Scholarship awards from Purdue & OSU are impressive. If your daughter is interested in studying business, she should be well qualified.
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Most schools with good engineering programs also have great business programs. Quick call with the admissions office can probably answer how easily majors can be changed and if the scholarships depend on the major.
FWIW, I earned a BS in Mech. Engineering during the 90’s from one of the schools on your list. While engineers starting salaries are generally very good, there is ultimately a rather low ceiling for engineers at most employers. Classmates who were business majors ultimately usually make more, and many engineering classmates have since gotten MBAs and gone into management to increase their earning potential. I’ve seen engineers leave for better paying jobs supporting sales. Also, lots of engineering jobs don’t value creativity/innovation and become tedious as lots of companies don’t really innovate (though I’m sure similar can be said of any field). I’d tell anyone considering engineering to find out if you really enjoy it. If you are interested in engineering because you’re “good at math/science” and that’s what those students are supposed to do, probably best to switch to business/management because you are going to wind up there eventually anyways.
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Does your daughter have thoughts about what she would like to change into? I see the discussion turning to business majors, which are a common “off-ramp” for engineering, but I don’t see where you’ve mentioned what her interests are. (Sorry if I missed it).
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It is very, very common for students to change their majors. It is common to change majors after starting university. Both of my daughters changed their majors after starting university. It worked out well for both of them.
Usually students who seriously consider engineering as a major are relatively good at mathematics. For a student who is good at math, there are quite a few related fields that are worth considering. One is of course mathematics (which was my major in university – and it worked out well for me). Another is computer science. Other options include machine learning or artificial intelligence. There are LOTS of other options. It is quite common for students to not figure out which option is right for them until after they have already started university.
I know a few people who graduated university with a degree in engineering or computer science who then went to law school. They became patent lawyers. This is another possible option. I know a couple of people who graduated with degrees in mathematics about the same time that I did. One went into acoustics. It turns out that there is a LOT of mathematics in acoustics (at one point he showed me what he did day-to-day). Another went to law school. Econometrics (quantitative economics) is another field that uses a lot of math.
At the time that I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, I still had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I tried a bit of this and a bit of that. It worked out very well in the end.
Another thing to consider: During my freshman year of university I was taking courses that put me on-track to major in any of mathematics, mechanical engineering, or physics. Sophomore year I was still on track for either mathematics or physics. I did not decide to stick with math until after taking quantum physics during second semester sophomore year of university. It is possible to keep a few options open while still part way through university.
Your daughter will figure this out. Let her explore a few options before SHE figures this out.
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My son is admitted to the exploratory program at Purdue and I am so happy I suggested it to him b/c he has no idea other than he likes math and thinks business. He and my husband visited yesterday and the women explaining exploratory studies said many students switch into exploratory the second semester after realizing they don’t love the program/ major they are in. The exploratory class sounds so great, starts with the surveys about jobs, you interview different people in careers you are thinking about, etc. So that is an option, she can start in engineering and then switch to exploratory or you could call about switching now (only if she is REALLY sure about not being an engineer). They also said they place kids in every school from exploratory.
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It’s not shocking. My kid changed majors (in her mind – she doesn’t have to declare yet) about ten times in her first semester – not because she is aimless or indecisive, but because she loves what she’s learning in her classes and wants to find ways to pack as much in as possible. It’s a time of discovery and learning about oneself - that’s what’s supposed to happen. As others have noted, it’s easier to transfer out of engineering school than it is to transfer into it (including between divisions in the same university), so she should pick a school that that she enjoys on a variety of levels (vibes, opportunities, all-around academics) will allow her the flexibility to move away from engineering and explore other areas of interest. It will all work out!
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As others suggested, she is already in great shape for choices where she could take some time to figure out what she really wants to do for a major. I’d probably scratch Rose, RPI, RIT, and Georgia Tech. CMU also has a fairly unfortunate structure when it comes to exploration. But that leaves a lot of possibilities.
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This is a good point about keeping flexibility when scheduling classes. Also, if your kid has a lot of credit going in to college, it may be possible to do a very late pivot (though not recommened). For instance, at one point I decided to start taking classes to get certified to teach, but then stopped. A year and a half later, I changed my mind. I had to take one summer class, but then was able to take the remaining classes to get the certification (which was the same as getting a dual degree…but we didn’t get a second degree). So even as time goes on and your D does a pivot to something different than she had been narrowing in on, it’s definitely still possible to do and to graduate on time.
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Any other majors that are more likely versus less likely to be of interest?
Are those top engineering programs at schools with a range of other majors which are not difficult to switch into?
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Well…except for Rose, there are plenty of other majors at the colleges to which she has applied, and the pending ones. My opinion….if she has any doubts about engineering, Rose needs to be dropped from consideration.
Sample of one. My DD first declared engineering to be her major. But she decided part way through that she liked the coursework but never wanted to work as an engineer (and she knew plenty about the field…her dad is an engineer). She picked up a second major which made her very happy. Completed both the engineering major and biology major. I can say with certainty that her career is NOT engineering!
I’m glad my kid went to a college with lots of options. As noted, many kids change their minds…and multiple times…about college majors, and that’s OK.
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I would not worry too much about her saying she doesn’t know what else to do. She will find her interests in college (and beyond) and pursue what she likes. Right now she doesn’t know what she doesn’t know.
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However, if the student prefers more math in a business flavored major, then something like operations research (which may be a subarea of applied math, statistics, or industrial engineering, depending on the school) may be of interest. Economics at schools where it is more math intensive may also be of interest (even though economics is not the same as business, some parts do overlap, such as the study of markets in general, finance, and behavior of choices).
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And I know Purdue has an Economics BS degree offered through their business school with the option of a mathematical economics concentration. That’s my daughter’s major.
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So my advice will be slightly different then others here. What should you do or her? Absolutely nothing. Yep, that is correct. She entered this field for a reason. Good at math and probably analytical to a point. She probably looks at the world differently then you do but not just because she’s 17…
My daughter changed majors 3 times and is entering Graduate school in something she can blend her other two interests into.
My son went to a Big Ten and thought he wanted Actuarial Science. He told us he’s going into engineering but doesn’t want to be an engineer. Of course we had a puzzled look on our face. He wanted to end up in business management at some point but he’s been to many summer engineering camps and just loves the way they learn and process information. He transferred into engineering after his first semester into Industrial Engineering which is sorta the marriage of business and engineering. He took two minors also
He noticed at his school (this might be different at other schools), that everyone regardless of major had to take some writing classes, math, science, social studies etc. The first semester /year curriculum was not vastly different. Everyone takes the same math classes, physics, etc together regardless of major.
This will give her time to process what she really wants. At most schools it is extremely hard to go from lsa to engineering but easier the opposite way. Also at his school they said that most students have no idea really what their major is about until Junior year. This was very true. Also… At most schools regardless of what your major is your actually undecided until the end of your Sophomore year.
So… She has plenty of time. I will guarantee you she like most students have no clue what the other majors in engineering really are and what they actually do. As stated tons of engineers never do engineering. They are scooped up by companies due to the way they think and how they see things analytically.
She can email her schools engineering department and LSA department and start to have a discussion about what her interests are. She might find out that she’s actually in the right place. There is so much overlap with these professions also.
Hope this all makes sense.
Good luck to her.
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If the D wants to be a History major or study linguistics she may- in fact- end up at a college that doesn’t fit her interests if her initial focus was engineering.
OP- she’s applied to plenty of schools that have virtually any major you could think of. So just relax and let this play out.
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I get that. Of course like Rose Hulman would come off but a lot of her schools like you said would give her many options. I have seen this IRL and the students end up staying where they are. I have seen also kids make rash decisions only to regret it especially when transferring out of engineering. I suggested talking to the schools now. They are actually very helpful with this. It ain’t their first time dealing with this. If she chooses a school with wider interests incorporated, she will be fine and have “time” to investigate all her options.
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For those whose kids changed majors or those who changed majors, were they able to finish the degree in 4 yrs? Did the outcome make difference in their earning potential? That’s my worry as well.
It’s absolutely possible to finish in four years. In most cases, colleges don’t require you to declare a major until the end of your sophomore year. Now, if you’re planning a course-heavy program – engineering, a major with pre-med, often teaching licensure, something that requires a foreign language, something with a lot of pre-reqs like a STEM field, etc. – or if you’re at a school with extensive general studies requirements, or if you’re planning to double-major, or go abroad, then you need to plan ahead and pace yourself. If you change your major or add one late in the game, you might need to take a course overload for a semester or two.
But your daughter hasn’t even started college yet, right? So she hasn’t changed her major at all – she’s just rethinking her plan.
As for earning potential – that’s impossible to predict. There are plenty of majors that are not job training, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get a great job with those majors. It’s just a more wide-ranging pathway. As your daughter figures things out, you should encourage her to explore career avenues that build upon her area of interests, and to talk to the career center about relevant internships in potential career fields.
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A somewhat undecided student needs to be careful to plan the first few semesters of schedules to cover the important prerequisites for any of the possible majors, in order not to be behind enough to delay graduation.
If the majors of interest have voluminous requirements or long sequences of prerequisites, scheduling for those is more critical than if the majors of interest have few prerequisites that can be taken in any order.
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The first year curriculum for an engineering major at most schools is ancillary science requirements, along with some gen eds. They’ll usually take just 1 engineering course each semester of freshman year. If they want to change their major to another STEM field (especially bio or chem), it would be pretty painless. The further afield you get and the longer you wait, the more likely you are to need more time. But tons of college students do it every day, and schools are accustomed to it and try to do what they can to accommodate the transitions.