It has been in the back of my mind even before I came to university that I may be in the wrong field. I went into engineering because I figured it was the most employable program, without really thinking about whether it was what interested me or if it was what I enjoyed doing.

A friend recently asked my what I want to see myself doing in twenty years. I had no hesitation and responded that in a perfect world I would like to be a high ranking politician, diplomat or policy-maker of sorts. The idea of actually doing engineering work didn't even cross my mind.

This again got me thinkin of why I'm in this program. Im doing mediocre in most of my classes, but Im certainly not excelling or standing out. I know I'm incredibly interested in politics, economics, and international relations, and I feel like I'm more talented in writing essays than doing mathematical calculations. Though I could likely graduate with an engineering degree and get a decent paying job out of university, I wouldn't be doing I truly think I would be best at.

So I'm thinking of making a switch. My end goal is to eventually go to law school or do graduate studies in economics, and for my undergrad I would like to for sure major in economics, combined with either a minor or a double major in political science. However, I don't really know the logistics of switching programs.

If I'm applying to whole new faculty, do they admit me based on high-school marks, or the marks Ive gotten in engineering? Since the drop date has already passed, I definitely plan on finishing this semester and doing the best I can in all my eng courses, but is it generally possible to start from scratch second semester or would I have to wait til next year? And as for law school or grad studies, will the mediocre marks Im getting in engineering count against me, or will they only consider my marks from after I switch into the faculty I will eventually get my degree in? Is a double major generally worth it? Will it help my get into law school?

I definitely plan on talking to an academic counselor, as they will likely have the answers to most of these questions, but I figured the more advice from more sources I get, the easier this difficult decision will be.

You will have to wait until next year to completely switch programs officially. This is when they evaluate you based on course requirements and your gpa. You should see an academic counselor about the courses that you can take next term to meet requirements for the program you want to switch into next year.

First I'll say that I admire that you're taking a step in a direction that you really want, and sometimes that takes a lot of courage. I don't know everything about switching programs, but I'll tell you what I do know and when you talk to the academic counselor, he/she can clarify it for you.

What you can do right now, is speak to the academic counselor in the faculty of Social Sciences and let him/her know that you're thinking of switching. They will let you know of the total procedure, including telling you what/how many credits can be transferred.

What you can do next semester, if you have space for electives, you can begin to shadow one of the programs of your choice - be it economics or political science. And then in March, you can choose your major again, switching into one of those programs. I can't tell you if you can still finish in four years, it depends on how many required courses you need from economics/political science, but I mean, if you really want to do this, I don't think you'll mind coming back an extra year full time or part-time. You can always do courses in the summer as well.

As for law school, it really depends on the school. I went to a meeting last year, with a law professor from Osgoode Law School who also works in admissions. It varies from school to school in terms of how they look at your marks. It might be a GPA of all four years, or just the last two. I believe York and UofT are the last two years. You'll need reference letters, a personal letter, and volunteer hours can boost your application as well. The LSAT score is probably one of the most important factors though, and take it more than once if you want to. Depending on the school again, they may take the higher score or average it out.

I hope this helps somewhat. :]

You will be able to get in no problem, and you will definitely still be able to graduate within four years. You just won't get as many electives.

Generally when you are trying to switch faculties they will look only at your university marks, but I'm sure you're marks are good enough. They will also take into account the difficulty of engineering, and probably pay more attention to your marks in courses like Economics.

You will probably technically start in first year Social Sciences, but from there you should be able to go into Economics and do second year courses first term, and third year courses second term.

As for double majoring, do it if it interests you. It will probably not give you any advatages for law school, except the extra practice for essays.

Good luck, man! Hopefully we'll both end up in different faculties for next year

What faculty are you considering switching into?

Fingers crossed for Nursing

I'm planning on majoring in history, but I'm currently enrolled in the Science faculty. I meet all the pre-requisites for history, but should I meet the Humanities counsellor anyway? I also meet the requirement for a first-year humanities program (oddly enough), at 12 units of humanities...

What else would I need other than the prereqs (and GPA) outlined by the course?

You should still talk to a counsellor, but the right GPA and prereqs is really all you need.

What I want to know is how you managed to fit 4 humanities courses into a first year science schedule I could only fit 2 in to my schedule for last year, but I wanted to take more.

I did a complete 180 in my final year! I went from being a med school hopeful (in Kinesiology) to being a math nerd (in Math & Stats)...so don't worry, it's definitely possible to do!

It may set you back a year or two but in the grand scheme of things you want a career that you find rewarding. Employability means nothing if you're going to hate going to work in the morning.

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I'd recommend, first speaking to a counsellor, to ensure you can successfully switch next year...then pretending you've already switched next semester...take the courses you want, start getting your units done in the area you'd like to graduate in. It'll minimize the 'damage' done in terms of how much time you'll be set back by switching.

I'm fairly certain they do a qualitative evaluation of how likely you are to succeed in that program at this point...but if anything they would use your engineering grades.

Go JM, follow your dreams!
Before I even knew this was you, I was reading it, and you came to mind.

I made the exact same decision at the end of last year to switch from engineering to economics although I was going to switch to commerce but i missed the deadline by a few months. To transfer into hounours economics i'm pretty sure the only requirements were a 6 average and a 7 average in first year micro and macro.

For anyone else browsing and considering switching programs, I figured I'd update on how my experience went.

It was ALOT easier then I had expected. Since I had taken Econ 1B03 and 1BB3 as electives in first year and had a high enough average, they were able to transfer me into the honours economics program immediately. Once I complete Poli Sci 1A06, either over the summer or next year, she said I would have no issues getting into the double major program.

My ENTIRE first year of engineering is now instead counting towards an economics degree. I did not know this was possible, and I'm very happy about it. I was expecting to have had to redo first year in social sciences.

I wish I had known that it was so easy to switch programs after first year. Had I known, I would have switched before this year started and wouldn't be stuck, as I am now, trying to get into second semester Econ courses which are mostly full.

Anyone have any suggestions on getting into full courses?

Originally Posted by J-Met

For anyone else browsing and considering switching programs, I figured I'd update on how my experience went.

It was ALOT easier then I had expected. Since I had taken Econ 1B03 and 1BB3 as electives in first year and had a high enough average, they were able to transfer me into the honours economics program immediately. Once I complete Poli Sci 1A06, either over the summer or next year, she said I would have no issues getting into the double major program.

My ENTIRE first year of engineering is now instead counting towards an economics degree. I did not know this was possible, and I'm very happy about it. I was expecting to have had to redo first year in social sciences.

I wish I had known that it was so easy to switch programs after first year. Had I known, I would have switched before this year started and wouldn't be stuck, as I am now, trying to get into second semester Econ courses which are mostly full.

Anyone have any suggestions on getting into full courses?

What I would do is email the department for the courses you're trying to get into, and explain your situation. Each department should have at least one person with the power to give you a seat authorization, and as long as the courses are required, you should be guaranteed a seat.

it's hella easy to transfer to faculties which are not shit (yeah, I wrote "hella", am i cool yet guys?)