Ask an Engineer

Your love of math and environmental impact within civil engineering is a powerful combination. Consider specializing in areas like:
 * Water Resources: Heavy math, direct environmental impact.
 * Geotechnical: Sustainable materials and modeling.
 * ...

Hey there! Absolutely, you can pursue an engineering major even if you've only taken pre-calculus in high school. It's totally possible, and honestly, it's something I experienced myself!

I actually started my undergraduate studies in a different field ...

Of course you can still be an engineer if you haven’t had the opportunity to take calculus in high school. It sounds like you’ve got a solid plan to take pre-calculus your senior year and this will give you a great foundation. When I was a senior in high ...

Yes, absolutely! I actually think it's better to take calculus right before starting college as it will be more fresh in your mind. I highly recommend taking it at a community college in the summer so you can take your time and really understand it. I ...

If you enjoy science and math, I don’t see why you should stress about taking chemical engineering as a major!

Engineering, as many other majors, requires hard work, but this doesn’t mean you need to leave your social life behind. Engineering offers a ...

While the curriculum involved in pursuing engineering is rather difficult, I have found that it did not make me any less social. In some cases, it made me more social! In my junior and senior years, I worked more in our engineering building with fellow ...

This is a fair question and I think a lot of people are scared off from majoring in engineering because of this and also fears of the difficulty of engineering classes. First, I would absolutely recommend you pick chemical engineering as a major, since ...

This is a complicated question that requires a complicated answer! The short answer is: I would encourage you to separate your feeling of whether or not you enjoy engineering and whether you find engineering easy. It’s possible to still take joy in ...

One of the things that makes engineering such a cool field is that it keeps getting harder and harder — and more and more interesting! You move from basic math and physics courses to higher-level topics like fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, mechatronics, ...

You should not sell yourself short on the option to keep trying! Keep going…at least for right now. Sometimes we have a little hurdle we need to clear and then all is good again.

I was a straight-A student for my entire K-12 school years, then I went to ...

Is it hard? Yes! Many jobs are, but when you are doing something that you are passionate about then it is always worth it. Some of the most difficult challenges we are presented with in life are also the most rewarding when we accomplish our goals. Many ...

Absolutely, it was worth it. It gave me the tools to be an asset for my community. And it opened up endless job opportunities and exciting careers. The degree is such a short time period relative to your career. Some classes will be harder than others. ...

It’s okay to be scared! The important thing is to not let being scared stop you from doing what you want to do. No matter what career path you choose, there will always be difficult moments and obstacles to overcome. So if engineering is what you want to ...

Please accept my apologies for the delay in responding. Thanks for your question. First, I will suggest that you start learning about the engineering disciplines to identify your area(s) of focus. Once you have identified the branch of engineering you ...

Everyone feels like they don’t belong at one point or another whether it be personal (with a circle of peers) or professionally (at work). In those moments, I remind myself that I am made to stand out. Focus on the strengths you have and use them to help ...

I think everyone feels like this at one time or another, and there's actually a name for it called imposter syndrome. I've felt this many times over the course of my career and schooling. But we have to remember everyone learns and grows at their own ...

I totally understand the feeling. When I graduated from high school and went to the engineering school, I felt I didn’t belong because I was very behind. I came from a small town and the high school education wasn’t of great quality. I failed most of my ...

Hello Jennifer! Thank you for your question. 

We do use math everyday but the intensity and detail of the math we use to solve our problems varies day by day. Sometimes we might use known functions, often solved by programing or machines and other times ...

I'm sorry I'm so late responding to your question! I think both biology and physics are important for environmental engineering, but having a solid understanding of the fundamentals of physics will be more helpful to you in your college courses. ...

The mechanical engineering and design classes are certainly more applicable to  your stated college degree area.  So from an alignment to your future professional goals I would think that this is a good move for you to make.   You mention being concerned ...