Aerospace Engineering... thoughts...cannot decide! From PA and row mens crew... U Maryland, U Colorado, Embry Riddle, Virginia Tech, Case Western

Aerospace Engineering… thoughts…I cannot decide! From PA and row mens crew… U Maryland, U Colorado, Embry Riddle, Virginia Tech, Case Western. With scholarships they all even out to about the same cost

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Are you looking to row in college? Club? varsity?

Don’t limit yourself to colleges that offer an Aerospace Engineering Bachelors program. There is no real reason to be specialized in Engineering until you reach Grad school. Might open up the door to a college that is a better overall fit for you.

Don’t know about crew but all are fine schools. Embry Riddle the weakest but still solid

All of these are equally good

I’ve worked for several aerospace companies, including Boeing. They were the most fascinating and exciting jobs I ever had. If you really have a passion for aerospace engineering, go for it. Just be aware that there aren’t a massive number of aerospace engineering jobs out there. I’m guessing I worked closely with around 200 people at my aerospace companies, and can only remember 3 who had aerospace degrees. Coincidentally, one of them got his aero degree at Case Western, and went on to get a Master’s at MIT. The others got their degrees from UCLA and Texas A&M.

You’ll probably have a better chance of getting hired at an aerospace company if you have a CS or ME degree than an Aero degree, and you’ll still get to work on aerospace projects. There are ME programs with aerospace concentrations that you might want to consider. But again, if you really have a passion for aerospace engineering, get a degree in that.

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My nephew graduated from CU in mechanical, and also got a masters from there in, I think, business through the engineering school? Something like that as he put off graduating after 4 years and then got a masters at the same time (cheaper for him to continue as a 5th year undergrad). Anyway, ME and he works for Northrup on a space project team. I don’t even know if he took any aerospace classes.

Pick the school you like best. All are good. I’d pick CU or Maryland (I have degrees from both! so I’m not exactly impartial) because I like big schools. If you care about rowing, pick Embry-Riddle (weather is better)

All good schools; I have a bit of a soft spot for ERAU. My brother graduated in ME and Aerospace Science doing ROTC, then flight school, etc. with the USAF. He’s worked for Boeing in St. Louis for 20 years and loves it. I was always jealous because he got Daytona Beach and I got the cold NE and snow.

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Have you been to the campus and Daytona? The NE might be better. Good program but yuck.

Lol, yes. I spent a few summers. The only thing I personally like about DB is the beach and weather. The campus is small, but it was the great fit for him back in the day, lots of geeks who loved to fly. He still talks about his time there. It’s definitely not for everyone, but he wanted to get as far away from the NE as he could :joy:

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My son applied - at the time he was plane spotting. We went to a college fair and they said - everyone there just looks up all day. We thought it was for him. Then we went. The campus - not too nice - and we asked where to eat lunch and the student at the info desk asked - you have a car? I said yep. he said - not here!!

Great place tho for an aviation geek as you say.

Quite a mix. Which ones are offering in-person classes this fall? If you don’t like online learning that would be my first question. After that it would be fit.

The problem with this is - all schools are saying they are offering in - person. They have to or no one will know.

That might be all their intention - but if there’s a flare up - believe me, no matter what they tell you it will change on a dime.

Duke shut down the whole campus the other week.

Schools are starting to publish their fall class schedules. You can start to see if in-person really means in-person by looking how many are online vs in-person. Do they just have some token in-person classes scheduled or a full-schedule? Of course, Covid could change everything but that’s a different story.

that’s all i’m saying. Everyone is going to state/plan for in class. If they don’t, no one will go - but it can change on a dime. You just can’t 100% trust it - all i’m saying.

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The Embry-Riddle campus is getting better every year. They’ve got a great new modern student union building and have opened a few new dorms in the middle of campus in the last couple of years. It does have a very different feeling than the traditional east coast red-brick campuses.

There are great internship opportunities and a collaborative / supportive environment. The strongest students will have a chance to shine. Yes, they do have a plane spotting / aviation photography club! Food options seem limited compared to the extensive array offered at other schools.

You’ve got great options. Good luck with your decision.