Carly

AddedTuesday, August 7, 2018 at 11:59 AM

I want to be an enviornmental engineer but I’m worried I’ll fail Calculus 2 in college

I’m pretty good at math now but I’m only in 8th grade. I really like the idea of being an environmental engineer, but I’m worried I’ll struggle with the advanced math classes...are some schools easier than others? Or do all of them require a lot of math and I’ll just have to deal with it. Would environmental studies be easier?
  • Stacy Clark , AI Engineers
    Answered Tuesday, August 7, 2018 at 4:36 PM
    Hi Carly! It's great that you're thinking about this already! I'm going to tackle your question in three parts:
    
    (1) "Are some schools easier than others?"  -  Yes - some universities are harder than others, and some professors within a university are harder than others. Regardless of which university you choose, you'll have plenty of resources at hand to help make sure you understand the material - the internet, friends, classmates, professors, teaching assistants, and on-campus tutors. I wouldn't let fear of Calculus 2 keep you from considering Environmental Engineering as a college major. Everyone has to go through their core courses the first year or two before they get to take the good courses (in your case, Environmental Engineering courses).
    
    (2) "Or do all of them require a lot of math [...]?"  -  Regardless of the school you go to, you'll probably be required to take a few advanced math classes to get an accredited engineering degree. Like I mentioned above, you'll have lots of resources at hand to help you through these courses. If you're doing well with math now, then hopefully you won't have a hard time keeping up once you get to university. Once you've gotten your degree and get an engineering job, you'll be relying on your ability to think practically and collaborate with others than you'll be relying on your hard math skills.
    
    (3) "Would environmental studies be easier?"  -  I don't really know much about an Environmental Studies major, but I do have some advice around choosing a college major. Please don't choose a college major because it's easier than something else - choose a college major because it's something you are interested in AND it's practical. An engineering degree, for example, is practical because you'll most likely find a job in the field when you graduate without necessarily having a master's degree or PhD.