Trajectories, Transitions, and T2M: How the FYE Program Helped Me Rewrite My Story

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This story starts in 2018. At 13 years old, I watched the movie Interstellar for the first time. It was ambitious as it was whimsical, and I was swept up in all the possibilities the universe had to offer. And thus, my heart was set: I would be the person building the things that would help us explore each and every single one of those possibilities. 


So naturally, when filling out my college application for Purdue, I happily clicked on the “Aerospace Engineering” button when asked which major I would be interested in. This is what I had wanted throughout my high school career!


Of course, Purdue in West Lafayette doesn’t admit first-year students directly into their desired engineering majors. Students are admitted to first-year engineering and complete first-year requirements before going through the Transition to Major (T2M) process, through which students enroll in a specific engineering major.


As I navigated my first few months at Purdue, I remained confident in my choice to pursue aerospace engineering. I made sure to complete all the pre-requisite courses, as well as get involved in events such as Purdue Space Day. However, as my second semester rolled in, I began the process of selecting a major to transition to. For me, this required attending different “Engineering Your Major” events, in which all students are required to attend a number of information sessions about engineering majors. I found myself learning about majors such as environmental engineering and nuclear engineering, about the wide variety of courses they offer and the impact that they have on the world around me. 


I began to reflect on my thought process: What am I interested in? I knew I was interested in space, but I was also passionate about other areas such as the environment. I then attended a fair a couple weeks later where each engineering major hosted a booth in which I could go up and talk to upperclassmen. I met undergraduate students not only in majors I had been considering, such as aerospace engineering and computer engineering, but in fields such as acoustical engineering and theatre engineering, all of whom were making real impact with the projects they were working on. I finally made my way to the mechanical engineering booth, where I talked to a student representative. They told me about all the various projects they worked on, as well as the different ME electives in fields such as aerospace, automation, and energy. 


I began to realize that no matter what I chose to do, Purdue offered me so many opportunities that would allow me to craft a path for myself that was uniquely my own. Ultimately, I ended up selecting mechanical engineering as my first choice, as I desired to take classes with a broader scope. Even though I wasn't on the path I had originally planned for myself, I knew mechanical engineering would still teach me the skills needed to explore all the possibilities of the universe and more.


If you had asked me at 13 whether I would’ve imagined myself doing this, I probably wouldn't have believed you. And now, as a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering, I look around and am fascinated by not only the material I’m learning, but by the opportunities I have to mold my career and make it my own. Of course, I have friends in aerospace engineering who enjoy their major as much as I enjoy mine, and they also attest how much the FYE program helped them learn about all the possibilities engineering had to offer. It’s okay to have your heart set on something, but just remember to keep an open mind!

                                                                    

Disha Kalia, ME '28

WELink Leadership Team

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