaz]

Embry Riddle University - 2 campuses to choose from: Daytona Beach, FL or Prescott, AZ (~ 2 hr drive from Phoenix airport). Daughter & I toured the Prescott, AZ location recently. Solid engineering programs. Very good track record of helping their students get internships while in college & jobs for post-graduation.

University of Alabama-Huntsville - lots of auto-merit scholarships for OOS (out of state) students. Test scores required for the auto-merit scholarships. These can make tuition+room+board cheaper than the equivalent in-state. Our high school each year (in AZ) usually has a student enroll at UAH. OOS scholarship info available at UAH | Admission & Aid | Undergraduate Admission | Financial Aid | Scholarships | Freshmen | Freshman Out-of-State Academic Scholarships | The University of Alabama in Huntsville.

[DramaMama2021]

Closing temporarily.