<p>Any thoughts as to which of these two schools has the best engineering department and which one better prepares its students for success in life after college.</p>
<p>Any insight is greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>Case hands down. I live right by Drexel and was also accepted there (not for engineering) but turned it down for many reasons, even though, for me, it would have been about $10,000 a year cheaper. You are forced to do a co-op at Drexel, so you either loose 2 summers or stay in college for 5 years. It is optional at Case , but they have tons of great connections for all types of engineers so a lot of students choose to co-op or just do a semester or summer internship. Case is also a top-40 school, and while Drexel is also really good, its much more of a local, tri-state-area (but not officially “regional” school.</p>
<p>Isn’t the Co-op experience the main reason to go to Drexel? Engineering is a 5 year program because of the co-op work experience - which doesn’t seem like giving up a summer at all</p>
<p>Drexel is also largely a commuter-centric school. About 80% of students are commuters. This is not a bad thing, but part of going away to college is about the experience of living and socializing with your peers. Most students, I feel, would benefit from this experience. Case requires all students to live on campus their first 2 years, except for students whose families live close by.</p>
<p>In my opinion/experience, Drexel definitely isn’t a commuter school. Most students live in on-campus housing or apartments around University City (where Penn is also situated). A lot of my friends and dozens of kids from my high school go there and all live there.</p>
<p>Case, without a doubt.</p>
<p>Would your answer change if there was a $16,000 per year difference in tuition?
That’s $64,000 of debt to pay off after graduaton!!</p>
<p>Yes, the answer would be different. You are likely to earn the same as an engineer regardless of whether you graduated from Case or Drexel. It really doesn’t matter much where you obtain your undergraduate degree–it’s what you do in your job that will make you successful.</p>
<p>Don’t be pennywise and pound foolish; if a CWRU Engineering background provides you with valuable research experience and the prestige of Case, compared to perhpas another program, then it may mean the difference of you ever landing that first decent-paying position. it truly matters where you’ve gone.</p>
<p>It also matters for graduate school admissions- Case’s engineering programs are very prestigious and graduate schools recognize that you’ve gotten an exceptional education herer!</p>
<p>It’s a judgement call. If you feel a degree from Case is worth $64K of debt over a degree from Drexel, go for it. You’re the one who has to live with it. My own son turned down both Case and Drexel for engineering at The University of Texas at Austin–granted, a better school than both, but if he had been offered a free-ride at Drexel, he would have been advised to take it.</p>
<p>Case has a much stronger reputation academically. A Case engineering degree carries much more weight than a Drexel one. A ton of my friends go to Drexel and I can tell you that the caliber of employers is much higher here at Case and so are our job placement rates. I believe Case also has a smaller program, which allows you better access to resources and faculty. </p>
<p>I am of course biased since I’m a Case student but I was accepted to both schools and Case is hands down a better option.</p>
<p>Case is, in my opinion, a better choice (though I am also an accepted student and will be attending, so also biased). However, you shouldn’t count out Drexel because of co-ops - lots of engineering schools do co-ops, including Case; they just aren’t always mandatory. RIT, another strong engineering school in this area, does the same thing with mandatory co-ops and is probably stronger for it.</p>