Depends on the type of engineering. But you will do *lot's* of math, physics - hard sciences. Engineering APPLIED sciences. But there is Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical, Sofware, Packaging...what sort of Engineering do you want? Go SOFTWARE engineering....and you'll have ehigh paying jobs waiting for you. Go physics..and you will become a public school teacher unless you want to go through and get your PhD.

I would say they are equally challenging in different ways. Choosing your major based on perceived difficulty is likely to end poorly. Things will seem less difficult if you enjoy them more and being a good engineer doesn't necessarily make you a good physicist and vice verse. Also, keep in mind that you can do more with a BS in engineering than Physics, in general.

With that being said, not including class time, I probably spent around 15 hours a week on homework with occasional bursts of 40 hours for large projects.

MS in Electrical Engineering, for reference.

@CM

What subjects do you enjoy? What hobbies do you have?

what abge said. Base your choice on what you like doing, or you will struggle to care enough to apply yourself. Even worse would be suffering through it, getting your degree and hating your new profession. You're going to spend 8 hours a day, 5 days a week (ish) applying your degree, so if you don't enjoy it what's your motivation to get up in the morning.

I now have a major in computer science and another in elec eng, the elec eng degree almost consumed my soul I disliked it that strongly.

I enjoy math, but really just the learning of math rather than the doing of math. I hate repetitively doing the same math problems in homework when I already get it. I like science too, especially physics. I also have an engineering class this year, part of a special program I'm in, and it uses an introductory college engineering textbook. We haven't done that much so far, but I have enjoyed what we've done, even when I had to do some math (it was basically just algebra 1 level math though).
Hobby-wise, I bowl, I'm in chess club, I wanted to be in robotics club but it was too much money and required too much commitment. Those are really my only hobbies. I'm interesting in learning to program though, so that could be another hobby.

"I enjoy math, but really just the learning of math rather than the doing of math."

I'm not sure I understand what that means...

Do you want to learn as much as you can about the universe (Physics) or do you want to learn some things and apply that knowledge to making things (Engineering)? A gross simplification, I know.

Do you enjoy photocopying? How about filling out paper work? If so, engineering is the job for you.
Picture office space. Except without the hilarity.

Thats my stapler

Just do what I did - Try the ole engineering thing for a semester then decide I hate this and get a degree in econ and finance. It's working out splendidly for me ;)

"Do you want to learn as much as you can about the universe (Physics) or do you want to learn some things and apply that knowledge to making things (Engineering)?" Well that's kinda what I'm trying to decide.

"I'm not sure I understand what that means..." I enjoy learning about math and new math concepts, but I don't enjoy having to do 20 problems where I have to find the derivative of a function (the long way). Although if the little bit of engineering I've had this year is any indication, I do enjoy doing math more if it has an actual purpose, rather than just mindlessly repeating the same basic problem over and over again.

@CM - In the real world (after you finish school), you will use software and calculators to do the applied mathematics in engineering fields except software engineering where your job can be to create the software the other engineering professionals use.

If you really want to be a physicist, double major for your BS in an engineering field you think you will enjoy so you have a backup career path should the physics not pan out. Don't dodge the work. College is about readying yourself for life, not partying. The most successful folks in their respective fields will tell you to focus and get everything you can out of your schooling.

By applying that knowledge, of course, it is meant that you will apply the knowledge in a very rote way without the capability of thinking creatively or outside the narrow bounds of your technical field.

BS in engineering gets you on the job market lots of places, BS in physics not nearly as much (to really get good physics jobs, you gotta wind up with a PhD first)

For my EE degree, I had about 15-20 hrs a week on hwk with one or two semesters that were closer to 40hrs a week (particularly time intensive labs), but I was taking full or beyond full loads those semesters to finish in 4 years (seems EE degrees are dragging out to 5 years more and more these days)..

Conversely, my physics/math double major roommate spent about 20-25 hrs per week and he walked on to the Division 1 baseball team at our school his first semester of sophomore year only to decide that he'd have to pick 2 or 3 at best of baseball, academics, sleep, and college life, so he ditched the baseball.


Anyways, if you enjoy theory and proofs, physics is likely to have more appeal, but if you enjoy tinkering and building stuff, I'd go engineering. Software or computer engineering will leave you doing lots of coding (some hardware for computer), electrical engineering imo has the widest range of applications (robotics being my favorite and my area of research), and I'd also recommend checking into mech E and aerospace. The chemical/medical/bio engineering disciplines is a whole world I don't know or claim to know, and civil engineers build targets... er no offense to any civvies out there. (Actually most civvies I know are working water and green energy projects).

If you can, tour the various engineering and physics departments at the school(s) you are considering attending, and see what research is going on (and whether they let undergrads participate in research!!) as well as what lab space they have. Many schools have an open house day where you can see what kinds of things the students get to do at that school and talk to professors etc. If they don't, then call up and see if they have any students who would be willing to give tours. We do about 20 tours a semester through our robotics lab at my school. If you do get a tour (mine happened to be from the chair of the department) ask lots of questions.

Also, the Engr/Physics classes don't really kick in until your second or third semester so you can usually take the intro classes your first semester to get a taste.

Both degrees require hard work, dedication, and commitment, so you have to go in preferably with an interest in the field, and with an expectation that they are not easy degrees and will require sticking with it to succeed.

And you get to be as creative as you choose in just about whatever field you choose, despite what Putin says.

Don't listen to Putin. Most engineers are incredibly creative.

If you have a problem doing a lot of math, physics probably isn't for you. Most physics worth doing now is almost exclusively math. That goes for a lot of engineering too. You should be prepared to take at least 5 pure math courses and another 5 engineering courses that are really just math classes in disguise.

You will have variety though and not tons of rote repetition like HS math..

Beware that most engineering programs are pretty much laid out so that there are a ton of prereqs that you have to take one after another and some are only offered certain semesters, so have fun not taking any courses except courses you need for engineering.

If you don't know what you want to do, don't get a technical/engineering degree. Once you discover you hate it it'll be too late.

Its true that your schedule is pretty firm in engineering. But you can still easily get a minor in an unrelated field if you want. You'll know if you're cut out for engineering by the first or second year which is more than enough time to get a liberal arts degree.

If you're having a really hard time deciding, I'd recommend going Mechanical or Electrical. Those offer the most flexibility in terms of changing major and in job opportunities afterwards. If you get a chance to program some and enjoy that, Computer Engineering isn't a bad choice either.

I think I'm leaning towards engineering. I think they're both interesting, though I do think physics is a bit more interesting, but with physics, if I don't get into graduate school I'd end up having to be a teacher most likely, and if I do get into graduate school I've heard it's extremely hard. Plus engineering pays better and the college workload doesn't seem any harder than physics would be.

A good way to get an idea about the different kinds of engineering would be to go to a good school's website (MIT, Stanford, Georgia Tech) and look at the different courses offered for each degree.

Yeah right now I'm looking at UCLA electrical engineering program. I want to go to Stanford but I doubt I'll get in (the valedictorian at my school last year didn't even get in). I want to either go to Berkeley or UCLA. Also, later this year as a part of the program I'm in, I'll get to job shadow an engineer, so that will give me a good idea of my interest level.

Honestly, I don't think Stanford is worth the money for undergrad.

I should clarify that to say I don't think *any* school is worth more than $25k/year for undergrad.

I'm a math/physics double major, and I love it. All my classes are driven by cool ideas, and I get to think about crazy shit all day. The workload isn't too bad at all; just use facebook 2 hours a day instead of 6. As far as jobs go, I don't know too many engineers since I go to a liberal arts college, but at least for me and my math and physics friends, the pitch to either a grad school or a company is that you can figure things out (and by taking math and physics you do learn how to think). I worked for a pharmaceutical company last summer and on wall street this summer, neither of which are directly related to what I am learning in school, but the companies i worked for knew that I could figure it out. Grad schools know this too. Math majors have the highest LSAT and GMAT scores out of any major.

So basically you should do engineering if you love it. But doing math or physics keeps your options much more open and you learn cooler stuff (in my opinion).

Cm..I am CURRENTLY hiring Engineers (Electrical and Software) to devise, design and produce the next generation:
*
automotive communication systems
* Driver assist / crash avoidance systems
* multi-vehicle networked systems
* etc

Wen assholes like Putin tell you bullshit...forget him and talk to people IN THE INDUSTY.

SELF-driving vehicles are within a genertion. 'i.e. Less traffic jams, the end of fatal crashes, etc.


what a time to be an engineer!!! Ad ignore the "I'm still a student" kids....because they don,t know any more than you do. But some of us re IN the industry. I'm ex.engineer...now technical-engineering recruiter. Times are HOT HOT HOT FOR engineers.

@krellin

I'm pretty sure current students are going to have much more up-to-date information on course work load than someone who's been out of college for over two decades...