CE and EE Rank please!!

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Hello everyone. Im a high school senior and I want to major in Electrical Engineering or Civil (structural) engineering. I was hoping you guys could help me rank the schools in order from best to not as good haha. I know there are USNews rankings out there but one of my schools does not offer a Doctorate so its not in the same rankings. The schools are : UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Deigo, UCI, and Cal Poly San Luis Obsipo ( I live in CA and my parents don't want me to apply OOS) Please state if the rankings are for EE or CE and if it is for prestige or overall beter programs. </p>

<p>Thanks for your time!</p>

2

<p>Not sure if you have seen the major based ranking for undergraduate engineering school:</p>

<p>Ranks #2 for EE
[Undergraduate</a> Engineering Specialties: Electrical / Electronic / Communications - Best Colleges - Education - US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/spec-electrical]Undergraduate”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/spec-electrical)</p>

<p>Ranks #4 for CE
[Undergraduate</a> Engineering Specialties: Civil - Best Colleges - Education - US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/spec-civil]Undergraduate”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/spec-civil)</p>

<p>For the undergraduate engineering comparisons, Cal Poly is competitively ranked against highly respected and highly selective top undergraduate engineering schools such as Cooper Union, Harvey Mudd (part of Claremont colleges), and the military academies (e.g. West point). So the comparisons demonstrates the strength and prestige of CP’s EE and CE programs.</p>

<p>For National level engineering schools </p>

<p>Cal is internationally recognized for its EE/CE and all other engineering programs; Cal’s graduate level studies (MS, Phd) and research capabilities/budget towers over all the programs you mentioned. But Cal should really be compared to its comparable peers such as MIT, Stanford, and Caltech, not undergraduate focused institutions due to its budget and research focus.</p>

<p>UCLA engineering would follow Cal within UC pecking order for both CE and EE. </p>

<p>I advise you to go to Cal or UCLA if you get into either, but Cal over UCLA for both EE and CE.</p>

<p>Interestingly for employment wise, Cal Poly graduates’ salary lag only Cal and UVA in the US and tied with UCLA for third. </p>

<p>As ranked by engineering corporate recruiter nationally, Cal Poly engineering is ahead of UCLA engineering.</p>

<p><a href=“School Rankings by College Major – Job Recruiter Top Picks - WSJ”>School Rankings by College Major – Job Recruiter Top Picks - WSJ;

3

<p>wow :] thanks for the post! it was really helpful. and btw just to double check are you suggesting that if i get into those schools i should choose Cal > UCLA > Cal Poly ? or Cal > Cal Poly and UCLA and just to choose by whichever school i like better if its between Cal Poly Slo and UCLA.</p>

4

<p>If money is not an issue for you, I recommend Cal>UCLA>Cal Poly. </p>

<p>Both Cal and UCLA have national level recognition in engineering and will help you to jump into careers in non-traditional engineering industries. If you put in the effort in both engineering schools, you will derive very good results, both academically and professionally.</p>

<p>Only word of caution for you is that Cal (and other comparable engineering schools) are very demanding academically and lower division level class sizes (physics, calculus, chemistry, etc.) are often MASSIVE and move at lighting speed. So it can make for very challenging/high pressure learning environment. Many HS seniors think they have it tough in HS, but in fact it does not even begin to compare to University level competition.</p>

<p>As for undergrad focus engineering schools (e.g. Cal Poly), class sizes are smaller or just plain small. Typically less high pressure simply because a smaller student body and a more cordial atmosphere. For some this could be the difference between successfully completing engineering school or flunking out. But it is really up to the individual; if one is lazy, Cal Poly will be glad to flunk that student out.</p>

<p>Just a quick fact, 50-67% of the starting freshman engineering students never finish engineering school. They typically change major or drop out entirely.</p>

5

<p>ickglue, why in the world would you even consider posting a link to a survey titled:</p>

<p>“These schools produced the best graduates in each major, according to recruiters”</p>

<p>where Texas A&M is ranked higher than Wharton in finance or Maryland is ranked higher than MIT, Stanford and UC Berkeley in Engineering and CalTech is not even in the top 25 schools in the country in Engineering?</p>

<p>Do you understand how silly you sound?</p>

6

<p>Actually it is not silly. </p>

<p>In fact, you sound like you have never hired a staff in your life and so I think you need to think and reflect before you speak.</p>

<p>There are 2 sets of ranking each use for different purpose. </p>

<p>One is pure academic ranking which determines the pecking order in terms of research, teaching quality, student graduation rate, etc.</p>

<p>The second is corporate recruiting ranking (as seen through the eyes of LARGE corporate hiring professionals) which determines and influences how likely large corporations around the country/world will recruit from a certain academic institution.</p>

<p>The ranking I posted in WSJ is a reflection of where large corporations do bulk of their hiring for junior level staff. So if you are a new graduate at say Cal Poly, chances are you will have a high paying entry level job waiting for you when you graduate.</p>

<p>Conversely, for a school like Caltech, MIT, Stanford, you need to know this :</p>

<p>1) Their student body are much smaller, hence less number of new graduates to recruit from by large corporations
2) Their undergrad graduates very often go directly to graduate school (Phd most often) hence they don’t look for work
3) Even if they work, they don’t typically take your standard off the rack typical entry level engineering jobs</p>

<p>Therefore, the WSJ ranking reflects these idiosyncrasies of high power research driven academic institutions. Simply put, a place like Caltech is a bad place to hire an entry level engineer because the new undergrad graduates don’t want to be entry level engineers and the school does not necessarily encourage that type of hiring because they want their new grads to get Phds. So guess what? Recruiters rank them low because Caltech makes entry level hiring painful for large corporations and they don’t come back unless they want a specialized senior scientist hire. </p>

<p>The recruiting ranking is VERY important in determining the chance for a fresh engineering graduate looking for a high pay entry level engineering job at a large corporation. For typical state universities like UCs, CSUs, or even run of the mill private schools like USCs of the world, this is a very good predictor of its graduates’ job marketability.</p>

<p>And remember, you aren’t really calling me silly; Rather you are calling Wall Street Journal silly.</p>

7

<p>@ickglue if money is an issue, would it be wise for me to attend Cal Poly for undergraduate (It has a less stressful environment and it may be easier for me to maintain high GPA- i know that it will be hard still) and then maybe for graduate school attend Berkeley? Or will the change in schools be so drastic that it will hurt me in graduate school? </p>

<p>Also, when you say a high- paying “entry-level” job does this mean that it will be harder for graduates from those schools you mentioned to move up in the positions @ firms and companies later? </p>

<p>Thanks, your information is really helpful :]</p>

8

<p>Firstly, if you do get into Cal or a comparable university (Tier 1), you will have access to a variety of financial aid and assistance. I consider the opportunity of attending a tier 1 university to be a very valuable experience in many facades. </p>

<p>Being in a Tier 1 university offers you access to the best/at least superior facilities (for lab work, library research, nice gyms), some of the brightest classmates (very important for peer to peer learning), access to top faculty (if they take the time out to speak with you), big name school for good resume entry, and access to elite employment opportunities (management consulting, investment banking, etc.)</p>

<p>So if at all possible financially, I would strongly consider not passing up a Tier 1 university educational opportunity. </p>

<p>But since life is not easy for ANYONE/parents/students, it is very understandable to select a high quality but cheaper university.</p>

<p>I consider attending Cal Poly to be a very good choice as well. It will be easier than Cal academically. And you will have less pressure and more access to the faculty for academic questions and help. Your potential Cal Poly peers will be solid students, some extremely bright and talented just like Cal’s, but majority will be down to earth hard working good students with strong desire to succeed. You will gain a lot of practical hands on engineering experiences that you can leverage when you enter the work force because CP requires huge number of lab classes. </p>

<p>Cal Poly has improved its campus substantially, so the engineering facilities and dorms will be of good quality and the natural environment is beautiful. </p>

<p>As for graduate school, if you excel in your engineering studies in Cal Poly, you will have no problem attending a top graduate school after. When I say top, I mean MIT, Stanford, Caltech of the world. Gaining entry into top graduate school has a lot more to do with your undergraduate academic results, sometimes post undergrad work experience (for certain majors like MBA), than the prestige of your undergrad institution. </p>

<p>In terms of moving up the ladder corporate wise, graduating from CP and then working your way up the corporate ladder will NOT be an issue. Apple’s CFO is from CP, Former CEO of Veritas software is from CP, CEO of Raytheon is also a CP graduate, to name a few.</p>

<p>However, coming from CP WILL probably preclude you from the MOST selective post undergraduate job opportunities such as working as an investment banker, hedge fund analyst, or employment at McKinsey, Bain of the world. But this will be true even if you went to UCSD, UCI, etc. and to certain extent even UCLA. </p>

<p>Let me know if you have more questions. </p>

<p>I will try to make sure I don’t give silly answers. :)</p>

9

<p>haha thanks for your help ickglue!! the reason why I am so curious about CP is that I had been debating about whether or not to apply there for Early Decision (Electrical Engineering), and yesterday (the last day to turn in apps) I turned it in. I kind of regretted it at first b/c I felt that if I go to that school, all my hard work in high school is wasted. I had this misconception because none of my friends or family members knew about that school and that it was a Cal State. But after what you said and hours of research, I think it was definately worth it. After all, even if i was accepted to UCB and UCLA, I think I might have chosen CP anyways b/c i love its environment.</p>

10

<p>I am happy to hear you are applying to Cal Poly for ED. </p>

<p>I actually went to Cal Poly for my undergraduate Electrical engineering. And afterward, I went to Harvard for my graduate school. </p>

<p>I think you will love CP and its environment. Pismo Beach is breathtaking and so are the surrounding hills near the campus. </p>

<p>My experience at Cal Poly was grand. Some of the best time of my life. </p>

<p>Please keep me posted on your progress.</p>

11

<p>What a coincidence! haha. and yes. I will definately Keep you posted :]</p>

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<p>DHi Ickglue,
My son is a first year EE student at Cal Poly and he loves it! He loves the “hands on” learing and most of his classes are small. However, don’t fool yourself. It is not easy. Many of his peers will not make it through. I know UCB is supposed to be extremely brutal, and I am sure, more competitive than Cal Poly, but Cal Poly EE is hard even for very bright students. Good luck to you and keep us posted.</p>