Guidance for high school students
Preparing to study engineering in college: A resource for students, parents, and college counselors
What is Engineering?
Engineering is the application of the principles of math and science to solve problems that affect humanity. These solutions may involve the design of a new structure, machine, process, or network, or they may require a more conceptual approach involving the computing, information, and decision sciences. As such, engineering is less about making scientific discoveries (figuring out how the world already works) and more about designing novel and creative ways to address the needs of society (figuring out how the world could work).
Suggested Reading
The Essential Engineer: Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global Problems by Henry Petroski (Knopf 2010).
Nuts and Bolts: Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way) by Roma Agrawal (W.W. Norton, 2023).
Studying Engineering in College
Studying engineering in college can be a highly rewarding foundation for many paths in life. You will be able to enter the practice of engineering, pursue engineering research, have superb preparation for all sorts of analytical fields, and do just about anything else to which you aspire. To study engineering, however, you need to acquire strong preparation. You should take rigorous courses in high school, but if you find that your school’s offerings in math and the physical sciences are limited, you may need to extend your coursework to include other forms of study. These may include courses at your local college or online courses offered through various platforms.
Although Princeton and comparable institutions generally do not prescribe specific admission requirements or a fixed high school program of study, our experience as engineering educators allows us to identify important considerations in preparing to study engineering at our schools.
First a word of encouragement.
To some, the preparation described below might sound daunting. Please know that students have taken many and varied paths to engineering. Some students, including the dean of engineering at Princeton University, contemplated switching paths before going on to highly successful college years and careers. If foundational courses in subjects such as math and physics slow you down, please keep alive your passion for using those tools to solve problems for people and the planet. We need your combination of passion and perseverance. Admissions officers recognize it too.
Math
Study as much math as you possibly can in each of your four years of high school. Ideally, your math preparation will include calculus, but please do not neglect pre-calculus or algebra 2 since concepts from these subjects will return later in your engineering studies. If you have a choice between statistics and basic calculus in senior year, take calculus. If you exhaust the math courses at your high school, please consider taking further math at a local college or university during your senior year. There are also many online math resources that can complement or extend the subjects that you are studying at your high school, some of which are listed below.
It is important that you absorb math concepts and skills not just to score high on exams but also to apply them to problems you have not seen before. Ask your teachers for additional challenge problems to attempt and discuss. We would like you to feel confident about your math skills, since in college you will be asked to apply them to problems that you haven’t seen previously.
Physics
The calculus-based physics courses taken by engineering students during their first year in college presume a strong recent high school foundation in physics. Take a college-preparatory physics course in your junior or senior year that uses at least algebra in its calculations. Prior to junior year, you may not have adequate background in algebra and geometry for such a course. It does not have to be an AP course, but the more mathematically-rigorous the course the better. Ninth-grade general-science that some high schools call physics is not adequate preparation by itself for the college physics courses taken by engineering students. The importance of strong physics preparation cannot be overstressed.
Supplemental Resources
MITx Online catalog, and select Physics
DelftX: PreUniversity Physics (requires calculus preparation)
RiceX: Mechanics, Part I (calculus can be learned concurrently)
RiceX: Mechanics, Part II (calculus can be learned concurrently)
Chemistry
Chemistry is also part of the engineering curriculum at most colleges. You should take a rigorous chemistry course in addition to physics, although it does not substitute for preparation in physics. High school chemistry courses can also be very important for learning basic laboratory techniques that can be applied more broadly in college.
Other Science and Engineering Classes
Biology and related life sciences are becoming increasingly important in many areas of engineering. A strong foundation in basic concepts of biology at all levels of organization, from molecules to ecosystems, can provide an important complement to math and the physical sciences.
Some high schools offer courses in practical engineering. These courses can provide valuable insights into engineering practice and design. If you take such a course, take special note of how the principles of design differentiate engineering from the sciences. Such engineering courses should not substitute for courses in math and science but should be regarded as an enrichment to your curriculum. Ideally you will be able to apply what you have learned in math and physics to the projects that normally form the focus of such courses.
Literature, social studies, arts, and languages
Do not neglect literature, social sciences, arts, and languages. These subjects are important parts of an engineering education. The study of the humanities and social sciences will give you perspectives on the human experience that are essential to the education of an engineer. When they design solutions to human problems, engineers must understand the economic, historical, political, aesthetic, moral, and ethical frameworks in which they work. You will build a foundation in these areas by studying subjects like literature and history. Engineering is a global field of endeavor, and the study of languages will give you an appreciation of other cultures and values. Do not conclude that engineering is only about math, science, and computers.
Look for opportunities to write essays and to speak in class. Engineering graduates from our schools are distinguished by their ability to articulate their ideas well in written documents and in oral presentations. The only way to master these skills is to practice them.
Supplemental Resource
The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White (fourth edition online)
Using Computers
Computing is used in all engineering disciplines. While disciplines such as computer science and computer engineering deal expressly with computing in its various forms, all other engineering disciplines employ computers for data analysis, modeling, and visualization. We encourage you to acquire experience with computing in high school to whatever extent is possible. Even minimal exposure to programming, in any language, that enables you to write a simple program will give you confidence in your introductory computing course in college. It does not have to be formal study, and the language and operating system do not matter at this point (skills are transferable), but any experience that makes programming and computing less mysterious will be very useful as you learn how to use them in your engineering studies. There is more to computing than writing code, however. Take some time to become familiar with computer methods and principles such as operating systems and algorithms.
Updated by Peter Bogucki, July 2024