USMMA - Choosing a major?

Not sure why shipyard management needs more Calculus but less DiffEq ?!?!

DiffEq II is what separated the men from the boys so to speak.

When we were on quarters, I think it was straight deck was the only major that didn't take Calc IV. That was the deciding factor for some people.

Not passing a particular class may not have anything to do with intelligence.

I could not agree more that desire plays a significant role in success. I saw more than one person fail out of KP then be wildly successful elsewhere.
 
Going to KP as a deck major isn't worth it. I can say that, I'm in the program right now. You can find a more lucrative career path than the deck officer market pretty easy without the added friction of going to KP. The school has also gotten soft over the years.
 
Mr2020 said:
Going to KP as a deck major isn't worth it. I can say that, I'm in the program right now. You can find a more lucrative career path than the deck officer market pretty easy without the added friction of going to KP. The school has also gotten soft over the years.
Click to expand...
I assume you are an engine major. From your perspective which engine major is the most worthy going to KP? The Marine Engineering Systems and the Marine Engineering Shipyard Management majors graduates can both grow to Chief or Professional Engineer. The Marine Engineering looks like the least demanding major from the engine majors. Can you rank them based on what you have observed and in discussions with students or professors?
 
sunny_dreamer said:
Mr2020 said:
Going to KP as a deck major isn't worth it. I can say that, I'm in the program right now. You can find a more lucrative career path than the deck officer market pretty easy without the added friction of going to KP. The school has also gotten soft over the years.
Click to expand...
I assume you are an engine major. From your perspective which engine major is the most worthy going to KP? The Marine Engineering Systems and the Marine Engineering Shipyard Management majors graduates can both grow to Chief or Professional Engineer. The Marine Engineering looks like the least demanding major from the engine majors. Can you rank them based on what you have observed and in discussions with students or professors?
Click to expand...

I'm a deckie major. and I have done very well, getting nothing but gold stars every term. and I haven't wanted to be there for really any term. So whoever said you have to want it to do well is wrong.
 
Some mids change from one of the other two engine majors to Marine Engineering (straight engine) if they are having difficulty academically. I have never known anyone who went the other direction in a change of major. I am trying not to start a war here, just stating as tactfully as I can what I know from observation over the last 10 years.
 
Wow. Kudos to @Mr2020. You are deck major and recommending engine majors. Thank you for your honesty. @kpmom2013 - you are correct, there is no need for which one is better. There is a fit for everyone. Even if you don't like it you might need to finish it. I was trying to get different point of views and I think I got a pretty good picture. I like the crowd, which contributed to my discussion topic.
As of now my DS is leaning to engine. Here is the plan. Like @kpmom2013 suggested start with engineering systems. If too challenging switch to straight engine. Of course the plan can go down the drain if DS doesn't place well at the math test after indoc.
@Mr2020 - can you elaborate why you don't like your deck major?
 
The nice thing about KP is that the limited majors make it less likely that someone will be disappointed in their choice of major. There is a psychological downside when one had many choices in that if they start to question their choice they will look and see all these other choices that could have “been better”. When you really have only a couple of things to chose from one becomes more confident in their choice and less likely to question that choice.

I have found that there are very few who seriously consider they made the “wrong” major choice by the time graduation rolls around. There will be a handful that will switch, but that is a minority and I think it has to do with the personality types that would lean towards one or the other.

Like physically tinkering with things, the idea of working in hot environments, and like the idea of “fixing” mechanical things then you head towards engineering. Have more of a business penchant, like to stare aimlessly out windows for hours at a time, and want to be “in command” then maybe Deck is your thing. Now, these are very broad strokes so not a litmus test.

I was a deck major and sailed for a couple years after graduation. I found the job of a mate at sea to be mind-numbingly boring for 90% of the time. The shoreside deck jobs were much more interesting to me though. If I had continued sailing I would have probably thought more about the idea that engineering would have had been the better choice, but alas I went a completely different direction.
 
I was a MES major and have worked in various engineering capacities since graduation. Only once did I question my major. Over twenty years after graduation while working on a sea trial things were quiet so I went up on deck. I walked up to the bow, water was calm, air was cool, breeze blowing, birds flying by, everybody's cloths were clean except mine. For that brief moment I thought, damn I should have gone deck. Then I headed back down to the engine room and went back to work.
 
KPEngineer said:
Not sure why shipyard management needs more Calculus but less DiffEq ?!?!

DiffEq II is what separated the men from the boys so to speak.

When we were on quarters, I think it was straight deck was the only major that didn't take Calc IV. That was the deciding factor for some people.

Not passing a particular class may not have anything to do with intelligence.

I could not agree more that desire plays a significant role in success. I saw more than one person fail out of KP then be wildly successful elsewhere.
Click to expand...

Man, no argument there. I kind of skated through until we got to Introduction to DiffEq. I am guessing that was Calc IV. Hardest C+ I ever had outside of Samuri MatSci. I remember the professor recommending that I take the DiffEq elective. Nah, my brain was full. . .
 
KP Eng said:
I was a MES major and have worked in various engineering capacities since graduation. Only once did I question my major. Over twenty years after graduation while working on a sea trial things were quiet so I went up on deck. I walked up to the bow, water was calm, air was cool, breeze blowing, birds flying by, everybody's cloths were clean except mine. For that brief moment I thought, damn I should have gone deck. Then I headed back down to the engine room and went back to work.
Click to expand...

Probably why I liked ocean towing as an engineer. Short walk out to the deck when the weather was nice. . . Clean clothes? My ex used to comment about my eau de Diesel whenever I came home. . . . .
 
sunny_dreamer said:
If too challenging switch to straight engine. Of course the plan can go down the drain if DS doesn't place well at the math test after indoc.
Click to expand...

It won't be 'too challenging'. If you are good for straight engine you inherently have the ability to do systems, the differentiating factor would be you are too lazy or disinterested to do the extra work. There is no deckie who can do straight but not logistics, they simply choose not to. If you only desire to sail after graduation it wouldn't make sense to do the extra stuff because everybody gets out with a 3rd Mate/Engineer Unlimited.

sunny_dreamer said:
@Mr2020 - can you elaborate why you don't like your deck major?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's dull and repetitive. Engineers tackle complicated problems in class while we mostly sit around and talk. It's better to understand the laws of the universe that make things run and use that to trouble shoot them than to just use stuff that works and you have no idea how.
 
cmakin said:
Man, no argument there. I kind of skated through until we got to Introduction to DiffEq. I am guessing that was Calc IV. Hardest C+ I ever had outside of Samuri MatSci. I remember the professor recommending that I take the DiffEq elective. Nah, my brain was full. . .
Click to expand...
I'm guessing CBK was your MatSci professor. I had him for both MatSci and Strengths. First day of SoM he says "you all think your so smart because you pass MatSci ... everybody pass MatSci, not everybody pass Strengths." Oh Eff! I thought I was screwed for sure. Proudest of a C- I've ever been especially considering there was only 5 grades above D. Having had Paquette for 4 quarters is what got me through Strengths. Paquette was hard as anything but still one of my favorite KP professors.
 
Mr2020 said:
sunny_dreamer said:
If too challenging switch to straight engine. Of course the plan can go down the drain if DS doesn't place well at the math test after indoc.
Click to expand...

It won't be 'too challenging'. If you are good for straight engine you inherently have the ability to do systems, the differentiating factor would be you are too lazy or disinterested to do the extra work. There is no deckie who can do straight but not logistics, they simply choose not to. If you only desire to sail after graduation it wouldn't make sense to do the extra stuff because everybody gets out with a 3rd Mate/Engineer Unlimited.

sunny_dreamer said:
@Mr2020 - can you elaborate why you don't like your deck major?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's dull and repetitive. Engineers tackle complicated problems in class while we mostly sit around and talk. It's better to understand the laws of the universe that make things run and use that to trouble shoot them than to just use stuff that works and you have no idea how.
Click to expand...
Why did the deckie cross the road? I don't know but he got three credits for it.
 
cmakin said:
KP Eng said:
I was a MES major and have worked in various engineering capacities since graduation. Only once did I question my major. Over twenty years after graduation while working on a sea trial things were quiet so I went up on deck. I walked up to the bow, water was calm, air was cool, breeze blowing, birds flying by, everybody's cloths were clean except mine. For that brief moment I thought, damn I should have gone deck. Then I headed back down to the engine room and went back to work.
Click to expand...

Probably why I liked ocean towing as an engineer. Short walk out to the deck when the weather was nice. . . Clean clothes? My ex used to comment about my eau de Diesel whenever I came home. . . . .
Click to expand...
Only time I questioned my major was when my classmates started becoming pilots. Other than that ... never. Thought about going systems for a while but saw too many people with better grades than me dropping to sweathog.

eau de Diesel ... my wife made me strip down in the garage whenever I came home from sea. Didn't want that scent permeating the house.
 
cmakin said:
KP Eng said:
I was a MES major and have worked in various engineering capacities since graduation. Only once did I question my major. Over twenty years after graduation while working on a sea trial things were quiet so I went up on deck. I walked up to the bow, water was calm, air was cool, breeze blowing, birds flying by, everybody's cloths were clean except mine. For that brief moment I thought, damn I should have gone deck. Then I headed back down to the engine room and went back to work.
Click to expand...

Probably why I liked ocean towing as an engineer. Short walk out to the deck when the weather was nice. . . Clean clothes? My ex used to comment about my eau de Diesel whenever I came home. . . . .
Click to expand...

This one teacher, a grad, said KP is soft now because we don't have Bardot anymore. Hah
 
Mr2020 said:
cmakin said:
KP Eng said:
I was a MES major and have worked in various engineering capacities since graduation. Only once did I question my major. Over twenty years after graduation while working on a sea trial things were quiet so I went up on deck. I walked up to the bow, water was calm, air was cool, breeze blowing, birds flying by, everybody's cloths were clean except mine. For that brief moment I thought, damn I should have gone deck. Then I headed back down to the engine room and went back to work.
Click to expand...

Probably why I liked ocean towing as an engineer. Short walk out to the deck when the weather was nice. . . Clean clothes? My ex used to comment about my eau de Diesel whenever I came home. . . . .
Click to expand...

This one teacher, a grad, said KP is soft now because we don't have Bardot anymore. Hah
Click to expand...

Ah, Percy. He was certainly special. The only part of my Sea Project that I had to redo. . . . .
 
KPEngineer said:
cmakin said:
Man, no argument there. I kind of skated through until we got to Introduction to DiffEq. I am guessing that was Calc IV. Hardest C+ I ever had outside of Samuri MatSci. I remember the professor recommending that I take the DiffEq elective. Nah, my brain was full. . .
Click to expand...
I'm guessing CBK was your MatSci professor. I had him for both MatSci and Strengths. First day of SoM he says "you all think your so smart because you pass MatSci ... everybody pass MatSci, not everybody pass Strengths." Oh Eff! I thought I was screwed for sure. Proudest of a C- I've ever been especially considering there was only 5 grades above D. Having had Paquette for 4 quarters is what got me through Strengths. Paquette was hard as anything but still one of my favorite KP professors.
Click to expand...

I had the Beamer for Statics and Dynamics. He was an odd sort, but I learned. CBK was certainly different. Sometimes it was difficult understanding him, especially when it came to Burgers vector. . .. but the one class that was toughest for my was Electrical Circuit Theory with MacDonald. Man, we had a manuscript for a text book (written by Hubert and Mac). Over 60 percent of my class failed and had to re-take fourth quarter (even after license was passed so there went free-gangway). Another C that I was especially proud of. . . .
 
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