Ok, first off, let us just say you are cool. Not a ton of people know in high school that they are serious about Aerospace engineering. It’s a fairly specialized major, meaning not every college is going to have a program in it. Future aerospace engineers thus have to start planning a little earlier than your average engineer. Many of the schools that offer this major are highly competitive, so you should make sure you are the best candidate you can be. Part of this is choosing the right classes to take in high school. So what classes should you be taking? Let’s break it down.
Hard Science, especially Physics
You should be loading up your transcript with AP, IB, or Honors science classes. This should include Biology, Chemistry, and especially Physics. Try to take the highest level of each that your school offers. If your school doesn’t have an AP or IB HL Physics course, this course is so important that you might want to take one at a local community college. You want to show colleges that you have some serious physics skills.
Add Mathematics
You also want to take advanced math courses. The most important course to take is Calculous and you should take it at a high level, think IB, AP, or BC. While this is the most important math course to take, something like AP Stat won’t hurt, and taking math prerequisites at the honors level is also a good call.
Increase your Computer time
There is no space exploration without computers. If your high school offers computer courses, they make great electives. AP Computer science is a great course to add to your cart. AP Computer Science Principles is another great choice. Others that are also a solid choice include Computer Applications and Computer-Assisted Design (CAD) however, AP Computer science is usually the most commonly offered.
Any good STEM Electives
Each school offers a different set of electives, but if your school has STEM-based electives, they are great additions to a transcript. These are classes like Digital technologies, Design and Technology, Robotics, Earth and environmental science, Earth and space science, etc. If your school doesn’t offer classes like this (or even if they do) you can also join STEM-based clubs. These include science olympiad, hackathon, robotics team, 3D printing club, etc.
Take a summer program
Many colleges offer STEM-based summer sessions for high school students. These pre-college programs are great for students who want to learn more about the field. Some are even aerospace specific, however, you can also do one in a more general engineering field. If your high school doesn’t offer a lot of STEM electives or clubs these can be especially valuable, but even if your high school does these are popular programs.
Take an Online Course
So maybe your school doesn’t have Intro to Thermodynamics (really no high schools do…) but you can take it online through the University of Michigan. They have a free online course Introduction to Thermodynamics: Transferring Energy from Here to There. Many colleges offer accessible online courses which can be a great way to explore your intended major. There are a lot of classes out there, but some online classes we love for hopeful Aerospace engineers include Georgia Tech’s Machine Design Part I and Duke’s Space Medicine.
Look for internships and research opportunities
So this isn’t really a class, but you should consider it as well. Finding a STEM-based internship or research fellowship. It doesn’t need to be aerospace specific, however, there are some out there. For example, NASA offers a competitive internship for high school students. That being said, it is very competitive. If you don’t have access to a specific aerospace internship, one related to STEM or engineering specifically is also great.
Getting into an undergraduate aerospace engineering program takes some work, but it’s well worth it to get into the program of your dreams. Starting by taking the right classes and pushing yourself to explore the field is a great start.
Need help with college planning? It’s what we do, reach out here.