<p>Just so you know, Northwestern’s engineering program is generally higher ranked than Rice. Also, other than my obvious bias, the reason I recommended Northwestern is that I honestly believe their unique first-year curriculum and their focus on design sets it apart from most other peers and this advantage is never reflected in published graduate ranking. But as a former practicing engineer who went through the traditional curriculum that’s still followed by most other engineering schools, I can say with 100% confidence that their unique curriculum is superior.</p>
<p>Euler, Cal, Michigan and Purdue are not party schools. They are large and have many students, so you are likely to have a lot of parties, but the overall atmosphere at those three universities is not particularly wild. I am not sure about the other schools you mentioned.</p>
<p>I would seriously recommend Michigan State. Some large classes in the first semesters but if you get in the Honors College you will get small classes and personal attention. Also, you will have the opportunity to do research in the Undergraduate Research Program. Even if you opt to not enroll in the Honors College you will have great research and career opportunities. Not to mention that the Study Abroad opportunities are endless.</p>
<p>MSU is a great University for a person that wants a challenge but, at the same time, enjoy college and have fun.</p>
<p>SamLee, I have nothing against Northwestern, I just feel that based on the schools the OP is looking at, he would enjoy Rice a little bit more because of the smaller school and smaller feel of the school.</p>
<p>The students:faculty ratio at McCormick is less than 8:1. Furthermore, the first-year curriculum is highly interactive and team-based. Check out the following articles published during the early years of the new curriculum: </p>
<p>Hey, we have some similar interests. I’m going to post the colleges that others have suggested in my topic. I believe most of these schools excel in Math/Sci</p>
<p>-UCLA
-UC Berkley
-Caltech
-Williams
-Harvard
-MIT
-Haverford
-Swarthmore
-Princeton
-Stanford
-Tufts (forgot about this before)
-Allegheny College
-Bowdoin College (loan-free)
-Brandeis University
-Bucknell University
-Carnegie Mellon University
-Franklin & Marshall College
-University of Rochester
-Rice
-Michigan State
-Florida State</p>
<p>@boed74: I’m not really thrilled with Michigan State. It doesn’t really seem to offer anything new compared to what I have.</p>
<p>@pierre0913: Considering the large number of huge state schools on my list right now, I’m not sure how you arrive at the conclusion that small size is a priority for me. I like the idea of interaction with other students and professors, but the overall size of the institution doesn’t need to be small at all.</p>
<p>@DMOC: I read your thread. I am not comfortable with the non-tech LACs because I am primarily interested in applied math, applied physics, geology, or engineering. A 3/2 engineering program really doesn’t appeal to me.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help. I have some things to look into today.</p>
<p>^ I forgot to add UBC to that list - it’s in my college spreadsheet, which is what I use to organize my list. I don’t want to replace either Alberta or Calgary. Calgary has excellent internship opportunities for engineering majors and is in one of North America’s biggest engineering centers. Alberta is a top institution with a variety of excellent qualities.</p>
<p>You really should consider Franklin W. Olin. Although it is an Engineering school, you would be surprised at how socially adept the students are. They all have passionate interests outside of Engineering and are incredibly interesting, motivated and outgoing people. Olin is an environment of cooperation and not competition. The male/female ratio is close to 50%. Wellesley is nearby, which is an all female college, so that increases the dating possiblities for men, if that is a concern. You will find the Olin population in general much less nerdy than the engineering population at other schools. Although there are parties on campus, there are no stoners/slackers to speak of. Boston, which is one of the truly great American cities, is close by, and can be reached by the T or there are often Olin students going into the city who are willing to offer rides. The campus location, in Needham, is your typical New England town, which has a charm in itself. The courses are hands-on project based, and many professors do offer research projects to their students. By the time you graduate, you will have completed several meaningful projects, which I believe are just as good as doing research. You will have the opportunity to present these projects to professors and industry representatives at the end of semester “Expo.” Another thing that I think is great about Olin, but some people may consider a drawback… You have no required political science, english literature, foreign language… You concentrate on engineering, math, entrepeneurship with a few technology oriented humanities courses mixed in. However, you have the option of taking other types of classes at Babson, Brandeis, and Wellesley or during a study away semester if you choose. There are an amazing number of clubs at Olin. The students are very volunteer oriented too. There are also many spur of the moment events: let’s go sail on the Charles River, let’s go climb the White Mountains in New Hampshire, let’s go to New York City on the Fun Wah Bus that leaves out of Chinatown… All of the Olin students live on campus. The dorms and food are both excellent. You will work very hard at Olin, but you will make great friends, and have plenty of opportunities for fun.</p>