Should I consider looking for another major?

I am currently a freshman in college and will be transferring to my dream engineering school (Georgia Tech) to get my bachelors degree (just that for now) in Biomedical Engineering and teach it someday. I had very good grades in high school (both in PR and GA) and have good grades now in college although Calc 1 is making me doubt how good at math I am and how much I love it and chemistry, man I can't wait to move on to physics just to escape chem. I know things will just get harder with physics and Calc 2 and it makes me think this is just not for me. If that is my mentality right now as a freshman, should I think about saving myself from massive debt in Georgia Tech and facing more headaches with Calc classes and just try to find something else I am interested in?

Areas of Impact Education , Medicine

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Sarah Foster , STEM Like a Girl

Answered Friday, April 20, 2018 at 11:58 AM

Hi Marielisa,

Congrats on getting into your dream school!!  I completely understand questioning yourself and I felt the same way my first year of college!  I went from being one of the smartest in my classes in high school to struggling with chemistry and calculus in undergrad.  I have two thoughts for you:

1.  Think about the end goal and what you ultimately want to do as your career.  Can you picture yourself happy with any other career besides biomedical engineering?  Do you think you would regret not going to Georgia Tech and dropping the engineering degree?  If you truly love engineering and can't imagine a career doing something else, then use that as motivation to get through the tough classes and work even harder to get where you want to be.  Try not to focus on the difficulties in the short term and focus on the end goal!

2.  There are A LOT of prerequisite classes in the first two years of undergrad before you get into the focused engineering classes.  I remember thinking "I just want to learn real engineering....that's why I'm here!" All those foundation classes like chemistry and calculus in the first two years, prepare you for the focused engineering classes you will get to take in your junior and senior years.  That's when the real fun begins and you will see how the prerequisite classes lay the groundwork for the actual engineering classes.  

I know it isn't easy and I definitely doubted myself often but I'm so glad I stuck with it because I wouldn't have the career or experiences I have if I switched to a different major.  The struggle and hard work it takes makes it feel even more rewarding when you finally accomplish your goals!

Good luck,
Sarah