This article in the New York Times today caught my attention: “Why Science Majors Change Their Minds (It’s Just So Darn Hard).”

We’re all about technology B2B here at McBru, so we focus the majority of our marketing efforts on engineering types. Through research we’ve conducted and analyzed, we know the U.S. falls behind other countries in the number of new engineers entering the field. This article offered some insight into the educational system and how many colleges and universities are geared toward weeding out math and science majors early on, rather than trying to retain and nurture them.

The journalist profiled one such student, Matthew Moniz, who bailed out of the engineering program at Notre Dame in the fall of his sophomore year:

He had been the kind of recruit most engineering departments dream about. He had scored an 800 in math on the SAT and in the 700s in both reading and writing. He also had taken Calculus BC and five other Advanced Placement courses at a prep school in Washington, D.C., and had long planned to major in engineering.

But as Mr. Moniz sat in his mechanics class in 2009, he realized he had already had enough. “I was trying to memorize equations, and engineering’s all about the application, which they really didn’t teach too well,” he says. “It was just like, ‘Do these practice problems, then you’re on your own.’ ” And as he looked ahead at the curriculum, he did not see much relief on the horizon.

So Mr. Moniz, a 21-year-old who likes poetry and had enjoyed introductory psychology, switched to a double major in psychology and English, where the classes are “a lot more discussion based.” He will graduate in May and plans to be a clinical psychologist. Of his four freshman buddies at Notre Dame, one switched to business, another to music. One of the two who is still in engineering plans to work in finance after graduation.

Mr. Moniz’s experience illustrates how some of the best-prepared students find engineering education too narrow and lacking the passion of other fields. They also see easier ways to make money.

Hopefully with enough awareness of this issue, the education system in the U.S. will work harder to engage its math and science majors so our next generation of engineers can thrive.

Also, don’t forget to ‘fall back’ this weekend and set your clocks back on Saturday night. Enjoy your extra hour of sleep!

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