Courses in the six departments housed in the E-Quad are consistently considered among the toughest offered at the University. Many students who make the switch from the engineering to the A.B. program, however, say that their decisions are not due to the rigor of the curriculum but the lackluster prerequisites for the engineering departments.
Of the 1,230 freshmen who entered the University in the fall, 259 were registered as engineers, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Affairs Peter Bogucki said. During the fall semester, 21 engineers became A.B. students. But there was no net loss: 21 A.B. students became engineers.
Since the start of the spring term, Bogucki said, another 14 students have dropped engineering, leaving 245 freshmen in the program. Nonetheless, he wrote in an email, "[the freshman class] is still the largest engineering class ever."
Many make the change because they realize their true interests do not lie within the engineering school's offerings, while others are too frustrated with the school's requirements to continue the engineering program.
Claire-Marine Sarner '10 said she is often "tempted to quit" engineering but keeps giving herself "another chance." Her course load this year, like that of most freshmen engineering students, is heavy on introductory classes in math, physics, computer science and chemistry, the prerequisites for many classes within the engineering school.
Because of the general engineering requirements, engineers often don't get to take their first departmental class until sophomore year, though engineers are expected to declare their majors by the end of freshman year.
"There are B.S.E.'s dropping out before even taking any real engineering classes," Keith Cochrane '08, a civil and environmental engineering major, said. "[It's because of the] poor teaching in the introductory math and physics classes, [which] make them almost insufferable."
But many engineers are gluttons for punishment, taking pride in having survived tough introductory classes.
Brandon Lowden '09, an electrical engineering major, said he thinks students passionate about engineering push through the prerequisite courses with an understanding of what they'll be able to do with their knowledge. "I think anyone who really enjoys engineering, as I do, would be willing to take those classes in order to take more interesting courses later on," he said.
The need for engineers to develop a strong foundation from introductory classes during freshman year also means that students often spend a semester or more fulfilling requirements rather than following their passions.
"It's frustrating to me now, after I've switched to A.B.," Megan Thompson '09 said. She was a civil and environmental engineering major, but decided to leave engineering. She plans to major in sociology and get a certificate in environmental studies. "There are all these classes I could have been taking, except I was busy struggling through these intense introductory math and physics courses instead."
Sarner said that the engineering school's requirements "prevented me from taking a lot of other classes I would have enjoyed [this year]." In addition to fulfilling engineering school requirements, freshman engineers must also take writing seminars.
Beyond these required courses, however, Bogucki doubts that getting a B.S.E. is actually tougher than getting an A.B.
"Some students might have the perception that since the B.S.E. program requires 36 courses and the A.B. program [only requires] 31 that there is a huge difference in course load," he said. But the total of 36 courses for the B.S.E. includes engineers' independent work, while A.B. students' independent work does not count toward their 31 course requirement.
Other students opt to become engineers after experiencing a semester or two in the A.B. program — sometimes because they want to work harder.
"I decided to switch to B.S.E. when I realized how analytical and essay-based the A.B. program is," Ben Koczwarski '10 said. "Even though I like analyzing things, I prefer to understand them completely first, which is what B.S.E. does. The logic of B.S.E. is easier to follow than the theory of A.B."
But Koczwarski understands the work he'll have to shoulder as an engineer.
"I get the impression that the workload is greater," he added. "Then again, weekly assignments make the work is more regular in B.S.E., so it's easier to predict how much work you'll have to do rather than guessing about a random essay."
One of his roommates, Alex Cook '10, also just switched into the B.S.E. program to major in operations research and financial engineering. "I think the engineering school will help me build on my work ethic and become a better critical thinker."
And, as Cochrane said, engineers "are getting, in my opinion, a more useful degree."
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