I changed my major from Business Economics to…Electrical Engineering

Photo by Philippe Bout on Unsplash

After my first year at UCLA as a Business Economics major, I changed my major to Electrical Engineering and I’ve gotten a lot of questions about this in the past. I will attempt to answer all (or at least most) of the questions I usually receive and I believe that this has been a long overdue explanation. I’d like to be thorough regarding my background, why I made this decision, whether it’s for everyone and my personal experience.

I. Why?

This is probably the longest section to address. There were a bunch of reasons why and I will try to condense them the best I can.

1. I come from India. I went to an Indian high school and starting from 8th grade, I trained to get into the top engineering college in India: IIT. However, in my sophomore year of High School I realized I had a passion for economics and policy through my involvement in my school’s Model UN team. Fast forward to senior year of High School, and I ended up applying abroad with the intention to pursue a degree in Business Economics at UCLA. In my first quarter at UCLA, I felt so out of place in my major. Writing papers and doing readings were not things I was used to or even liked. I loved Math, Physics, Chemistry and I always loved solving technical challenges. The sense of satisfaction I gained from understanding some of these hard subjects was unparalleled. This was one of the most important reasons I changed my major.
2. I always knew I wanted a career in Tech. Even if I did end up working in Finance, I had always been inclined to pursue something in FinTech. It just made more sense for me to acquire a more technical breadth to my education here at UCLA and the Economics degree is anything but that. Electrical Engineering would give me a very solid background in Math and would also require me to take a fair number of Computer Science classes. Having never studied CS before I came to college, I was unsure whether or not I’d enjoy it, which is why I chose Electrical Engineering over CS.
3. The people I met through my major had a massive impact on my decision. I am someone who is more collaborative than competitive. The power of collaboration in the long run is something that is always going to be more sustainable than competition. This is not to say that Engineering is not a competitive major. But I’ve never taken a single class in EE where I’ve worked all alone. The classes we take can be hard to a point where no one person has all the answers. No one hesitates to send me their notes if I miss class. I always have friends who save me seats. If I’m struggling with problem sets, I get classmates to help me. Upperclassmen always have my back with test-banks, homework solutions and old lab reports. All I have to do is ask and there is almost always someone ready to help me.
4. You’ve probably heard the saying “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room”. Well, I like being the dumbest person in the room so that there is no other person learning as much as I am. I have to do justice to paying $60,000 a year for an education and make sure I am learning as much as I possibly could. The opportunities that an Engineering degree was going to open for me were also enormous and I had more to gain than lose at the end of the day.

II. How?

The process is straightforward but not easy. To transfer to the Engineering School, one is required to reapply to the Engineering school. The prerequisite is to take 2 quarters of an “Engineering Workload” (Math, Physics and Chemistry classes) and have a GPA of 3.4 or higher (this requirement varies depending on the kind of Engineering you’d like to pursue, but these are the requirements for EE). Once you meet the minimum criteria, you write an essay explaining why you want to transfer and apply to HSSEAS in the few weeks that they accept applications for the transfer.

III. How rough has it been and will I be graduating on time?

Short answer: very rough, and yes I will be graduating on time. Long Answer:

It started off extremely rough. Halfway through my first quarter in the major, I was ready to quit and maybe do Cognitive Science or CS+Linguistics. The method of studying was so different and I just didn’t understand how I was spending all my time studying yet getting mediocre grades because as an Economics major, I was able to go out, do a lot of extracurriculars, have a social life and still get good grades. I didn’t have a lot of friends in EE . The imposter syndrome was unreal. I was convinced that I didn’t have a place in the major. I took more and more classes with every passing quarter (took six classes Winter Quarter of sophomore year) as a way of proving to myself that I could do this. This major has been the hardest thing I have possibly ever done in my life. My sophomore year was spent playing catch up to the rest of the students in terms of academics, extracurricular activities and leadership positions. It definitely drove me to a mentally and physically unhealthy place since I was constantly stressed and anxious, sleep deprived, and not physically active.

Taking more than the recommended number of classes per quarter and summer classes while also working, I will be graduating on time if all goes well. Given the choice, I would probably take it easier because it definitely took a toll on me and the last thing anyone wants is to burn out. No regrets though.

IV. What do you want to do with your new major?

I would ideally like to pursue a career in the intersection of Tech/Engineering and Finance/Business. I tend to get bored if something is purely technical or non-technical. I enjoy working with people and in teams because I come up with better solutions to challenges when I have the opportunity to bounce off of other people’s energies. That being said, I will be interning as a Product Manager this summer, which is something I believe will be a great fit for me. I hope to learn more about myself and the career this summer. I love a good technical challenge but at the end of the day I am still a very creative person. Being able to use both sides of my brain and both extremes of my personality to leverage intelligent solutions is something I see myself doing. Being at the intersection of seemingly unrelated fields and taking multidimensional approaches to problem solving is what I want to do.

That being said, EE is a great base for me to do anything I want because it equips me with a great work ethic, the ability to solve any challenge, and teaches me to work smarter than harder. I have learnt to manage my time better, prioritize commitments, confidently make tradeoffs and still strike a balance with being able to pursue things I deem important (such as travel, fitness, and having a healthy social life).

V. Do you ever regret it?

Personally, I am someone who never regrets doing something. I have more often regretted not doing something. I basically aspire to have it all and do it all, in short. I regret not being able to study abroad in Europe in my time at college, but I don’t regret choosing to pursue EE. What I regret is not being able to pursue Electrical Engineering and study abroad (a tad unrealistic). There are days when the going gets tough and I wonder if maybe my life would’ve been less stressful. But no, I don’t regret my decision one bit. It has shaped my current perspectives, ambitions, and work ethic so much and I can confidently say that it has been for the better. It’s a great feeling to be able to look back at your journey and be pleasantly surprised at how far you’ve gotten, and this is what I use as motivation to keep going.

I have had a long, winding road and it’s not close to done; it’s probably going to get longer and more winding but I look forward to it. I have by no means mastered the art of balancing my life with my work/academics but I constantly strive to. I would recommend this to people who are more driven by learning and growth than by numerical results (such as grades), which isn’t a good or bad thing, it’s just a personal preference. I have been thrown a lot of curveballs over my last three years here at UCLA but I have a rock solid support system of family, friends and mentors who have helped me brave challenges and roadblocks I never thought I could. So a huge thank you where it’s due and I’m excited to see what happens in the future.