<p>I'm looking at going to RPI for EE. I think though that I might like to go to a small college where my dad teaches(Roberts Wesleyan college) and do the 3-2 program with RPI. In doing this I would get a physics degree at RWC and then an EE degree at rpi. I was wondering if anyone has done this or would have any comments about this path. THanks</p>
<p>It sounds like a great option for you. My son was also considering this path. The benefit is a possibly more diverse undergraduate background than engineering alone. The negative aspect is that you won't take engineering courses until your fourth year, and that's pretty late in the game to find out you don't like it. Also, at that point, you will have already changed schools and left your friends. But, otoh, a reduced or free tuition is hard to pass up!</p>
<p>thanks a lot</p>
<p>In my opinion, 3-2 Engineering programs sound good only on paper. The reality is that you will spend 3 years taking nothing related to Engineering except basic math and physics, after which you essentially become a transfer student at the Engineering school. Engineering is hard enough to complete in 4 years, let alone as a transfer in 2 years. Also, keep in mind that up to half of all Engineering freshmen eventually switch out, and you won't be exposed to any Engineering until your 4th year, at which point you may decide that Engineering is not for you. If that were to happen, you would essentially waste an extra year, since you can't just graduate at the new place in one year. I would advise you to ask them what the completion rate of the 3-2 program is, and what the average graduation time is.</p>
<p>thanks, im_blue. One thing I'd like to say though is that if you look at nearly any four year engineering curiculum, there are very few, if any real engineering classes for your major that you take, mostly they are your math, science and humanities courses I believe. Also, I'm fairly sure that I want to do EE. I've always enjoyed that stuff and I took the intro to ece class at cmu and did well and enjoyed it a lot. Thanks all for the advice.</p>
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if you look at nearly any four year engineering curiculum, there are very few, if any real engineering classes for your major that you take, mostly they are your math, science and humanities courses I believe.
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You're right, you don't really take much Engineering your first two years. UIUC's ECE curriculum has only 4: Circuits, Analog Signal Processing, Logic Design, and CS. The hard part is cramming those 4 classes on top of the junior and senior curriculum, which would mean you'd take one extra Engineering class per semester. Another thing is that you'd be behind on internships (for industry jobs) or research (for grad school). At least it's good that you've already been exposed to EE and enjoy it, so you're on the right track.</p>
<p>I don’t see how this 3-2 option is worth it.</p>
<p>There are many reasons when a 3-2 makes sense. For example, a student might not be able to get into the engineering college directly from high school (Columbia is a very popular destination for 3-2 students). Another reason is that the student might have a scholarship to the LAC but not the engineering school. A third reason is that the student might need to stay near home (for a variety of reasons) and there’s no engineering school near by. A fourth reason might be that the student started at the LAC with no interest in engineering then changed her mind.</p>
<p>Also, as to your point - you don’t “miss” senior year. You take it elsewhere. But if you want another negative, the lack of internship opportunities while at the LAC really hinders a student’s full-time opportunities.</p>