HELP!! Choosing a Major

[bmuff]

Hi all i am currently a junior in high school and have a 3.2 gpa and 29 act
i need help choosing between A.B.E., Aero E, and ag genetics help is requested thank you!

My advice is to try them all. For the engineering, you basically start out with all of the same classes anyway. And Ag genetics, you still have the calc and science...plus there is a chance at some overlap between ABE and Ag genetics. After most of your prereqs are done, you'll have a good idea whether you like engineering or not. As soon as you get a chance, work in a class in all three areas. By the time you're done with your second year, that should be attainable. Odds are, the class that you like best of the three is your future major. The other two you can probably use as either electives or keep going for a minor. The end of your Soph year is plenty soon to declare a major.

Of course, this might not be the best plan if you want to graduate in 4 years or less, but really, what fun is that?

 

[4ISUnUI2]

Set up a personal visit with professors in the areas of interest. You've already done the group stuff, now contact the admissions department and set up an individual visit. We did that with our daughter a few years ago and it ended up being very useful. Not that day, but down the line. She learned quick what departments actually had an interest in the students.

I'm the daughter of whom trigger1 speaks, and I can vouch for the value of an individual visit. Sit in on a class if you can. Honors was worth it for me because I got to register early and take classes that I wanted instead of what was "required" in my major. Ag honors seemed to be a bit more student-friendly than honors in other colleges.

And yeah, you'll probably end up switching majors, or adding one. I switched at orientation. When you do get to ISU, just be sure not to get too far down one path and then decide to change completely. That'll set you back a couple semesters.

 

[drmwevr08]

Does anyone know much about the Architecture Department? I am thinking of doing that but don't know if my drawing abilities will hold me back.

You should become a city planner instead. Why design a building when you can design a whole city!

:wink:

 

[usedcarguy]

Hi all i am currently a junior in high school and have a 3.2 gpa and 29 act
i need help choosing between A.B.E., Aero E, and ag genetics help is requested thank you!

I would try to get some additional exposure to all three fields. Oftentimes after you're in school for a year or so, you realize that the field isn't quite what you thought it would be. I had a cousin who went into civil engineering and figured out later he really wanted to be an architect. But above all it must be something you enjoy or you will be miserable and saddled with debt.

As a practical matter, you also have to figure out where the economy is going to be five years from now. Aerospace hiring is going down the tubes currently, but will probably be a different story by the time you get done.

 

[isukendall]

Lots of good advice here. I received my BS and MS in ABE from ISU, so maybe I'm a bit biased, but here's my two cents.

1) I can't speak for genetics, but everyone I knew in AeroE (one exception) either dropped out of the program or isn't working in Aero applications.

2) The ABE undergrad program is fabulous. A very close-knit program, you'll make lots of friends and have supportive faculty and staff. As an undergrad, I switched from ME because it sounded interesting and in the ME dept I just felt like a number, no personal relationships with faculty, etc. Besides, most of the early engineering classes are the same regardless of major, you can switch later without falling back much. I'd higly recommend signing up for the ABE learning communities....it sounds lame, but I taught a class full of these kids and they all studied/partied/lived together and are still very good friends.

3) You probably will switch majors. Just have a good idea of what you'd like to do, and don't be afraid to change. Although some people make huge changes, for example I had a friend that was paying out of state tuition to get a degree in AeroE, and after taking Physics he changed his major to Journalism.

4) As others have mentioned, I wouldn't recommend the honors program. You'll have plenty to keep you busy and will need time to have fun also. The honors program offers little reward for the amount of work required. Most prospective employers will be much more impressed by campus involvement or even a part-time job than in the honors program IMO.

edit: early registration was worth it for the first few semesters, but I still wouldn't recommend finishing the program. But try it out, decide for yourself!

 

[jsmith86]

I would try to get some additional exposure to all three fields. Oftentimes after you're in school for a year or so, you realize that the field isn't quite what you thought it would be. I had a cousin who went into civil engineering and figured out later he really wanted to be an architect. But above all it must be something you enjoy or you will be miserable and saddled with debt.

As a practical matter, you also have to figure out where the economy is going to be five years from now. Aerospace hiring is going down the tubes currently, but will probably be a different story by the time you get done.

I didn't realize that ChE wasn't exactly what I thought it would be until I was 2 years into the program, but then I found out that it was MORE interesting than what I had originally thought.