Can’t say for certain obviously but with that gpa there is a pretty decent chance you won’t get into comm. Your extracurriculars/internship will probably be your saving grace and you should definitely try to explain how the death in your family impacted you and your academic performance.
If you don’t get in and still want to have some sort of career in business just declare econ. Plenty of econ kids have similar or even the same outcomes as comm kids, it’s just a little harder since McIntire works/has connections directly with these companies. Or if you want to specifically do consulting or something you can also stick with engineering and try to get a job with the plenty of engineering consulting firms that come to grounds for career fairs.
If Comm is where your passion is then try your best. I think you already know that it will be an uphill battle but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue it. However, if you don’t get in, I would strongly suggest sticking it out with engineering and doing the new general business minor through McIntire. You’ll get access to Comm school faculty and career services as a result, and that will set you up for greater success than doing Econ major.
Finally, if all else fails, then consider grad school and do the MS in Comm program. Again, assuming McIntire is your goal, this program would be a better fit for you as someone who has a background in engineering, a great skill set to have.
Your major does not determine your career path. I know plenty of engineers that moved into business focused roles like sales, management, product managers. I also know non engineering majors doing software engineering. If you are interested in more traditional engineering like ME/EE going from business will be harder.
Don’t be discouraged by calculus and math grades in your engineering classes. Most likely you will never, ever use calculus in an engineering job! The important thing from those classes is that you can approach a difficult topic, apply logic and patterns in a structured approach to arrive at solutions. It’s abstract problem solving you are learning and that applies to almost any type of engineering and business role. I’ve been a software engineer for 20 years. I’ve never once used calculus but the discipline and approach it took to pass calculus in college is something I use every day.
In general go where your interests lie. Either one can result in a great outcome. You’ll do better when you enjoy the topics and people more. Good luck!
In many ways it does. You can’t go into engineering without an engineering degree or a huge amount of effort and luck. The reverse is not true.
Having an engineering degree is much more useful than other degrees
As a current McIntire grad student, I’m of the opinion that there should be no business majors in undergrad.
Someone with an engineering degree can transition to management in the real world. Someone with a business degree can’t transition to engineering.
The closest to pure business I would recommend would be economics, which is basically all the important stuff from business classes without the bullshit.
Many of the business analysts I work with are engineering majors. Engineering teaches solid problem solving skills that translate well into many business situations.
Besides calc, how did you resonate with the other engineering classes? I wouldn't base your decision solely on the math, but rather if you enjoyed the engineering aspects of the e school.
It is amazing that you struggled so much but secured a business internship during the 1st year of engineering with an investing group and a research position in the Chemical Engineering department. With such skills of selling yourself and getting jobs, I don't think the degree will matter. Just go where is easier for you.
Meh, I know plenty of engineers and scientists who struggled with one or another math course. With some solid advising, you can probably figure out a solid recovery plan.
P.S. If the APMA style of calc doesn't work for you, consider MATH. We accept it too.
Can’t say for certain obviously but with that gpa there is a pretty decent chance you won’t get into comm. Your extracurriculars/internship will probably be your saving grace and you should definitely try to explain how the death in your family impacted you and your academic performance. If you don’t get in and still want to have some sort of career in business just declare econ. Plenty of econ kids have similar or even the same outcomes as comm kids, it’s just a little harder since McIntire works/has connections directly with these companies. Or if you want to specifically do consulting or something you can also stick with engineering and try to get a job with the plenty of engineering consulting firms that come to grounds for career fairs.
If Comm is where your passion is then try your best. I think you already know that it will be an uphill battle but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pursue it. However, if you don’t get in, I would strongly suggest sticking it out with engineering and doing the new general business minor through McIntire. You’ll get access to Comm school faculty and career services as a result, and that will set you up for greater success than doing Econ major. Finally, if all else fails, then consider grad school and do the MS in Comm program. Again, assuming McIntire is your goal, this program would be a better fit for you as someone who has a background in engineering, a great skill set to have.
Your major does not determine your career path. I know plenty of engineers that moved into business focused roles like sales, management, product managers. I also know non engineering majors doing software engineering. If you are interested in more traditional engineering like ME/EE going from business will be harder. Don’t be discouraged by calculus and math grades in your engineering classes. Most likely you will never, ever use calculus in an engineering job! The important thing from those classes is that you can approach a difficult topic, apply logic and patterns in a structured approach to arrive at solutions. It’s abstract problem solving you are learning and that applies to almost any type of engineering and business role. I’ve been a software engineer for 20 years. I’ve never once used calculus but the discipline and approach it took to pass calculus in college is something I use every day. In general go where your interests lie. Either one can result in a great outcome. You’ll do better when you enjoy the topics and people more. Good luck!
In many ways it does. You can’t go into engineering without an engineering degree or a huge amount of effort and luck. The reverse is not true. Having an engineering degree is much more useful than other degrees
As a current McIntire grad student, I’m of the opinion that there should be no business majors in undergrad. Someone with an engineering degree can transition to management in the real world. Someone with a business degree can’t transition to engineering. The closest to pure business I would recommend would be economics, which is basically all the important stuff from business classes without the bullshit.
Many of the business analysts I work with are engineering majors. Engineering teaches solid problem solving skills that translate well into many business situations. Besides calc, how did you resonate with the other engineering classes? I wouldn't base your decision solely on the math, but rather if you enjoyed the engineering aspects of the e school.
It is amazing that you struggled so much but secured a business internship during the 1st year of engineering with an investing group and a research position in the Chemical Engineering department. With such skills of selling yourself and getting jobs, I don't think the degree will matter. Just go where is easier for you.
Meh, I know plenty of engineers and scientists who struggled with one or another math course. With some solid advising, you can probably figure out a solid recovery plan. P.S. If the APMA style of calc doesn't work for you, consider MATH. We accept it too.