I'll be attending Auburn in the fall and have declared myself a Mechanical Engineering major. I've always loved tinkering with things (radios, cars, computers, toys) to see how they work, and my goal right now is to design rockets for NASA or weapons for the Army/Navy. I also really love school and enjoy studying if I have the time.
However, I seem to be facing a few issues: my first stems from horrible experiences in both PreCalculus and Physics my junior year - I made high B's in both classes, but I didn't actually learn anything- it just made me less confident in both subjects. This has made me somewhat wary of pursuing an engineering degree, as they are only the first of many difficult building blocks for the major.I have discussed this problem with several engineers from many disciplines, and they tell me "just study really hard, don't give up on your dream, and don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it."
But my second and biggest issue is, I'm not exactly "motivated" in a "it's my dream" sense because I know it's not my only option. I'm considering a degree in geology because I've loved studying rocks and how earth's components work, and from what I've researched job outlook and median pay is the same, if not better. I'm passionate about both subjects, but geology's approach to math and physics is slower (I'd take Chemistry first, then Calc/Physics my Sophomore/Junior year instead of my Freshman year if I did ME) and I already understand most of what it's about.
I think if I got a good professor that I could connect with, I'd be fine in Calculus and Physics, but the big "if" is keeping me up at night. I'm also in the Honors College, so classes will be harder and I will have to maintain a 3.0 GPA all while adjusting to college life. My folks want me to at least try engineering this fall, since AU does "intro to engineering" classes that allow me to explore every discipline offered, but am I really going to be successful if I know an easier route (that I love just as much) is just down the hill? I can picture myself building rockets for NASA, and I absolutely love that picture... But I can also see myself as a "rock nerd" predicting earthquakes out west or researching mineral compositions on asteroids like they've been talking about in the news (all outlooks are probably unrealistic, but hey... a girl can dream).
I apologize if this sounds like rambling, but I don't know how else to word it. I don't know what to do.
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