<p>My son is a freshman at Tulane. He is happy beyond words. The problem is his engineering major was dropped and though he is willing to change his major to stay at Tulane, as parents we feel he should transfer to another school. He has been accepted to his first choice school from last year, yet he is reluctant to transfer. Do you change your major to stay somewhere for the next 3 years or move on now to pursue what we thought were his dreams? How would you handle this? Any words of wisdom would be much appreciated.</p>
<p>If he is willing to stay, perhaps his “dreams” have changed. He (and you) need to take a hard look at what he wants to study and do in the future. If he still feels engineering is high up there, then he owes it to himself to transfer. If there are other things he wants to study and pursue now, than staying is fine, providing Tulane has a good dept. for him. If he is happy socially then academically he will also fine contentment. My S went to his first choice school and changed majors. Although he loved the school and had a girlfriend there, he transferred to a less prestigious school but it had a very good dept. in the major he wanted to study. He is very happy now because he has “found his passion” as he says. He is still going out with the girlfriend and visits her and his old friends there but is happy that he changed majors and schools to pursue it. I think your S may be telling you something about his decision to stay there-perhaps engineering isn’t what he thought it would be.</p>
<p>School spirit won’t help him become an engineer. So he should keep the Tulane banners, and become a loyal alum, but go some place that supports his career goals.</p>
<p>But if engineering is no longer his thing (which happens to more than half of would-be entering engineers…)</p>
<p>I should say that he is staying in engineering, just changing concentration to one that tulane kept. So the question becomes should he look to be at a school with an engineering school rather than just a department?</p>
<p>I’m with those that say he should transfer if he’s serious about engineering. However, he could discuss fulfilling some of his science, math, and distribution requirements with the accepting school, and not go until the end of his sophomore year, perhaps.</p>
<p>Hi, lsw. This situation is “too close to home” for me. My Engineering S also loves Tulane. Wants to stay another year. THEN he wants to transfer for the Engineering. We’re not sure this makes sense, but we are not pressuring him. In his case, all the data are not yet in. He has several acceptances in hand, but has not yet heard from his top choices. I keep imagining that, when he hears from them and if it is in the positive, that may change his mind. Your situation gives me a foreshadowing that he may not.</p>
<p>In my S’ case, there is not a remaining engineering major at Tulane that interests him. If there were, I would be thrilled to see him stay. The remaining concentrations are highly rated, I think the faculty are wonderful and I think the new School of Science and Engineering may have good prospects. </p>
<p>Were your S’ dreams really so specific that they work for the original Engineering concentration but don’t work for the new one? Could he not complete his undergrad at Tulane and go for a graduate Engineering degree in the other concentration? Just some ideas.</p>