<p>I am an electrical engineer and am considering either ASU or BYU.
ASU is ranked #121 and BYU is ranked #68 (Numbers are a little off)
But....
ASU has a better ranked engineering program (#44) and (#24) among public schools when compared to BYU (#78).
My question is would it be better for me to go to the all around better school (BYU) or the school that is better ranked in just my major (ASU)?
Im very undecided... and am just considering my college search on academic terms for now.
Thanks for any replies.</p>
<p>There are much bigger differences than rankings.</p>
<p>I think BYU EE is pretty strong.</p>
<p>If you are the kind of person who would like the BYU vibe, it would be a great choice. If not, they probably couldn’t pay you enough to go there.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’d probably go by what kind of atmosphere you want. Because there are huge differences between the two.</p>
<p>Check the course catalogues for the breadth and depth of classes offered. Check research opps for undergrads. And, check faculty bios to see where they studied, info about any profesional experience and what research/projects they are involved in and to what extent. That makes it all a lot more real than some media source’s rankings.</p>
<p>Where are you getting these engineering rankings? Are they for undergraduate departments specifically, or are they for the graduate departments? Graduate program strength is related, but no 100% overlapping with, undergraduate program strength.</p>
<p>But I agree with most of the others - this is a place where you will spend 4 years, not just the line on your resume. You want to be sure that you can tolerate it, and given BYU’s atmosphere you want to be sure that’s a place you can be before you decided go there. I also agree with lookingforward’s advice to check course catalogues and look at what kind of research opportunities there are. My guess is that you’ll find an abundance of classes and opportunities at both places.</p>
<p>Also remember that rankings are an attempt to quantify what is essentially qualitative. Really, what it is important is <em>general</em> groups, not the actual number.</p>
<p>Dig a little deeper and you’ll find that college rankings are quite limited. They rank using things that can be easily determined by stats or by sending out polls. Since things like how accessible are the profs, what the school environment feels like, or even how pervasive factors such as religion are among students are not easily measured and therefore they play no role in rankings. Yet I think you’d be hard pressed to argue that these don’t matter to the student experience.</p>
<p>Rankings are one tool, but you’re making a mistake if you use them as your <em>only</em> tool. The differences between the two schools you are considering go far beyond what rankings capture. As with the other posters, I suggest you look deeper and pick the school that is a better fit for you.</p>