Which Major? (Engineering or a Physical Science)

altcmdesc
Mon, 28 Jul 2008 19:35:56 +0000

I’m just about to start my freshman year in college at the U of MN Twin Cities. I started out looking at Chemical Engineering as a major but I was very turned off by the industrial aspects of the career. I decided I’d much rather be in the labs working on something than in a plant. Then I turned to Biomedical Engineering - it was more researched based and didn’t force you to work in a plant. However, I found that it is probably the most constricting of all engineering majors. The vast majority of jobs are in one industry - medical devices. I’ve also frequently heard that graduates in that field “learn a lot, but not enough”. On top of that, there aren’t a lot of jobs available in the field. I’ve realized that if I wanted to go into the medical device field, I could easily do it via another, less constricting major.

So now I’ve hit a wall, and I’m looking back at some of my high school science/math course work to try and sort things out and find my passions:

Math: I loved every bit of it, especially Calculus, although Statistics was a little dry.

Chemistry: For the most part I enjoyed this subject. I liked the problem solving parts of some organic chemistry: given with one molecule at the beginning and finding a way to end up with another, and the physics portions of it (molecular structure, forces, spectroscopy, etc.).

Biology: I absolutely hated anything other than molecular biology/biochemistry.

Physics: I really loved physics, especially E&M. I really loved actually being able to see physics happening before your eyes and using its principles to explain everything that occurs in nature.

I would like my career to require me to use complex mathematical principles daily. However, a Math major is not really an option for me. There are really two things one can do in mathematics: teaching or actuarial science. Neither of those interest me.

I also want to be involved in research. I know engineering has some branches in research, which is why I’m continuing to consider it. The thing is, I would hate to be involved in an engineering that is based on manufacturing a product. I want to work on the product/idea, not produce it.

As for a work place: a lab would be preferable. Otherwise, anything but a manufacturing plant.

So now I’m looking for some advice: What should I pursue?