Choosing colleges for Engineering Major

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hi, I'm a senior and I would like to ask people about the colleges listed below about their Engineering majors, and other little comments.</p>

<p>Bucknell University
Lafayette University
Lehigh University</p>

<p>New York University
Syracuse University</p>

<p>I chose Bucknell, Lafayette, and Lehigh for their engineering program in liberal arts setting plus more chance of financial aid.
However, I've heard they are all big with Greek Life, which I don't really want to be a part of.
Is it a really big this at these three schools, and does drinking and drugs come into a big part in students' lives?
How are the surrounding environments?
If you were me, which schools would you choose to spend your undergraduate years far away from home?</p>

<p>I also chose NYU and Syracuse for engineering, however, bigger schools, so less financial aid I guess.
Syracuse happens to be the No. 1 party school in US, and how does that affect the student life?
And how does NYU's setting in a big city affect student life, as in activities, safety, etc.?</p>

<p>SO basically, I would love some input from people who have attended these colleges or know some characteristics about these schools.</p>

<p>I'm an Asian student coming from a very low-income family, and for me, college is a place to study and explore new areas (sports, music, study abroad, etc) and not a place for party, so that's why I'm having a hard time deciding.</p>

<p>I will be happy with any comments or insights!!
Thank you in advance!! :)</p>

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<p>Lehigh is probably the best of the schools you have listed when it comes ot engineering. A real party school, so you know, but you can avoid it. its all a matter of discipline. Virginia Tech, Worcester polytech, perdue, Stevens Institute, Harvey mudd and carnegie mellon are also phenomenal for engineering. You should check them out, too. </p>

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<p>Your top three schools have excellent engineering programs. Many decades ago, I went to school nearby and knew these campuses and partied on them. At two of them, frats are very big and at the third, Lafayette, frats are being squeezed by the administration and sports teams have taken over the party scene. I would say that perhaps Lafayette would be the easiest place for a non-partier to avoid the parties. Unfortunately, you might find at all these campuses that if you’re not a partier that your social life is pretty limited. However, being an engineering major you might not have much time for socializing outside of the E building. When I visited Lafayette the first time as a parent, students were enjoying the end-of-classes bacchanal and were spread out over the lawn in front of the library and down the hill at some (frat?) houses where they were drinking beer and enjoying themselves. However, inside the E bldg, the engineering students were crowded into lounges and classrooms finishing their final projects. So I think your reservations are reasonable, but I think that if you’re committed to your studies and put your social life second you can do well at any of these schools but perhaps Lafayette will be the easiest one to do so.</p>

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<p>Here is Payscale.com’s top engineering schools by SALARY POTENTIAL. Lehigh and Lafayette are not on the list, but some of the others i mentioned are. <a href=“http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2014/best-schools-by-type/engineering-schools”>http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2014/best-schools-by-type/engineering-schools&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>@‌jkeil911 @‌proudfather
Thank you so much both of you!
Are there any big differences between the 3 universities? I still can’t decide if I should make up my mind and decide on 1 college out of the 3 to apply.
Also, anything about NYU or Syracuse that popped into your mind?
And have you heard anything about their Study Abroad options?</p>

<p>My main focus is engineering, but I’m also interested in Neuroscience, Genetics, and Forensics, so I want to consider colleges that could leave me with variety of opportunities, but small colleges if possible. </p>

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<p>Well, generally speaking, NYU and Syracuse are suitable colleges but not regarded as engineering powerhouses. Also, Payscale is an interesting measurement. Lake Jr.'s STEM school ranks high on Payscale, but engineers from other alma maters also do well career-wise, if they are motivated and hustle. Lehigh and Lafayette have very good reputations.</p>

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<p><<<
Here is Payscale.com’s top engineering schools by SALARY POTENTIAL. Lehigh and Lafayette are not on the list, but some of the others i mentioned are. <a href=“http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2014/best-schools-by-type/engineering-schools”>http://www.payscale.com/college-salary-report-2014/best-schools-by-type/engineering-schools&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>for engineering, that report is meaningless. and it is meaningless that Lehigh and Lafayette aren’t on the list.</p>

<p>Salary potential for a grad of any good engineering program (and there are 200+ in this country), is going to be the same no matter which school. The determining factor will be REGION the hiring company is in.</p>

<p>for instance…the Boeing in Southern Cal will hire all eng’g new hires at the same salary no matter if they graduated from CSULB or if they graduated from UCLA or Cal. The Boeing in Hunstville, Al will pay all the new hires the same no matter if they graduated from Georgia Tech or UAH. But, the Calif salaries may be higher than the Huntsville salaries because the cost of living in Huntsville is lower. So a new hire in Huntsville may start at $60k, while a new hire in Southern Cal may start at $63k. But it would be silly to think that the Southern Cal salary is better if that $5k just goes to paying for a more expensive region.</p>

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<p>None of those schools are known for their financial aid. All are top dollar privates, where even if you get a little aid, the net cost will be way too much for your very low income family. </p>

<p>NYU doesn’t have engineering. You would need to go to NYU Poly, which is the former Polytechnic Institute in Brooklyn. Not sure if it was a merger or purchase, but they now are part of NYU. It is a separate campus (using the term very loosely) in a different borough several miles away from NYU. Good school, but if budget is a consideration at all, cross it off your list. Perhaps the most expensive school in the country, notoriously bad with aid.</p>

<p>What is your actual budget? </p>

9

<p>M2Ck, I couldn’t have said it better.</p>

<p>OP and Chardo, as I understand it, the merger of NYU and Polytechnic will be completed relatively soon (2015?). Yes, Polytechnic (or whatever it will become known as…NYU Engineering?) will be entirely housed in the old NYC Transit HQ in downtown Brooklyn, which is a relatively short subway ride from the main NYU campus in Lower Manhattan.</p>

<p>Finally, as Chardo said, NYU’s price tag and reputation for crummy financial aid is a scandal.</p>

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Thank you all so much for your help!
They are all valuable information :smile: