No, Not All Engineering Majors Stink

The common stereotype surrounding engineering majors is that the department is filled with a bunch of D1 nerds who don’t shower or know how to interact with people. However, after spending two full years here at UCLA as an aerospace engineering major, I can proudly claim how false this narrative is (to an extent). 

I’ve interacted with plenty of engineering majors during my time here at UCLA for obvious reasons — there’s no avoiding them when I’m in the field as well. Throughout my time, I’ve had the privilege of being able to learn about countless people’s stories, backgrounds, and who they are outside of the major. Women in engineering, I find, are the most spectacular (call me biased, but I think they’re pretty cool!). There aren’t as many women in engineering, but when you find them, they always seem to have things perfectly balanced. 

The University of Waterloo meme depicts engineering students who, after finishing their degrees, are balding and look as though they’ve aged 20 years in just four. In my observation, this seems to be almost the opposite when it comes to women. They’re glowing, thriving, and giddy by the time their four years are up. Heck, they’re even glowing during the four years. I believe this is because there’s a strong distinction between being an engineering student and being a college student. 

I find that those who pour absolutely all of their time into studying and do absolutely nothing but study are those who might fall into the engineering stereotype that’s strongly associated with the major. A lot of people tend to forget that engineering students, at the end of the day, are still students who are going through their early twenties for the first time, too. We also like to have fun, and there are some of us who also enjoy being able to fulfill the generic college experience, even if we’re taking on a heavy course load. 

I frequently get accused of lying when I say that I’m an engineering major. While my race and gender might play a role in this, since I don’t look like the typical engineer — which makes you wonder what that truly means — I do primarily think it’s because of the way I handle my time. While I love engineering and am excited to get my degree, I do love being able to split my time between things outside of STEM. Outside of academics, I spend a lot of my time engaging with the arts and making sure my humanities side stays alive. Countless other engineering majors can relate to having hobbies and interests outside of their fields. There is this sort of premonition that engineering majors, in particular, don’t have any hobbies besides studying. While it’s absolutely true that we spend a lot of time studying, there’s always time to make room for things that bring you joy rather than academic stress. 

While the idea that all engineering majors stink and don’t shower might be true for some, it does not cover the majority and can hurt those who are trying to change the industry and redefine what it means to be an engineer. Next time you hear that someone’s an engineering major and they don’t fit the stereotypical view of what an engineer is, remember that engineering can be an extremely diverse space if we allow the stereotypes to be broken. 

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