Interested in studying engineering? Ask questions here.

[michigangurl]

I am entering into my senior year of high school and am debating on my major. I am not sure between computer science or electrical engineering and computer science (EECS at Berkeley.) I take both math and physics at the standard level. I do not take chemistry (is this bad??) but take Computer Science HL. 

[Peanut Butter Jelly]

^ EECS at Berkeley is one of the hardest programs there. I hear it's extremely competitive but a very rewarding program.  The advantage of doing EECS is that you can go into hardware or software after graduation.  Most people in EECS, however, go into software.  The CS program at Cal has more flexibility with electives.

 

Also: for US schools, it probably doesn't matter what your subject combinations are.

[polopipo]

 

Hey, I'm starting grade 11 this September, and I'm planning on studying Aerospace Engineering in university. My subjects for IB next year are going to be: 

 

HL Maths 

HL Computer Science 

HL Business 

SL French 

SL English 

SL Physics 

 

As I have a chance to change my subjects before the school year starts, I have a couple of questions:

 

1. Should I change my SL Physics to HL and drop HL Business to SL?

2. Do I need chemistry for Aerospace Engineering? I've taken chemistry in grades 9 and 10, and I had good grades (A+ and A) but I feel I got this grades because the course was not challenging at all, and not because I'm good. Therefore IB Chemistry is probably gonna take me a lot of time to study and do stuff to get a 5, instead of investing my time on getting a 6 or 7 in HL Math and (HL/SL) Physics. Is it worth it to take Chem in IB? 

 

Thank you

 

1. Yes.

 

2. Some universities require chemistry for their engineering programs regardless of which branch you want to do, some require it for only specific branches, and some don't at all. Chances are you don't, as aerospace engineering doesn't go into too much chemistry. At the school I attend, aerospace engineers have to take one semester of general chemistry (similar to what IB offers, minus any organic chemistry stuff), and that's it. If you want to be sure, and you know which unis you want to apply to, you can check their entry requirements and see if chemistry is required. If it is, you'll need it, but if it's not, then you'll be fine without it.

 

Alright, thanks for your help! 

[Emmi]

If you're doing aero, it's better to do mechanical/ee in your undergrad and then go to grad school for aero.

 

Not true. You can do aero in your undergrad and still be fine/get jobs.

 

I am entering into my senior year of high school and am debating on my major. I am not sure between computer science or electrical engineering and computer science (EECS at Berkeley.) I take both math and physics at the standard level. I do not take chemistry (is this bad??) but take Computer Science HL. 

 

EECS doesn't typically use much chemistry, but schools like to see that you've taken it. The EE students at my school take one semester of general chemistry (similar to an IB SL course without the organic content) and that's it. Even if you don't have it at the IB level, if you took it as a part of a regular curriculum you should be okay. The US is a little different but having SL math and physics is better than nothing, although HL is definitely preferred.

 

^ EECS at Berkeley is one of the hardest programs there. I hear it's extremely competitive but a very rewarding program.  The advantage of doing EECS is that you can go into hardware or software after graduation.  Most people in EECS, however, go into software.  The CS program at Cal has more flexibility with electives.

 

Also: for US schools, it probably doesn't matter what your subject combinations are.

 

It still matters a little bit. For some programs it's more open, but engineering departments typically want you to have taken the highest math possible + physics + chemistry + some English literature class.

[Guest Aniruddh]

Hey,

 

Thanks for the thread.

I love computers, and for a while considered going to uni for computer science, but when I thought about it more deeply, I decided it wasn't a very great idea because anything that I would learn at uni I could learn for free online. Unis like MIT and Harvard have great online courses. I thought that I'd study something related to Quantum Physics because it intrigues me. I think I'll take a gap year after my graduation (2016) and explore both of them more deeply and decide.

What are your suggestions? Btw, I am aiming for MIT or Stanford. I've heard that people who exude the mastery of the subject, and are deeply passionate about it are the ones who get it, even if they don't have a 2400 on the SAT, or 45, though I guess it helps. Is this true?

 

Thanks again,

Aniruddh

[Emmi]

Definitely explore them before making a decision because they're quite different fields. If you need a gap year to explore this, take one.

 

Computer science deals more with the mathematical and logical basis of programming languages and using them to solve problems and improve computing efficiency. Quantum physics is more of a subfield of physics, and to do this you'd study general physics and just take a bunch of electives in quantum physics. You usually go on to study the more theoretical aspects of the subject which are then used in practical applications (such as electronics and computers). And although you didn't mention it, there is also computer engineering, which deals more with designing the meat of a computer (the hardware/architecture of the machine).

 

Also, computer science isn't just "programming" on computers. That's programming. Real computer science employs higher level math, structures, logic, and algorithms which isn't usually possible to learn on your own outside of uni. Source: my computer science friends

 

That is partially true, but you still need good grades to get in Having a 42 in the IB with a 2200 SAT while being extremely passionate about something (and it shows through your application) is much better than a 45, 2400 SAT, and little passion or "I'm applying to MIT because it's MIT and I heard it's good lol"

Edited August 2, 2014 by Emmi

[you'llneverknow]

Hey there!

I am starting the IB programme this year and I'm taking English, Math and Physics as HL and Chemistry as SL. Do you think I will be able to apply to biomedical engineering since I don't take Bio. I may also consider getting into an Ivy League college because that's what I am expected of. And what score do I need to get full scholarship both in Ivy league and other colleges? How many points out of 45 do I need to get for the application of good technical universities? I also have the chance to change my Math HL to Math SL by taking my native language as HL. Do you recommend taking Math as HL or SL? Although I work hard I doubt myself, so I am not so sure if I can handle both Phsics and Math as HL. What do you recommend for a beginner? How should I work so I can survive the IB? 

Thank you so much.

[Emmi]

Hey there!

I am starting the IB programme this year and I'm taking English, Math and Physics as HL and Chemistry as SL. Do you think I will be able to apply to biomedical engineering since I don't take Bio. I may also consider getting into an Ivy League college because that's what I am expected of. And what score do I need to get full scholarship both in Ivy league and other colleges? How many points out of 45 do I need to get for the application of good technical universities? I also have the chance to change my Math HL to Math SL by taking my native language as HL. Do you recommend taking Math as HL or SL? Although I work hard I doubt myself, so I am not so sure if I can handle both Phsics and Math as HL. What do you recommend for a beginner? How should I work so I can survive the IB? 

Thank you so much.

 

You should be okay without biology. Biomedical engineering, unless you're doing something with tissues and organs, does not actually use that much biology. Biomedical engineering is more often than not designing things like prosthetics and medical equipment and devices. You may have to take a course in uni, but you should be okay.

 

The US does not have set scores. Just do as best as you can. Also as a heads up, the Ivy League, apart from Cornell and Princeton, is not very good for engineering. My state school in the midwest is ranked higher in engineering than Harvard and Yale, for example. Your best bet would be to aim for schools such as MIT, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Purdue, Carnegie Mellon, University of California Berkeley, and Caltech if you're interested in name prestige. In addition to this, just make sure your program is ABET accredited. Your degree is useless if it is not certified by ABET. Biomedical engineering is relatively new and not all schools are accredited yet. As long as you have this, it doesn't matter where you go. Since Stanford and my state school are both ABET certified in chemical engineering, I learn the same things as someone at Stanford. The only difference are the professors, class size, etc.

 

IB grades aren't everything. You need a good SAT score (2000+), great scores in math and physics, sufficient extracurricular activities, good letters of recommendation, and excellent essays if you want to go to these kinds of schools. For scholarships you'll want to have very good grades. Most Ivy Leagues don't give merit money (scholarships based on your grades) because everyone has this, but they will look at your financial situation. I don't know how it works for international students, however. At some schools, applying for financial aid as an international student works against you, so look into this. Full scholarships are rare and very competitive to get, but they exist. Your best bet would be to look for small scholarships and apply to all of them, because they add up. I did this and got half of my entire tuition for four years paid for through scholarships.

 

Do not drop to SL math. You need to take HL math if you want to attend the best schools. This is because nearly everyone applying is going to have HL math or its equivalent, and if you don't have this and don't have a good reason for it (i.e. your school didn't offer it and you couldn't self study) your application may be rejected because there are many more competitive applicants out there. I did SL math in the IB, but then I took AP calculus afterward because SL math is not an adequate introduction for engineering math.

 

If you can't do HL math and physics, engineering is going to be tough for you. HL physics is easy compared to what an engineering school makes you take for physics. IB HL physics is algebra-based and fairly simple. In engineering you have to take at least a year of calculus-based physics and it's hard. I made it through without any physics knowledge, but it was the worst year of my life. Doing well at HL physics is a good sign you'll do well in university physics, but struggling now is not a good sign.

 

Work efficiently and smart, not hard. Get your assignments done early and don't leave them until the last minute. Do well on IAs and do things right the first time so all you have to do is minor edits later on. Ask for help immediately if you don't understand something. Have some sort of organizational system to keep all of your deadlines together so nothing creeps up on you. Get plenty of sleep. Don't pull all-nighters. The IB is not hard, just tedious. The people who struggle are the people who don't take their work seriously and leave everything until the last second, then complain that they have so much work to do.

[IBfreakingout!]

In Australia, the demand for engineers is largely diminishing nowadays, except maybe mining, and although I was initially very interested in doign some sort of engineering (unsure about which one), I am now re-thinking this. 

 

As you guys are from all over the world could any of you tell me what the job prospectus might be for different types of engineering in other parts of the world? Are engineers still wanted, and in which fields - are the stats of getting a job after doing an undergraduate degree high, or are they high once you've done a masters degree?

 

How does it work?

[Emmi]

In Australia, the demand for engineers is largely diminishing nowadays, except maybe mining, and although I was initially very interested in doign some sort of engineering (unsure about which one), I am now re-thinking this. 

 

As you guys are from all over the world could any of you tell me what the job prospectus might be for different types of engineering in other parts of the world? Are engineers still wanted, and in which fields - are the stats of getting a job after doing an undergraduate degree high, or are they high once you've done a masters degree?

 

How does it work?

 

As I live in the US I'll give my perspective about there.

 

In the US engineering is still doing quite well overall. Certain fields are doing a little better than others, but as a whole it's very possible to be employed after you graduate provided you aren't completely incompetent. Right now the fields with the best employment are mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and software/computer science. Chemical engineering is doing well in certain areas of the country (Gulf Coast, Texas, the midwest, and New Jersey) but so-so in others. Civil engineering is coming back. Petroleum engineering is still doing all right. I'm not really sure about the other types of engineering, but overall it's not bad.

 

A master's degree is usually what you aim for if you want to stick with research and development or want to specialize in a particular area. For some fields you usually need a master's degree, such as in biomedical engineering and in materials science. In the rest it's usually just additional specialization and expertise in an area of your field. I assume the employment statistics are similar to undergraduate employment rates.

[Andy Sebastian]

^you listed mechanical engineering as a field that's doing well in the US.  How well do you think it stacks against aerospace and electrical?  I am going into university to study mechanical, but a look at employment and salary statistics seem to suggest that electrical pays better and has better projected job growth.  Does mechanical have an advantage I'm not noticing?

 

I'm posting in a bit of a hurry so I didn't get a chance to read everything, so I apologize if these questions have already been answered:

 

a) What do you think of the value of a minor in computer science?  Are there any other minors you would recommend? 

b) What do you think of going for a business or law degree after an engineering undergrad, or into one of the sciences?

c) Did you find the lab work or the textbook work more difficult in your classes?

 

Thanks for the help.

Edited August 25, 2014 by Andy Sebastian

[Emmi]

^you listed mechanical engineering as a field that's doing well in the US.  How well do you think it stacks against aerospace and electrical?  I am going into university to study mechanical, but a look at employment and salary statistics seem to suggest that electrical pays better and has better projected job growth.  Does mechanical have an advantage I'm not noticing?

 

I'm posting in a bit of a hurry so I didn't get a chance to read everything, so I apologize if these questions have already been answered:

 

a) What do you think of the value of a minor in computer science?  Are there any other minors you would recommend? 

b) What do you think of going for a business or law degree after an engineering undergrad, or into one of the sciences?

c) Did you find the lab work or the textbook work more difficult in your classes?

 

Thanks for the help.

 

Aerospace is more niche work than mechanical, but provided you did well in school and had relevant internships (like you should regardless of the field you pick) you can still get jobs in aerospace and stacks probably the same. Electrical and mechanical do roughly the same, they're the most broad in terms of what you can do aside from chemical engineering, and electrical and mechanical engineers can usually find work in most places. You should pick whichever field you'd think you'd like more. The first year of engineering at most schools is just general math and science, so you can explore different topics and pick which field you'd like to get into afterwards.

 

And as for your questions:

 

a) Computer science is helpful if you enjoy programming. Programming is pretty important in engineering, but it's not a requirement everywhere. I have a minor, which is Spanish. I picked it because I really enjoy it. I may not get to do it anymore if my engineering classes are offered at the same time the Spanish ones are, in which case I may switch to a math minor since I'm so close to getting one anyways (three classes away). In general minors are usually seen as add-ons and not super duper important, and you should do one if you want to. Some people do math minors because they're close to one anyways, some do physics minors to get a better understanding of them, some do minors in other fields to enhance their engineering classes, and some do language/arts minors for funsies (like me).

 

b) Do what interests you. Engineers do go into law and business (and medicine too) afterwards, and they just picked engineering as their undergraduate degree because they liked it. Some also do it as a fallback in case it doesn't work out. Patent law usually requires an undergraduate degree in engineering or scientific/math field. Interestingly, a good percentage of CEOs in business have their undergraduate degree in engineering. Engineering just provides a lot of analytical skills and reasoning abilities, which can be put to good use in a lot of fields other than engineering. Usually engineers don't go into the sciences because engineering isn't really "science," although some get advanced degrees and go into engineering research.

 

c)  Depends. Some textbook problems would be impossible, and sometimes the lab work would be really impossible and I'd have to have the graduate teaching assistant walk me and my lab group through the problem. Overall it wasn't toooooo bad.

[dhruval.shah]

Hi,

 

I'm planning on dropping out of the Diploma program and take Certificate courses after my first year.. My courses are Math, French and Eng SL, Chem BIo and History HL .. My question is, what type of score (out of 45) is good enough to get into a good university .. I live in Canada and I've asked UBC, and they said the minimum is like 24 .. But obviously competition must be much higher than that and with the courses I've got (they weren't my first choice classes) I don't think I'll get more than around 30-32 .. Is that score good enough to get admission to U. Of Waterloo for example?

 

Thanks!

[Emmi]

Hi,

 

I'm planning on dropping out of the Diploma program and take Certificate courses after my first year.. My courses are Math, French and Eng SL, Chem BIo and History HL .. My question is, what type of score (out of 45) is good enough to get into a good university .. I live in Canada and I've asked UBC, and they said the minimum is like 24 .. But obviously competition must be much higher than that and with the courses I've got (they weren't my first choice classes) I don't think I'll get more than around 30-32 .. Is that score good enough to get admission to U. Of Waterloo for example?

 

Thanks!

 

I don't know about the requirements for particular universities, especially foreign universities for me. I mentioned in my original post that if you want to know something like how to get in to a specific school the best bet is to go to that university's website and look up the information, or if you know people who go to the schools you want to go to you can ask them. My general advice is to just score as high as you can. Best of luck to you!

[dhruval.shah]

What are your thoughts on IB vs. Certificate grades? I know that if I take Diploma I'll get a low grade but if I take Certificates plus other required courses, I'll get a higher grade because they just convert it to regular grade .. So essentially, my question is, is a low Diploma grade better than a high regular grade?

 

Thanks for your time

[Emmi]

What are your thoughts on IB vs. Certificate grades? I know that if I take Diploma I'll get a low grade but if I take Certificates plus other required courses, I'll get a higher grade because they just convert it to regular grade .. So essentially, my question is, is a low Diploma grade better than a high regular grade?

 

Thanks for your time

 

Probably not? I don't really know how applying to Canadian schools work and what they're looking for grade-wise. In the US we get the normal, typical grades (A, B, C, etc) while we're taking the class that schools recognize, and our IB scores are pretty much only used to give us credit for introductory level courses. I imagine whichever gives you the better grade is what you should do.

 

A 5 in HL chem while doing the diploma is worth the same as a 5 in HL chem on a certificate, except in the diploma you need a certain score on your HLs (12 points for 3 HL subjects, and 16 points for 4 HL subjects), so it's going to be converted over the same regardless. The only difference between diploma and certificates is that with certificates you just take the IB classes, do the IAs, and sit the exam. The IB diploma does all that and then makes you do TOK, CAS, and an EE.

 

In some places (I have no idea about Canada) certificates are useless, and you need to get an IB diploma or switch to another program that offers a valid and recognized diploma/certificate.

[Shashank Shekhar]

Hi! I fully have not decided what to study in college and this is causing me alot of problems. I have narrowed it down to engineering science, Chemistry with Management, or a Computer Science Course. Ideally i would want to take courses which would leave all three options open so I can finally decide when I'm applying to colleges in 12th grade (im in 11th grade now). As of now my course selection is :

HL math

HL Physics

HL Chemistry

SL B French

SL Economics

SL Literature 

 

The problem is that because of the nature of the teachers my schedule is almost incredibly boring and extremely dry. It just seems extremely unmotivating that I'll be stuck in this for the next two years. So I was thinking of making this my new schedule.

 

HL math

HL chemistry

HL economics

SL abnitio SPanish

SL literature

SL theatre

 

Would the decision of dropping HL physics affect me a lot in applying to engineering, or would it be smarter to drop Chemistry? I'm at a stage where I can change my whole schedule and even switch to the AP curriculum if needed without it being recorded on my transcript (Its the first week of school) 

 

Thanks any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Edited August 31, 2014 by Shashank Shekhar

[Emmi]

Hi! I fully have not decided what to study in college and this is causing me alot of problems. I have narrowed it down to engineering science, Chemistry with Management, or a Computer Science Course. Ideally i would want to take courses which would leave all three options open so I can finally decide when I'm applying to colleges in 12th grade (im in 11th grade now). As of now my course selection is :

HL math

HL Physics

HL Chemistry

SL B French

SL Economics

SL Literature 

 

The problem is that because of the nature of the teachers my schedule is almost incredibly boring and extremely dry. It just seems extremely unmotivating that I'll be stuck in this for the next two years. So I was thinking of making this my new schedule.

 

HL math

HL chemistry

HL economics

SL abnitio SPanish

SL literature

SL theatre

 

Would the decision of dropping HL physics affect me a lot in applying to engineering, or would it be smarter to drop Chemistry? I'm at a stage where I can change my whole schedule and even switch to the AP curriculum if needed without it being recorded on my transcript (Its the first week of school) 

 

Thanks any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

 

You should keep physics regardless of which option you end up choosing. All three options will use physics; computer science will use it a bit less, but chemistry and engineering will use it a lot, and not taking it will probably hurt you if you're aiming for UK universities. You should take the first option if you can. If you're saying it's going to be dry, that's kind of too bad, because they're important prerequisites. And every single semester I've been in uni for engineering or chemistry (this is my fifth semester) I have taken a math class, a chemistry class, a physics or engineering class, and that will be your schooling if you choose to go to school in engineering or chemistry, and similar for computer science (minus the chemistry of course).

 

Whether that's going with the first schedule, or switching to AP courses, it's up to you. I'm not going to make the decision for you, but consider the quality of the teachers in each program and which style of learning and examination you prefer.

[SAN]

Can I be admitted to US universities in industrial engineering by having Chemistry HL, math SL, but no physics?

 

*note I'm not aiming for those of higher ranked universities nor lower ranked ones.  

 

Will there be a remarkable difference (in admitting in US universities) when having Math as HL

 

Thank you so much 

[Emmi]

Can I be admitted to US universities in industrial engineering by having Chemistry HL, math SL, but no physics?

 

*note I'm not aiming for those of higher ranked universities nor lower ranked ones.  

 

Will there be a remarkable difference (in admitting in US universities) when having Math as HL

 

Thank you so much 

 

I'm assuming that you're interested in schools that aren't in the top 10, but at least ranked in the top 50. For these middle-tier universities, such as the one I go to, you probably will be admitted, but I can't guarantee that it's the case everywhere. Then again, I didn't enter the university as a prospective engineering major so it may be different since you are applying with the intention of doing industrial engineering.

 

I always recommend people to take HL math or an equivalent course, but not having it isn't the end of the world. SL math is usually okay to enter an engineering program, but you'll start in a first semester math course teaching single variable calculus most likely, instead of further along. Since you're not applying to the top programs you'll likely be okay, because SL math at least covers some calculus and advanced math topics. Again, this may vary among universities but overall  you should be okay.