I am a class of 2022 applicant for Electrical and Computer Engineering. I was accepted to both Rice University and CMU. I got the same amount of financial aid at both , and although CMU is better ranked for this career , I’ve heard the environment is stressful and students suffer from deppression. Rice is ranked pretty high on student happiness , but I don’t know whether to believe the rumors about CMU. Can anyone tell me how life for an ECE student is at CMU ?
If you want to do software/cs then CMU has a definite advantage. If you are more into traditional electrical/computer engineering, go to whichever school you like more.
Can you visit both schools before you decide? Both are great schools. The winter weather will be a lot more pleasant at Rice. Maybe that is one reason the students are so happy.
I would choose CMU for ECE not just for its ranking but it offers a huge range of courses you can take, and here ECE is a very “design-your-own” major, as in you can go down many different paths/concentrations with ECE. If you personally feel like Rice offers all the classes you like/would want to take, I would choose Rice since you’ll be happier + better weather. However, if you want to be at a place where innovation is at the forefront, strong faculty, variety of classes, supportive community (ECE is biggest department in College of Engineering, opportunities are endless).
Granted, CMU has a stress culture, I believe ECE in itself is difficult where ever you go. Please look at both course catalogs, and if you are indifferent then choose Rice unless you are 100% sure on what you would like to take advantage of at CMU.
Disclaimer: I am a bit biased since I go to CMU, but please choose a school where you will be the happiest don’t look at rankings. Consider fit!
Both are excellent options. I think the stress culture thing at CMU is over played. Engineering is a different major anywhere - that’s what recruiters like to hire engineers. One thing to check is which companierecruit for your major. I suspect Rice might draw a lot of oil&gas companies but I’m speculating about that.
@Houston1021 I drove to visit Rice about two months ago and fell in love with the campus. I’ll be flying out this month to Carnegie to tour the school
@CougarCatClan Thank you this comment was really helpful. I definitely think ECE is a better major at CMU, but coming from a high school with a “stress culture” , I worry about being in an environment like that for another 4 years
@LakeClouds Yeah I’ve heard people say the stress culture at CMU is an overblown rumor but I don’t personally know anyone at CMU
@ece2000: Parent of HS jr daughter here. Rice is very high on her list; she’ll definitely apply, but she hasn’t visited yet (she will in the fall). Would be interested in your impressions of housing, dorms, people, faculty–whatever you’re willing to share.
We just returned from a visit from CMU; impressions:
- campus is about 5 mi south of downtown Pittsburgh; although close, didn't feel particularly urban. Feels like a real college campus; one perspective offers a nice view of downtown. Several new(er) bldgs on campus, plus brand new Tepper Business Sch nearing completion. Campus feels safe; probably not the best judge of that given we were there in mid day. Several nice, reasonably-priced dining options nearby.
- students seemed happy; saw a number of people chatting animatedly, smiling. A lot of students studying in small groups, and plenty of spaces to do that in. FYI, this blew one preconception of mine out of the water, that students are uber competitive and jealously guarding their knowledge. I spoke with a CMU freshman from our hometown, and he confirmed that my impressions were correct; most people are willing and eager to help and work together, unless of course it's a project that's to be done individually (he's a CS major).
- faculty (my daughter's interested in materials engineering) were generous with their time; she met with a full professor one on one for 45 min, then took a tour of undergraduate labs, and then we parents joined for a discussion with a PhD and a tour of his graduate lab. Seems like undergrads who are interested will have opportunities to get involved in research. We never felt rushed, and came away with a very positive impression of the school.
Rice’s high rank on the student happiness scale greatly affects us as well; our daughter has been working very intensely in HS (6 AP courses this year alone). While Rice is about 1100 students smaller than CMU, I expect they’ll both feel very reasonably sized. Despite the fact that the workload will be high at CMU, I think she felt comfortable that there was a good fit with the students and the faculty. I expect that she’ll apply to CMU.
In short, these are 2 wonderful schools; it’s great that you’ll be able to visit both and assess where you feel most comfortable. Hope you can attend a class, meet some faculty in your major, hang out with some students to see how comfortable you feel. Ask them how stressed out they feel; how much sleep they get, etc. Assuming the cost is similar, the fit should weigh a lot.
Best wishes, and let us know your impressions–and what you decide!
Having seen both with my D, she definitely preferred the happy vibe of Rice vs. the stressful culture of CMU. But her field was biology at the time, and that was a wash between Rice and CMU.
In terms of campus beauty, there is simply no comparison. I was showing a friend some pictures of the Rice campus, and someone else stopped by and asked “What castle is that?”
All things being equal—here is point of consideration. Ask yourself how easy is it to transfer internal colleges or schools at each university? What happens if, at the end of your freshman year, you no longer want to major in computer engineering and instead want a non-engineering major? I do not know the answer to that question as between these two school. But it is something to consider.
A student can easily change majors at Rice, and many do. The students apply for admission to one school but can take any classes they want and major in anything they want regardless of which school admitted them. The students do not have to declare a major until the end of sophomore year. The exceptions are architecture and music–students must specifically apply for entry into those majors via portfolio and audition.
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Idaho Father – Glad you enjoyed your visit. But CMU is east of downtown, which is a triangle formed by three rivers. The east end also includes the The University of Pittsburgh (right down the street…its Cathedral of Learning is very visible on the CMU campus), and what is known as the “cultural district”. The campus is in a safe part of town: on the on edge of Oakland and in the heart of Squirrel Hill which is a fairly affluent part of town. Here’s a fun fact. When I went to CMU decades ago, I would occasionally see Fred Rogers (Mr. Rogers) walking from his home in Squirrel Hill to his work place at WQED (the oldest public television station in the U.S.–the name selected from the Latin phrase "quod erat demonstrandum meaning “what was to be demonstrated”). WQED is right next to the CMU campus, just a stones throw from the new Tepper complex. Pittsburgh is a very historic town, as is Carnegie Mellon, and I could go on and on with little stories like the one above about the city and CMU’s place in it. Best of luck to your daughter!
@kaukauna: Thanks–and appreciate the Mr. Rogers anecdote. I read a fascinating story on him not that long ago; what a remarkable human being. Thanks also for correcting me on the geography; must’ve misread the orientation on the map. The next year will be an interesting journey; can only hope it’s as rewarding as that of several of the students posting here!