Advice and Clarification about Aerospace Engineering Schools and Co-ops

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Hello all, I’m a senior this year and very new to this whole College Confidential thing. I’ve been having a hard time deciding where to go to college, and I’m hoping that y’all will be able to give me some information that will help me make my decision later.

So far, I’ve been accepted to Purdue, Georgia Tech, UIUC, and NC State (which is in-state for me; I have six inches of snow in my yard right now). I’ve also been accepted to Case Western Reserve and the University of Alabama in Huntsville, but I think I’ve crossed them off the list for now. I applied to MIT, as well, but I was deferred in December, and I’m not expecting to get in. I haven’t been to visit anywhere but State, and I’m still waiting to hear back about financial aid and scholarships. However, I feel pretty sure that NC State will end up being my best financial option aside from Alabama.

I’m planning to study Aerospace Engineering and hope to one day work as an engineer for NASA, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, etc. I’m more interested in the astronautical side, but I think I’d be happy with any part of it as long as I know that what I’m doing matters. In my search for colleges so far, one thing that I’ve been very interested in has been co-ops, and right now I’m thinking that I want to co-op with NASA or one of the big aerospace companies while I’m in college. I work for a guy who went to NC State, but did a co-op with NASA and ended up getting a job with them as a result. I’d like to do something similar.

What I’m having the most trouble with is understanding exactly how much of an impact the school I go to will have on my career and if doing a co-op is really the best way for me to start my career. I understand that I’m a little naïve and uneducated about this whole process, so please don’t be afraid to set me straight if I’m heading in the wrong direction.
I’ve thought of a few questions, and they are as follows:

  1. How difficult is it to get a co-op with NASA, SpaceX, etc?
  2. Does the difficulty depend on the school you go to?
  3. Is doing a co-op really the best way to go to get a job at somewhere like NASA?
  4. Is going out of state worth the extra cost, and, if so, where is the best school for aerospace engineering out of where I’ve been accepted?

I think overall what I need to know is if it’s really worth it to go into debt to have a degree from a school like Georgia Tech, or if I would have basically the same opportunities at NC State. I’m not too fond of the idea of going out of state, but, if it’s truly what’s best for me, then I’ll do it.

Thanks in advance for the help, and sorry for the long post.

2

I don’t know much about NC.State, but the above might be easier at U.Alabama-Huntsville. The city has NASA, and Boeing, and Lockheed-Martin, and Northrup Grumman, and PPG Aerospace. Huntsville has aerospace blood in its veins. See this list of employers:
http://www.huntsvillealabamausa.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=194&Itemid=355

The great thing is that you do not need to leave town to do your co-op with these aerospace companies.

3

Huntsville is the top city in the US for engineers, according to Forbes:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2015/02/24/the-top-cities-for-engineers/

4

NC State is still a more well-known aerospace program than Huntsville and is right down the road from NASA Langley Research Center and works with them frequently.

Further, whether a school is in the same town as a particular company is largely irrelevant if the school is well-known enough that the companies seek them out to do work with them or hire their grads. This is precisely the case for the three schools mentioned by the OP.

5

RAV7245 said…
“…exactly how much of an impact the school I go to will have on my career…”?

The answer is…not much, relatively speaking. Students from various ABET credentialed schools get recruited by aerospace firms. The well known engineering schools with great national reputations certainly attract well known aerospace employers, but kids from relatively “unfamiliar” STEM schools get great jobs, too. NASA has recently hired young engineers from U of Portland, U of Colorado-Boulder and South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, for example. Boeing has many alumni from Wichita State University; no surprise given the fact that Boeing has substantial assets in Kansas. The point is, where you end up in your first job is, in the main, dependent on your motivation and hustle. Sure, having a degree from Purdue, Georgia Tech and Illinois will get you noticed, but do not be surprised if the managers you meet at your company’s ‘new employees’ orientation are graduates of St. Louis University, Illinois Tech, U of South Carolina etc.

6

Strictly by numbers, the managers are likely to be Purdue graduates as well. Those schools simply graduate a lot more engineers than the smaller schools you mentioned. Overall I’d agree, though. Although my dad works at Boeing in St. Louis and has said he’s never met a SLU grad there and didn’t even know they had an aerospace program. Take that however you want.

7

Logistically there is a minor advantage to local co-ops since many student apartment leases are full year . But it’s not a big enough factor to drive decisions. Find a schools that is a good fit academically, socially, and financially.

8

http://www.slu.edu/aerospace-engineering

9

Yeah, I am aware they have a program there. I am saying my dad, who works locally at Boeing, didn’t know, which is not really a good sign.

10

Boeing has suppliers in Wichita, KS (former Boeing plant that is now Spirit Aero is the largest), but Boeing itself left Wichita in 2013. Boeing engineers I know all moved from Wichita to OKC.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/industries/manufacturing/story/2012-01-04/boeing-plant-closing-wichita-kansas/52377688/1

Honestly, I do not hear the Illinois Tech nickname used much in the area, usually its just IIT. Is this a recent rebranding effort?

11

I wouldn’t be surprised if they were trying to rebrand to avoid confusion with the system of IITs in India. My PhD advisor graduated from IIT (in Illinois) and jokingly refers to it as IIT-Chicago, similar to IIT-Kanpur, etc.

12

Co-op experiences, like most things, are selective and require advanced planning and perseverance. NASA’s website should list the process, but you might need to contact the specific center you are interested in working at. Your college location has little impact. Co-ops usually have a higher preference at NASA, but when extended hiring freezes hit, it is not always possible to get a job. Understand, in advance, the focus of each center (some are more science-y, others strictly engineering.)

Likewise with SpaceX. My cousin has been co-oping since his Sophomore year, however he must trek from the East Coast to California each time and arrange all of his own housing. He has already been offered a full time position there. As a result, he will graduate after FIVE years instead of four. I am not sure how much they pay and if that helps offset the travel/housing.

Ask each school’s Aero Department if they have industry cooperative studies/projects in place for undergrads. This will help you make contacts and standout without leaving campus.

13

Thanks everyone for the insights so far. As far as advanced planning goes, are there any things that I need to be doing right now, or is it more of something that starts when I actually get to college?

14

SpaceX internships are pretty hard to get, especially since you’ll be competing with me … but seriously, I think SpaceX requires you to have hands on experience prior to getting an internship with them (which I think is REALLY selective.) By all means apply, as soon as I hit my sophomore year I will be too, but you might have a better chance with them if you have already had an internship prior to them. @NotForEveryone can you concur/disagree? That’s so cool that your son works for SpaceX! I want to eventually…

15

@boneh3ad - Yes, as a faculty member there, I use IIT-Chicago a lot for the same reasons… Seriously, the students are calling it Illinois Tech more and more and I think it is likely because the two "I"s followed by a “T” is a mouthful and people often say and thing ITT (which is really, really annoying).