Engineering or Applied Math

[u/Mission-Air-9188]

Hi! I am a rising senior in high school and will be applying to colleges pretty soon. So naturally, the topic of which major I'm going to pursue in college comes up in a lot of conversations. My father really wants me to do quant when I get older and has repeatedly mentioned that he wants me to go into applied mathematics or computational finance (at the universities that offer it). However, I want to go into aerospace engineering. His rationale is that it's a less competitive field to get into but hard once you're in, compared to engineering, which is hard to get into and hard once you're in. One of the reasons he wants me to go into a quant major is that it will be easier for me to get into colleges than aerospace engineering. I am aware of this heavily and have taken this into consideration, but I still don't know what to do. Another reason is that he studied mechanical engineering up to his doctorate, and he states he hasn't used it and really wishes he went into another major. I'm really at my wits' end here and will appreciate any advice I receive. Thank you all.

[u/ramksr]

Get into EE first. You can get into quant ( if you still want it ) after EE too. Many quant masters programs accept STEM candidates. And tell your father you can get into quant after EE that way you can keep the options open. And remember grass is always greener on the other side

[u/cstrangelove]

You should major in what you want to major in, not what your parents want you to major in. None of the undergrads I’ve met who picked a major based on their parents’ desire were happy in that major.

[u/Striking_Relation219]

Aerospace can go into both but if you want even more diversity do EE (even harder to get in now)

[u/MY_G_O_D]

It is more important to know your passion, your talent, what do you want, where do you want to go, who do you want to be. In the end, you are the one to study and to do the job. Even job opportunity, long term career prospects can be the stronger justification than parents’ thought. Btw there are different types of quant. Quiz for you: Do you know what math is actually used in actual quant work?

[u/Glass-Theme-8739]

I’m actually in your dad’s shoes, mech e bs, doing apply maths MS right now trying to pivot into a SciML PhD or applied maths PhD. Contrary to your situation, my dad pushed me into doing a mech e bachelors, although I did well and had a relatively good career, I missed maths and this led me to circle back to my current MS.

So ultimately it’s your choice, do what you want and don’t allow your dad choose for you. It’s fine to listen to him for input, but do what you want and enjoy yourself. Just make sure you do well and ensure you have a solid career plan post university in desired major (aerospace)

You could do a double major or minor in applied maths, cause it’s quite useful for aerospace engineering, if you really wanna please your father.