r/ChemicalEngineering • u/Commercial_Effect_25 • May 16 '25

Student Chem vs Chem Eng.

I’m currently a Junior in highschool, and I have a college counselor. He told me he doesn’t think I’m ready for chemical engineering in college bc I don’t have AP Physcisc or AP Calc BC (I currently have Calc AB And Chem this year, AP Stats 4 and AP Precalc 5 last yr). I will take AP Physics C and BC in senior year, but he said that is a bad idea bc I will be under pressure when uni gives me conditional offer. Anyway, he is basically telling me that teenagers like me hoping to apply for Chem E are taking much much more harder classes than me and I shouldn’t apply or else I won’t get in. He suggested me to apply for Chemistry instead… He also told me I should stay away from math related majors ( prob bc he saw that I got a C+ in AP Stats but got a 4) and prob thinks I’m rly dumb and just delusional for wanting to apply for chem Eng. But I can think of any reason WHY I want to apply for Chemistry? I like chemistry, but just chemistry as a Uni major … I don’t rly want to. I know Chem E is mostly thermo and physics, and I’m willing to learn. What should I do?

Update: thanks for everyone’s advice. It rly gave me confidence. I’ll try my best to get into Chem E programs.

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u/RudeBoyo May 16 '25

Your counselor can pound sand. If you’re passionate about ChemE, do it. My high school counselor advised me to go to a different school and pursue a completely different field. I did not take a lick of Calculus, Physics, or Chemistry in high school.

I was not interested in hearing what he had to say, and now here I am later with a degree in ChemE after graduating from the only university I was interested in. What counselors say should never be treated as gospel

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u/moomissin May 17 '25

Second this. I was not even planning on going to college after HS, and didn't take any calc or AP classes. Ended up fucking around at community college for a year and transferring to uni for chemE. Just wrapped up my junior year, and I'm about to start a well paid co-op.

You will be fine if you apply yourself, and better off than any chemist.