Say YES to the Major

Hi!
I'm Kylie Sheplock Sheplock. This will be my 5th WEPO!!! However, it still seems like yesterday that I walked into the Atherton Hotel doors for the first time. I also remember being covered in sweat from moving into my dorm room (not very attractive!).Then I remember walking over to group C, where I soon found out that we were all hopeful Civil Engineers. At that moment, being 18 years old, I thought I was going to be a Civil engineer because I thought I had to know right at that moment.


Well I am here today to tell you that you don’t need to know what you want to do the moment you walk into college. It is perfectly fine to select a discipline that interests you, but don’t stop there!! Talk to your mentors: find out what they do, where they worked, and what they like about their majors. In addition, I would recommend taking advantage of the major nights offered throughout the fall semester. Each engineering major holds an information session about the program. Often, current students in that major are their to share experiences and answer questions. Furthermore, every major has an adviser that is well qualified to answer questions and give advice. 


Another thing that I learned is: It is 100% ok to change your major within engineering. There are many students that change within their first 2 years of engineering classes, including myself. After talking to many students, advisors and researching I finally said “Yes” to the major. The major that I chose was biological engineering and I have loved it every minute since I had said yes! I had a Co-op with Kellogg last year, which insured me I was doing what I love! This summer I am working for Campbell Soup.


I would have missed out on finding my true passion if I did not explore everything else out there! So go out and try on all the engineering disciplines before you say “Yes” to the major.

Kylie Sheplock is a fifth year in Biological Engineering. This summer Kylie is working in NC for Campbell's Soup. Kylie serves at the Lead Rover for WEPO 2012.