Chemical Engineering- Suggestions?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I'm planning on entering the field of chemical engineering, and my top choices so far, to all of which I have been accepted, are</p>

<p>Harvey Mudd College
Case Western Reserve University
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Delaware- Honors
Columbia University SEAS.</p>

<p>I plan to continue studying chemical engineering in graduate school all the way up to a Ph.D.</p>

<p>HMC doesn't have a dedicated chemE program, but I'm enthralled at the prospect of studying engineering there and at the benefits HMC has to offer compared to the other schools I'm considering. However, I'd probably take extra courses to gear my experience towards chemE. There is merit in building a strong foundation in engineering before specializing, and a diverse background will better suit me for technical leadership in the future and aid in understanding the interface of various disciplines.</p>

<p>UDel has the best program out of all those above and a 2:1 student faculty ratio in the ChemE department, but outside of chemistry and associated fields, the intellectual atmosphere is rather dull. They're also giving me full tuition, though. UDel has the most diverse research interests, and it's well-known to graduate ChemE departments and professors. Research is also easy to obtain, from what I understand.</p>

<p>Case is giving me half tuition right now, and it's easy to do research freshman year and onwards. In fact, I'll most likely be doing research in their department this summer. They have a solid curriculum, but outside of that there's no great incentive. Although their department is renowned for electrochemical engineering, which is currently my interest, their professors conduct research in a range of fields and the macromolecular engineering department isn't far.</p>

<p>At CMU from what I understand, you have to be a sophomore before opportunities open up, and I found their research spectrum rather narrow compared to the other schools I'm considering for chemical engineering. I didn't find their senior design project too enthralling, or their facilities, for that matter.</p>

<p>Columbia carries a good deal of prestige with the name, though SEAS it may be. SEAS is coming up and Columbia is in NY, but from what I understand, Fu (SEAS) is notorious for sending its graduates into finance and medicine and law. Research is easy to find, though they have more of a trendy edge to their research and I question some facets of the ChemE curriculum, such as the lack of a physical chemistry course or a course in engineering economics or computer science.</p>

<p>I found computer science required in every other school, which says something about its importance to an engineer, though Columbia's Gateway Lab teaches MATLAB and MAYA.</p>

<p>Any suggestions?</p>

2

<p>in regards to cs, at hmc you'll be required to learn python and matlab.</p>

3

<p>Is Columbia-Fu good in regards to Chemical Engineering ?</p>

4

<p>That's what I'm trying to find out. SEAS students say ChemE students have the toughest workload and garner the most respect, but I have some doubts about their curriculum, which I've voiced before. For example, the lack of physical chemistry, which apparently is included in chemical engineering thermodynamics at Columbia but which at other schools is a required course in addition to chemical engineering thermodynamics. I'd like to know the implications of this in terms of the merits of Columbia's system compared to others.</p>

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<p>dude...go to delaware.has the best program of all.but ll those schools are the same,so choose where u will fit well.Also,chemE is a demanding course,but if u work hard,u will make it.</p>

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<p>UDel has the best program rankings-wise, which puts it under some scrutiny. However, UDel isn't an MIT or a Stanford, meaning that if its program is highly-ranked, there must be actual merit behind it.</p>