@StevenToCollege EEs seem like a different breed to me … but there are some areas or similarity like electromechanics … I would encourage your son to discuss with his professors, even via email over the summer, to see how he can combine his interests into a good degree he can complete in 4 years. There is always the option of a masters in another field (I went from ChE to ME) … or taking on a role at work that combines both interests.
Also look for companies that are working on products with both ME and EE flavor. CS … computers are everywhere … that is even a bit further from my personal interests.
Personally, since ME products are concrete objects in 3D … and EEs are electrons moving around hidden from view … and the use of imaginary numbers … I think ME is less theoretical, but everyone is different (and schools vary wildly in how they teach and what they focus on).
Yes, I should be mentoring … I have trained, mentored lots of engineers … but not in my current job … and not that many were women engineers, again you can’t hire women who aren’t there (and many leave in their late 20s early 30s for family reasons). I am mentoring my D …
UMd accepts only the best students for direct admit into engineering, it is limited enrollment. So, top 5% can get into COE, top 10% accept to UMd-CP. But to their credit, with a reasonably high GPA in engineering required classes, you can transfer in at any time … not competitive, just get the GPA / grades. Personally, if you can’t get say a 3.0 in your freshman classes, engineering is going to be a very hard journey and you may thank the school for having you avoid the pain for a year and the transfer to business degree with a 2.5 GPA …