I recently got accepted into BU’s College of Engineering and I had a couple, actually a lot, of questions about it. For those of you who are familiar with the program, how do the academics compare with other schools (such as Case Western)? I also know that BU has special study abroad programs just for engineer majors. What are your experiences with these programs/ are they any good? Also, does it cost extra to do a study abroad? On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the best) how would you rank the professors of the engineering school? Are they easily accessible? What are they other engineering students like in the college? Introverted/ extroverted? Diverse? Motivated? Since the engineering college is a lot smaller than the other colleges, is there a close bond between students? What is the average class size for the college of engineering? How easy is it to do undergraduate research? Are the special facilities/ resources just for the engineering students? Is it easy to find internship opportunities?
I know this is a lot, but really I would appreciate any insight you all can give me about BU’s College of Engineering. Thanks!
Forgot one question: On a scale of 1-10 how’s the workload that engineering students receive?
Also, I plan on majoring in mechanical engineering with a concentration in energy technologies. Any details about these two programs would be greatly appreciated!
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How about BU vs Northeastern in Engineering?
Hi! I am a current sophomore in BU’s College of Engineering studying Biomedical Engineering with a concentration in Nanotechnology and a minor in Chemistry. Thanks for all of those questions! I will try my best to answer them all.
In regards to comparing BU to other schools, I honestly don’t know much about NU’s and Case Western’s engineering programs. I bet they are both exceptional and you would succeed no matter where you go. My advice to you is to go to open houses! They are the best way to compare schools and the programs they offer. Plus, you have the opportunity to “feel” the school and make sure it is right for YOU.
I have not gone abroad, sadly, (as an engineer you go your spring semester of your sophomore year, some of my friends are there now!) but I heard it is a life-changing experience. Every single person I have talked to that has gone abroad has loved it! Luckily, all of your financial aid (with the exception of the Charles river housing grant) transfers abroad so there will be no extra charge! (Besides the plane ticket, of course!) If you come to open house, BU will have students around to talk to during breakfast and I am sure there will be some that have studied abroad, so you can talk to them about it!
Professors (especially the engineering ones) at BU are very, very approachable. I would rank them an 8. You can go to their office hours, or just shoot them an email and they will respond to you quickly regarding any concerns that you might have. (I have done this many times)
The students in the College of Engineering are very diverse. So, there will be your extraverts and introverts among the group. But since Engineering is very demanding, the students are very motivated to do their best. The workload is pretty intense (you’re working to be an engineer!). I would rank it at around 7-8.
We try to form a bond between engineering students very early on. Starting at orientation, you will be placed in a group of only engineers. Even in the fall semester, you will have a class called EK 100 (Freshman Advising Seminar) where you are paired with a student advisor, faculty advisor and about 10 other engineering students of the same major. I’ve seen many friendships flourish between the students as a student advisor last semester. It’s great.
Average class size depends on which class you are talking about. Freshman year you have to take intro classes which contain about 200-300 students in a lecture. But lecture-style classes also have smaller discussions with only about 25 students in each, even less. As you take high-level classes, the classes become smaller. I am in a Biomedical Engineering Biology class and there are only around 70 students.
You can start conducting research as early the summer of your freshman year! You can go to our website and there is a research tab where you can see all faculty members and their labs and you can just email them! It goes for internships as well. We have a Center of Career Development Office only available to the students of the college and that helps majorly in finding a job and internship.
Lastly, yes. We do have MANY facilities and resources just for Engineering students. From tutoring to a study lounge with UNLIMITED PRINTING!!! The list goes on.
I REALLY encourage you to attend an open house. All of these questions and more would be answered there. Good luck and congrats on being accepted to BU! Hope to see you around. Let me know if you have any more questions.
BTW - here are links to MechE and the concentration you were talking about. Feel free to explore!
http://www.bu.edu/me/
http://www.bu.edu/eng/academics/programs/concentrations/etee/
@Blade3390 Where else did you apply to/ accepted into when you were looking at colleges? What made you choose BU over other engineering schools?
Northeastern, Rutgers, University of Maryland - College Park, GWU, Penn State and quite a bit more I can’t really remember. My decision was based on open house visits and financial aid!
How easy is it to get accepted into the study abroad programs that take place during sophomore year? I’ve heard really good things about the programs! Also, have you done any internships that have been facilitated by BU? Are the career services good???
If your grades are good, you can totally get into the programs. Some are more in demand than others, so the difficulty depends on where you want to go. I am currently going to be an Orientation Leader for the college this summer which is super exciting! Maybe I’ll see you then! And yes, the career services are exceptional since they are specific to engineers and if you want an internship you can find one easily.
How exactly do the concentrations work? Are they like a minor? Sorry, you’re probably sick of me by now…
So concentrations do not take up any extra time, they fit in with the required engineering electives that you have to take. A minor is different because you will have to fit in extra classes.
Oh ok. On an unrelated topic, I’ve heard that the grade deflation for engineers at BU is pretty bad. Is this true? How hard is it to get A’s?
It’s somewhat true. It is pretty hard to get A’s at BU (it also depends on the types of classes you are taking) but if you put in effort into each class, you can come out with an A. But it is also known that BU doesn’t like to give out too many A’s so people keep that in mind especially for jobs and grad school.
That’s too bad. Does the engineering school have a combined bachelor’s and master’s program?
I am also curious…why not study the sciences and then go for a Masters in Engineering? Would it give you a bit more time to develop and learn about what you like and don’t like, and then apply to a Masters of Engineering? Or would you engineering students think it is important to start right out in Engineering, particularly if you know you are going an academic route…PhD. etc. Thank you for your feedback.
This is a quote from the website: “The Master’s in Engineering Program is designed to allow qualified students the opportunity to apply for early admission to the M.Eng program and complete both degrees in 5 years or less depending upon the number of AP and/or college credits with which they enter the undergraduate program. Students may apply to the M.Eng program as early as June 1st of their junior year”
The thing with engineering is that you can have a engineering degree but go into any field that you want since the college teaches you to be very versatile with your skills. I think if you want to end up in Engineering, you should start right out in engineering.
Thank you for your response. Any more engineering students out there?
Having spoken to a professor at another school, most engineering programs would require extra classes (possibly 1 year’s worth) for students who major in a science and then want to go for a Masters in Engineering.