I had a feeling this would happen....

[LizzyBee]

I have been telling my oldest dd for a long time that she should consider engineering, but she had no interest in it. She hasn't even taken physics; she took AP Chemistry this year instead.

 

This past week, she went to Disney with a group from school for the Extreme Engineering program. Her calculus teacher had really pushed her to apply for the trip. So she came home and immediately started looking up internship programs at Disney and she also talked to someone there about how to get a job as a painter at Disney. Today, she came home from church and said, "Mom, I finally know what I want to do. I want to go into engineering."

 

She should be going to NCSU, but she already accepted a spot and a scholarship at UNCG. State has already awarded their scholarships. So it would difficult if not impossible to change at this point. UNCG has a pre-engineering program, so she's thinking she'll go there for two years and then transfer to State.

[LizzyBee]

Well, it might take her an extra year, but do the happy dance that she's figured it out! How many kids flounder for several years...

 

Very true. She actually said that she thought engineering was a man's field. Just this week, I read on yahoo that engineering is one of the few fields where women tend to make equal salaries with men - making it a great field for women. I think it's also one of those fields where you can write your own ticket after you prove yourself - whether that means owning your own firm or working part time while rearing children.

[creekland]

There's always a way... pre-Engineering isn't a "bad" thing! (And she could still change her mind again. Many college students do.) They get to see so many opportunities when they get into college.

[Candid]

I think I would transfere sooner not later.

 

I graduated from UNC-CH and my brother as a chemE from NCSU and I took classes later at UNCG.

 

Back in the late 80s I would have said UNCG faculty were as good at teaching as those at UNC, but the bar wasn't set as high for papers and tests. I would have been concerned even then that your daughter might get to state and feel way in over her head and have a lot of beginner coursework to take.

 

Since the 80s there has been a trend towards lowering faculty costs by using adjuncts and the like at all schools. AND I am, as someone who lives near UNCG aware that UNCG has really focused on getting students to stick around on weekends by creating athletics programs etc, not academics. Just in the last few months there were letters to the editor of the Greensboro paper complaining about just that from faculty members.

 

So I would suggest applying this fall to NCSU and make sure she gets a what she needs to transfer easily to NCSU.

[Catherine]

Truer words were never spoken. At 17, it is NOT too late to change her mind!

[LizzyBee]

I think I would transfere sooner not later.

 

I graduated from UNC-CH and my brother as a chemE from NCSU and I took classes later at UNCG.

 

Back in the late 80s I would have said UNCG faculty were as good at teaching as those at UNC, but the bar wasn't set as high for papers and tests. I would have been concerned even then that your daughter might get to state and feel way in over her head and have a lot of beginner coursework to take.

 

Since the 80s there has been a trend towards lowering faculty costs by using adjuncts and the like at all schools. AND I am, as someone who lives near UNCG aware that UNCG has really focused on getting students to stick around on weekends by creating athletics programs etc, not academics. Just in the last few months there were letters to the editor of the Greensboro paper complaining about just that from faculty members.

 

So I would suggest applying this fall to NCSU and make sure she gets a what she needs to transfer easily to NCSU.

 

This is the first bad thing we've heard from anyone about UNCG. We have been so impressed with everything we've seen there. We've heard from several people that if she does well in UNCG's pre-engineering program, she will be able to transfer easily to State. One of the comments made during the Scholars interview process was that UNCG doesn't have a football program and isn't going to develop one by design, because their focus is academics, not sports. One good thing is that dd is in the Honors Program, so she will be living and hanging out with other highly motivated students. I will pass on to her that she should give due consideration to transferring after one year rather than two. Thanks for sharing a different perspective.

[LizzyBee]

Truer words were never spoken. At 17, it is NOT too late to change her mind!

 

Yes, I'm glad she figured it out now rather than after a few years of college! I need to update my signature because she's actually 18, not 17. :001_smile:

[LizzyBee]

There's always a way... pre-Engineering isn't a "bad" thing! (And she could still change her mind again. Many college students do.) They get to see so many opportunities when they get into college.

 

So true. She has so many interests... She was planning to double major and minor. If she does major in Engineering, I'm not sure she'll have time to even pursue another minor. I think she will stick with Engineering though; I've seen the potential in her for a long time, and she really seems to have a peace and determination about this decision.

[Candid]

I don't have time to hunt through all the articles on UNCG but here are a couple on the whole tuition sports thing:

http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/12/15/article/uncg_must_curtail_its_obsession_with_sports

 

http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/12/01/article/athletic_department_drains_uncg

 

On the football thing, we were here through all that while they decided not to develop football they did vastly expand spending on other sports (soccer and baseball for instance) that they thought would draw attendance and interest.

[aggieamy]

Very true. She actually said that she thought engineering was a man's field. Just this week, I read on yahoo that engineering is one of the few fields where women tend to make equal salaries with men - making it a great field for women. I think it's also one of those fields where you can write your own ticket after you prove yourself - whether that means owning your own firm or working part time while rearing children.

 

I'm an engineer and for most of my career I've been one of few women in my field but there are a few of us and we do tend to do very well. It's a great field for women actually. I started my own business, hired my husband (also and engineer), and we're doing just fine. She's making a great choice.

 

So true. She has so many interests... She was planning to double major and minor. If she does major in Engineering, I'm not sure she'll have time to even pursue another minor. I think she will stick with Engineering though; I've seen the potential in her for a long time, and she really seems to have a peace and determination about this decision.

 

There's no need for double majors or minor unless she's just interested for the sake of learning. The engineering degree is all she'll need to get a job.

[LizzyBee]

I'm an engineer and for most of my career I've been one of few women in my field but there are a few of us and we do tend to do very well. It's a great field for women actually. I started my own business, hired my husband (also and engineer), and we're doing just fine. She's making a great choice.

 

There's no need for double majors or minor unless she's just interested for the sake of learning. The engineering degree is all she'll need to get a job.

 

Thanks for the thumbs up on engineering as a career choice.

 

I meant that before she settled on engineering, she was going to double major (mathematics and maybe education) and minor (art). From all I've heard about Engineering, it's such a rigorous major that she might not time or room in her schedule for another major or minor. I'm sure she'll still want to do the art minor if she can fit it in, though.

[LizzyBee]

I don't have time to hunt through all the articles on UNCG but here are a couple on the whole tuition sports thing:

http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/12/15/article/uncg_must_curtail_its_obsession_with_sports

 

http://www.news-record.com/content/2011/12/01/article/athletic_department_drains_uncg

 

On the football thing, we were here through all that while they decided not to develop football they did vastly expand spending on other sports (soccer and baseball for instance) that they thought would draw attendance and interest.

 

Thanks for the links.

[Mama Geek]

If she has the drive she can do a major and a minor. Most engineers do not graduate in 4 years anyway. I didn't, but I switched majors after my first year. If I had it to do over again, I would minor is business. Once you are are far as you can go as an engineer your next step is management. I know lots of engineers who end up going back for an MBA.

[Halftime Hope]

I don't know anything about the state schools in NC, but here, even with reciprocity agreements, it behooves a student to be really careful about clearly understanding the individual courses, their prerequisites and co-requisites, etc. The engineering departments should have a scope and sequence document for each of their concentrations that lays out how the courses will flow over 4 years to complete each engineering program. They should also have a listing of equivalent courses for the two schools. Having that in writing is the key to success.

 

Be very careful that she doesn't take a course that is labeled as x at the first school, but it is not the equivalent of course x at the transfer school. We encountered two courses like that in ds' program--he would have needed two clases at the first school to equal one at the transfer-into school, and these two schools work with each other all the time! You really have to watch the fine print, and most of the fine print is on the transfer-into school's website. The professors at both schools are pretty much clueless, even though they do freshman advisement; you have to find the department chair's secretary--I kid you not--or someone like that that really knows their stuff to give you the skinny. If you believe the profs and they steer you wrong, it's your problem, not theirs. Gah!

[LizzyBee]

I don't know anything about the state schools in NC, but here, even with reciprocity agreements, it behooves a student to be really careful about clearly understanding the individual courses, their prerequisites and co-requisites, etc. The engineering departments should have a scope and sequence document for each of their concentrations that lays out how the courses will flow over 4 years to complete each engineering program. They should also have a listing of equivalent courses for the two schools. Having that in writing is the key to success.

 

Be very careful that she doesn't take a course that is labeled as x at the first school, but it is not the equivalent of course x at the transfer school. We encountered two courses like that in ds' program--he would have needed two clases at the first school to equal one at the transfer-into school, and these two schools work with each other all the time! You really have to watch the fine print, and most of the fine print is on the transfer-into school's website. The professors at both schools are pretty much clueless, even though they do freshman advisement; you have to find the department chair's secretary--I kid you not--or someone like that that really knows their stuff to give you the skinny. If you believe the profs and they steer you wrong, it's your problem, not theirs. Gah!

 

UNCG's website says their program is approved for transfer to NCSU (and two other unis in the state system), but it also says that students need to know the requirements and be in contact with the college they plan to transfer to. I will definitely make sure she does that! Thanks for the tip about who to contact!

[LizzyBee]

If she has the drive she can do a major and a minor. Most engineers do not graduate in 4 years anyway. I didn't, but I switched majors after my first year. If I had it to do over again, I would minor is business. Once you are are far as you can go as an engineer your next step is management. I know lots of engineers who end up going back for an MBA.

 

I see so many business owners who are great at whatever the business does, but terrible at management. I will def. be on her about taking some accounting and management courses when she can fit them in her schedule.