<p>Hi I'm new to posting here, but I have read a lot of posts and found them really helpful throughout my college application process, so now I am going to try out a post of my own.</p>
<p>I just got back from Harvard's accepted students day weekend on Monday, and I really felt like I fit in there. However, the only thing that is making me hesitate about matriculating is the strength of Harvard's engineering program. I don't really know what I want to do yet, but engineering is a very strong possibility. I was just wondering if anyone knew anything about if I did end up graduating from Harvard as an engineer, would I still have a good chance at good jobs (or at admission to a strong graduate school if I end up wanting to go to one).</p>
<p>I was accepted to a few other very strong engineering schools too that I also like a lot (so I would also love to go there), but I like the breadth of programs at Harvard and the fit that I felt while there a little more...</p>
<p>Any thoughts?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>(I posted this in Harvard's thread too to see what different responses I would get)</p>
<p>First congrualtion! It’s imperssive that you are accepted to Harvard.</p>
<p>In terms of engineering, Harvard is not up there. If you want to do bio-related engineering / science, Harvard may be a good school because even its own engineering school focuses mostly on biomedical. </p>
<p>I think you should think about going to other schools if you haven’t make up your mind yet. I think SEAS@Harvard will limit you freedom of learning / choosing your engineering major. </p>
<p>But as you have said - you feel like you belong there. I definitely see a glitch there…</p>
<p>Which engineering disciplines do you like the most?</p>
<p>Yeah, I actually am interested in biomedical (bioengineering too, but I don’t think Harvard has an official program for that…) along with mechanical because of its breadth and the accompanying (and supposed) flexibility that I would have with a meche degree.</p>
<p>Thanks ucbalum for that link</p>
<p>One of the reasons why I like Harvard is because of its really strong science department, so I think that I can always go into straight up biology (or other sciences)… Are those science programs really theoretical though? The reason why I am interested in engineering is because I would be able to apply knowledge of math and science to real-life problems (but I have no reasons for liking engineering beyond that since I never have had any classes in engineering) However, does that also apply to sciences at Harvard? (in other words, are they also hands on and not too theoretical?)</p>
<p>To jwxie–I feel like I fit at Harvard because I think I could actually live here for 4 years, with all freshmen living in the Yard, a good dorm system, and dining halls in all the dorms, along with the fact that I have met really nice people in the clubs that I am interested in.</p>
<p>Also, a continuation of the acceptance into grad school question that I had earlier…</p>
<p>I read in a thread here on college confidential that when trying to accept engineers for grad school, grad schools focus a lot on what the student has done (what research they have done).</p>
<p>Since Harvard’s engineering program is growing and because there are not too many engineers, I don’t think I will have too much trouble taking advantage of the opportunities that Harvard’s engineering school has to offer (if I do become an engineer)… If I do this and do a lot of research etc., would that counterbalance the fact that I went to Harvard for engineering when I am trying to get into top engineering grad schools? I was not really able to find this answer anywhere on other threads…</p>
<p>(I know this is looking probably way too far ahead, I am just trying to figure this out so that I am not regretting my present decision in 4 years)</p>
<p>Note, however, that biology and chemistry do not have very good job and career prospects, probably due to all of the pre-meds who did not get into medical school flooding the job market.</p>
<p>Havard and Engineering does not seems to belong into the same sentence. MIT, CalTech, Berkeley, etc. are for true engineers. Not Harvard. IMHO, you need to choose between Harvard and Engineering.</p>
<p>You really have to talk to someone doing the program. Try sending an email to the engineering department and ask a few questions, and you can even ask if you could get in contact with a student currently doing engineering there.
I can tell you that a friend is doing engineering there, and he takes classes at MIT. I don’t really understand what he is doing (sorry I’m not a close friend, just met him- friend of a friend lol), however I know that he is really smart and he is graduating this year, not only has he graduated from Harvard, but he has a great degree for his future, and he say that he even went to MIT.
Sorry for not giving too much information, I don’t want to assume things and post it on here, you should definitely look into this (about having classes at MIT whilst in Harvard) Good luck!</p>
<p>As a quick note, if you are interested in the business or law applications of engineering (like getting any MBA or going into patent law) then Harvard is a great choice! What you lack in engineering rigor you make up with contacts and name recognition. If, on the other hand, you want to actually work as an engineer then I would consider going somewhere else.</p>
<p>The following is conjecture, but may be true:</p>
<p>I’m guessing that Harvard engineers use the major as a stepping stone to law, med school, or some sort of consulting. If you got in, then you are talented academically.
However, if I were an employer looking to fill stops opened up by attrition of my engineers, I would look at the top students at the big engineering schools first. They are also academically talented, plus they have been tested through a rigorous program. I think you’ll find that technical folks will be less impressed at where you went to school than what you did why you were there. Grades are only part of the story. Good luck.</p>
<p>My response to that has always been: so what? Harvey Mudd doesn’t accredited any specific engineering subdisciplines either, only providing ABET accreditation in ‘General Engineering’. Yet nobody seems to dispute that HM is a competent engineering school. HM engineering grads seem to do just fine on the market. </p>
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<p>I would have to question what is meant by “not up there”. Harvard engineering is ranked somewhere in the 20’s or 30’s, depending on which ranking you use. There are hundreds and hundreds of engineering programs in the nation, which means that by any standards, Harvard’s is one of the better ones.</p>
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<p>Harvard is roughly equivalently ranked with schools such as Virginia Tech, Penn State, and Wisconsin when it comes to engineering. So does that mean that the engineering students at those schools are not ‘true engineers’? Does somebody going to Penn State need to choose between Penn State and engineering? </p>
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<p>Let’s keep in mind that Harvard students have full access to the entire MIT course catalog through cross-reg. Hence, I would argue that Harvard, when combined with cross-reg resources, provides more freedom to explore engineering subjects than almost any other school in the world. </p>
<p>Now, granted, the OP would probably enjoy even greater engineering freedom if he just went to MIT, as then he wouldn’t even need to undergo the cross-registration process. But that of course presumes that that option is even on the table - I know a number of people who were admitted to Harvard but not MIT. Even if he was, that also presumes that the OP is comfortable with the student culture at MIT, which is offbeat to put it mildly. </p>
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<p>I’m also confused by what is meant by a ‘lack in engineering rigor’. Are you talking about Harvard grade deflation, or lack thereof? If so, well, there’s a certain school in Palo Alto that is notorious for relatively relaxed engineering grading ‘rigor’, yet nobody seems to dispute its status as an elite engineering school. If you’re talking about access to engineering coursework, then, again, I would point to the vast curricular resources available through cross-reg at MIT. How many other engineering programs, even the elite ones, can boast of providing access for their students to the resources at MIT?</p>