Team G's Survival Guide Part 2

Surviving an Identity Crisis: How to Choose Your Major

Time to choose what you want to do for the rest of your life at the ripe age of 18 years old, sounds easy right? Choosing your major comes with a lot of thought processes so don't be afraid to dive in.

First I think it's important to say that you are not alone. If I took a look at just my freshman/sophomore year roommates, out of all 5 of us, 4 of us have changed our major at least once. Changing your major or not knowing what you want to major in should not be seen as something that is bad and is actually extremely common.

The only time you should not change your major is because you think you “aren’t smart enough” or you don't think you “fit in” with the other people in your major. This is something that happens a lot more than it should with women in STEM. Thankfully for you, Penn State has this amazing Women in Engineering Program. Through here you will be exposed to all the great sides of engineering and even be able to participate in facilitated study groups which are run by a fellow woman in engineering who already took the course! 

Second, try things that will help you figure out what you like. You can do this by joining clubs that are related to your intended major or just through your EDSGN100 and first year seminar classes. A few clubs that are related to different majors would be Concrete Canoe Team, Engineers without Borders, Formulae Racing Team, Theme Park Engineering Group, and many more! Check out my fellow Team G Mentor Laura’s blog post for more information on how to get involved on campus and here is the link to engineering clubs at Penn State: https://www.engr.psu.edu/academics/organizations.aspx

In addition, you will know when you choose the right major but it may not come right away. I changed my major my first semester freshman year but did not really feel completely confident about it till this past year, which was my junior year. It is normal to not be completely sure of your major but just know that your degree in engineering could take you into all different types of work and you will likely find a good fit for you.

Now another issue I had while trying to choose my major was how other people were going to think of me. My whole family would always ask me about school and ask so many questions about what I wanted to do with my degree.  I found my major by talking to my physics professor about my interests and he suggested that I looked into Civil Engineering. The more people you talk to, the more ideas you can get and you have an amazing network of women that you can talk to right here in WEP!

Since I started at a branch campus, I did not know too many women in engineering so I joined my branch campus’ Society of Women Engineers. Through there I became friends with the President of the organization, Alex Kuma. That name may sound familiar because Alex is a mentor for Team A! Alex helped me get involved in the campus and it showed me how much it helps to have a fellow women engineer to go through everything with. I definitely recommend talking to as many WEPO mentors and leads as you can and see who may be most helpful for you! The WEPO team is filled with all types of engineers so don't be afraid to ask around the different fields and see what you like.

Finally, do not rush your decision process and do not wish any other path because if you do, it will make it harder to find what you truly want. As much as I wish I had a clear vision of my future when I entered college, I would have never met some of the amazing people I did if that was the case.

Erica Luongo
Team G Mentor