THE ENGINEERING School owes me one year of my life back. That's how I see it, at least. I spent my entire first year immersed in classes ranging from Material Science to Computer Science. The highest grade my entire first year was a "B," earned in Technology, Culture and Communication 101 - arguably, the Engineering School class that has the least to do with engineering.
But besides a low GPA and the pesky Vivarin addiction, I have very little to show for that year, at least education-wise. So despite the numerous lessons I've learned about drinking, extracurricular activities, roommates, social life, etc., the most valuable advice I can give you is to actually study something you enjoy - and not necessarily something you'll make money doing for a living.
Being an above-average student in math and science in high school, I was encouraged by my parents and teachers to apply to engineering schools. However, once I started in the E-School, and started taking classes, I found myself disinterested in the course material and almost at the point of failing my classes.
After a year, I transferred to the College, a grizzled ex-E-Schooler. I was hardly alone - historically, anywhere between 12 and 20 percent of students transfer out of the E-School after their first or second years.
For these students, the freedom of choice is confusing. After transferring out of the E-School, I had a conversation with a history professor - an informal advisor - that went something like this:
Professor: "What courses would you like to take?"
Me: "What courses do I have to take?"
Professor: "Well, what courses would you like to take?"
Me: "Well, what courses do I have to take?"
And so on. Now I'm a Politics/American Studies major, and actually studying courses I'm interested in. Granted, I've given up hope for a starting salary above $50,000 out of school, but I'm getting more out of my college education.
However, it's obviously much easier for well-off students to study what they want. Unfortunately, many are stuck choosing between following their desires and being able to support themselves after college.
What it ends up coming down to, though, is what you'll actually learn in College. I'm sure I could have limped through the E-School with a "C" average, and gotten a decent-paying job where I'd actually be able to pay off my student loans. But what struck me the most about my year in the E-School was how little I learned. It wasn't so much because of bad professors or poor facilities - it was because I just wasn't interested in what I was studying.
Not only did my grades reflect this, but what I learned did as well. Even with remedial physics and engineering courses, I would take away barely any knowledge - and very rarely anything practical or useful. But as I've come to find out, the benefit of studying something you're interested in is that learning and applying the knowledge is much easier.
However, the general atmosphere and dynamics of the E-School tend to cater to those truly interested in engineering - and help weed out those who enrolled based on the average starting salary. Ask any engineer about "grade inflation," and you'll probably hear a half-joking answer about air pressure and gas density.
Across Route 29 sits the McIntire School of Commerce, which, unlike the E-School, has heard of the concepts of grade inflation and hiring professors who speak English. But this is more of the same - people choosing their education for the wrong reasons. While a six-figure starting salary might be nice, it has nothing to do with the reasons why you're studying what you're studying.
This column is not meant to scare first years with a legitimate interest in engineering or commerce. It is, however, meant to scare those who enter a major or school - whether at the urging of parents or teachers or their own wallets - without considering where their interests lie.
This isn't to say that all commerce and engineering students graduate and go into their respective fields. Plenty of graduates don't do this, and acquire knowledge through their jobs. But if you end up going through the E-School or the Comm School just for the degree, you've wasted a college education.
This advice probably won't apply to many of you. Some have been programming computer code since the womb, and will feel right at home in the E-School. Others won't even need my advice, having decided long ago to major in philosophy and go on to become philosophy professors. But some would be surprised to find how large a factor economics is in deciding a school or major.
So, for those pondering a career in Civil Engineering, Computer Science or "Commerce," find out where your true desires lie, and follow your hearts. Just don't send me the bill.
(Brian Cook is a Cavalier Daily opinion editor. He can be reached at bcook@cavalierdaily.com.)
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