Please help as we are a bit lost! We are looking for the best school for Creative Writing and Engineering (on the creative side) 3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing. He loves time in the Makerspace and combining arts with tech. DS loves science and is strong in math. He loves to read and write fiction in his spare time. He is leaning towards writing if he needed to chose one, but we are worried about future careers and since he had a spend most of his life loving science, we don’t want him to throw that away with his newer passion of creative writing.
We also want the best quality of life with a kind, collaborative, and warm student body. He wants rigor without being in a school notorious for stress and too large of a work load. Lastly, the ideal school will be one that can foster his passions and help him secure a job in the future (strong alumni connections and great reputation).
Accepted to:
William & Mary - LOVE it! (Far 7.5 hrs)
Kenyon (way too far 9 hrs) LOVE the writing program - weaker in Makerspace (3-2 engineering) - Cozy & warm
Skidmore - Very Creative & love the town. Not sure how competitive the writing program is and has 3-2 engineering.
Union - 3-2 engineering Writing program?
SUNY Binghamton - Strong in tech / science. Not sure about the creative writing dept. Too large? Warm?
Bard - Creative 3-2 engineering. Writing program?
Franklin & Marshall - Cozy feeling. Love the town 3 hrs from home. Lacking in Makerspace - Writing program?
RPI - Perfect for Tech - Does it have creative writing? Are there creative/warm students?
Waiting for decision:
Brown - (IDEAL) - Has an engineering grad school. BEST Creative Writing Program?
Dartmouth - (IDEAL) - Has an engineering grad school and great Creative Writing Program. Love the town.
Tufts - (IDEAL) - Has an engineering grad school. Warm?
Vassar (Strong Writing) - Close to Home! - Possibly one of the best for writing and creativity. 3-2 engineering.
Cornell - Strong in Creative Writing & Engineering. Too large? Warm? - Has an engineering grad school.
Carnegie Mellon - Strong writing (loved the English Department) & engineering - Too urban? Didn’t get a warm feeling there.
Lafayette - Has engineering. Strong in creative writing?
Lehigh - Creative writing? Strong in tech.
Bucknell - Strong Creative Writing? Has Engineering. Too much of a party scene? DS is fun, but more reserved.
University of Rochester - Strong Creative Writing? Great for tech. Warm? Too urban?
ANY information or advice would be wonderful! Thank you in advance.
Suggest make the main goal the primary focus. Lest you risk making a secondary avocational interest the driving force and as a result sub-optimize for the main goal…
If your son really wants to be an engineer he should go to a school that itself offers an engineering major. With subspecialties in the areas of engineering that may interest him. (To assess that, suggest look at the courses being offered in the Registrar’s list of courses).
IMO relatively few students who start out thinking about 3-2 programs wind up following through with them.
Union used to offer engineering majors itself, not as a 3-2, has that changed ??
FWIW there is a parent who posts on the CC Cornell subforum who has a child each at Cornell and RPI, he feels that RPI is “warmer”. The students are fine with each other (in my experience), but Cornell’s engineering program is academically demanding. (But well respected). But then, no engineering program of high repute is going to be easy.
If RPI doesn’t offer creative writing itself, it might have some sort of course-sharing arrangement with other area colleges that do have it. Actually I think that’s the case, you might want to check.
Upon second reading it seems engineering is actually not his primary goal.
The thing is, even to follow a 3-2 program at a liberal arts college, the courses he will have to take the first two years to qualify for the engineering leg are largely specified. And are basically the same courses he would be taking if enrolled in an engineering school.
Union is known for having excellent engineering programs. It also has a decent English department that’s got to my mind a fairly practical focus, which is not a bad thing. Strong writing in one area will assist strong writing in another area. I’m not sure how you feel about party life, though as Union has that atmosphere. I’m also not sure how warm and fuzzy it is, but it’s a really solid school for both of what you’re seeking, IMO. Also on Amtrak line to NYC (as you said Vassar was near home). Easy to get home. Town is ugly but campus is pretty.
Bard has an amazing English department (Neil Gaiman anyone?). I think their sciences get overlooked and that a creative person could get some attention in the sciences here, as most people think of Bard for creative writing, art, and music.Also intellectually focused – like decidedly intellectual. Beautiful campus.
3+2 engineering programs – be sure you understand what you’re getting into. How important is graduating with friends? 3+2 programs don’t allow that. If you do pre-engineering and then get a masters to complete, that’s one way to do both.
Vassar’s creative writing program is famous too. Sciences are excellent here too. Students are arty and creative and generally achievers without being uber competitive.
U Roch – creative writing dept is small, but the classes look solid.