Andrew Manns

Hometown: Cherry Hill, New Jersey
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Class Year: 2026

What made you realize you were interested in engineering?

I am really into cars and grew up going to car shows with my dad and helping him fix his classic cars. I have been surrounded by car culture my whole life and knew that I wanted to pursue a career in the automotive field. When I was introduced to mechanical engineering as major it was a no brainer for me. Working as an automotive/race car engineer is a big dream of mine and mechanical engineering is how I am going to get there.

When you were looking at colleges, what stood out about Drexel?

When I was looking for schools the thing that stood out to me about Drexel was the opportunity. The combination of the co-op system, the big city atmosphere, and my involvement on the rowing team made me feel like the sky was truly the limit. I knew that if I worked hard enough, Drexel would provide me with the tools to achieve all my dreams and goals.

What has been your favorite class so far?

My favorite class is probably the first engineering class I took, Intro to Engineering Design and Data. This class is designed to give all engineering students a taste of every engineering discipline to allow people to see what aspects of engineering excite them the most. Of course, I enjoyed the mechanical engineering portion, but also found it interesting to explore the other engineering categories and see what they have to offer.

What about your major is special to you?

The broad aspect of mechanical engineering is important to me. The ways in which mechanical engineering applies to almost every engineering problem excites me because I always feel I can offer something to the solution no matter what. I am looking forward to exploring the many aspects of mechanical engineering in my time here at Drexel.

What extracurricular activities are important to you and why?

Rowing is very important to me. Rowing is one of the main reasons I am at Drexel, and it has been my life since my freshman year of high school. Coming into college was a challenge but having rowing as an outlet to apply myself 100% everyday, have tons of fun racing, and make friends made it so much to easier transition. My upper classmen teammates and fellow freshmen have already become lifetime friends. Racing and winning with my best friends while also representing my school is something I value a lot and it has added so much to my college experience.

What piece of advice would you give to someone who's thinking about declaring a major right now?

I would say look at some of your hobbies. What do you enjoy doing? What do you find yourself reading about or following on social media? Look into those things because those tend to be the things that you are genuinely interested in. Do not pick a major just to pick a major, pick something you care about and see yourself doing and enjoying down the road.