College Engineering Selection Dilemma: Advice is GREATLY Appreciated!

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Hey guys! So I’ve just recently gotten my acceptances and I’ve discovered that I’m in a bit of a pickle concerning which one to choose and which is the best for me. So just a couple of things before I explain further.

I got into:
Rice University - Engineering
University of Texas at Austin- Petroleum Engineering
Duke University - Pratt School of Engineering
Dartmouth College - Engineering (I think they accepted me for chemical idk)
NYU - Polytechnic Engineering

I know for sure know that I want to go into an engineering program that is heavy on science (ex. BioChem, Chemical, etc etc)
My first pick at a major was actually Chemical Engineering because I love Chemistry and what not but ever since I found out that Duke doesn’t have a chem E program, (I’ve actually fallen in love with Duke as a whole) I decided to widen my perspective a little more and just keep my choice of engineering major open. So here are my reasons for each and why I am in such a dilemma.

Rice: Yes it has chemical but I am not sure if I want to live in Houston. What makes Rice so better than all my other schools? (I.E Duke and Dartmouth?)

UT Austin: Probably the reason why I am in such a big dilemma. You see, UT is such a GREAT school and what not. It is ranked #1 for Petroleum and #6 for Chemical. Above all the other schools I have gotten into. However, given that I got into Duke and Dartmouth, I’ve been really hesitant on choosing. I feel like if I choose UT, it’ll be only for the Chem/Petroleum program and not for the school itself. And I’ve just thought that what if I turn down an Ivy and Kind-of Ivy (Duke) for UT but I end up hating the major that I’m in? Wouldn’t it be best to go to a top school?

Duke: I feel like as a human being I am almost born for Duke. I feel like that school just fits me character wise. I mean, this is the school that made me broaden my major choice from Chemical to just Engineering (with science) because it didn’t have my major. I have done quite a bit of research concerning Duke and so far I’ve gotten that Duke is not an engineering powerhouse like (MIT, Berkeley, Stanford etc) but I still carries along quite well. I don’t know that much about the 4 engineering departments that Pratt has but what I can see is that I can’t really find one out of the 4 that seem like the next best thing to Chemical Engineering. The sad thing is about Duke as a whole is that I love this school but I feel like I will miss out greatly on what a good engineering school should be If I choose it. I feel like it’s a massive compromise because I feel like I might miss out on the internships/opportunities that UT Austin or Dartmouth might have to offer. It’s kind of like let’s say you really fancy someone but everyone tells you that that person is not as great as he/she comes off to be, but you keep ignoring those comments because you really really fancy them lol. Maybe it’s the prestige that’s making me a bit biased.

Dartmouth: I am very very open to the programs at Dartmouth. I haven’t done too much research yet but I know I will do just fine in whatever field I choose there because Dartmouth has such an excellent engineering school. However, what makes it stand out from all the others that I’ve gotten into? And also, I am not a fan of location (seriously) and I heard Dartmouth has a heavy frat culture (ew lol) and the weather is a bit unappealing. And I’m also really big on diversity and idk if Dartmouth has it on a wide scale like NYU, Duke and UT Austin have. So for this school its kind of like Program vs. Overall/Environment Quality

NYU: I honestly don’t know why I applied here lol. I don’t know if I’ll go despite whatever I hear about this school. Nothing wrong with it, it’s just that IDK if I want to live in New York. However, I am open to any thoughts that contradict my idea. Again, what can I get at NYU that I can’t get at the others?

Any thoughts on which school is a better match for me holistically? Sorry that this is such a long post and thank you for taking out the time to read this. Please respond freely because your opinion is greatly appreciated! :slight_smile:

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You say you are interested in UT Austin because of strong Chem E and Petroleum programs. If there is even a possibility of you wanting Chem E, why would you choose a school like Duke that doesn’t offer Chem E and eliminate that option for yourself?

You say things like “I honestly don’t know why I applied” to NYU, and “I haven’t done too much research yet” re: Dartmouth. You need to do that research. I suggest you take some significant time looking at the offerings and requirements of each school, and thinking about what you really want, rather than trusting commenters on CC. :wink: All the above are good schools, but every engineering program is different. And the schools you list are all very different from each other.

Is cost a factor? Have you gotten any merit aid or other financial aid to tip the scales of one school over another? How do you feel about proximity to home? Etc.

Maybe make a list of your priorities first, and rate each school on each of them, and see where you stand. Really examine the programs and all the pros and cons. A chemical engineer or petroleum engineer who succeeds in any strong ABET accredited program will have a very good job outlook. I wouldn’t advise making a decision like this based on perceived prestige or rankings. And I say that as a parent of a (non-engineering) Ivy student.

Good luck.

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Thanks so much for those words, but in reference to UT like you said, perhaps I worded it dofferently in my text, I did not pick UT because of Chem/Petroleum E. UT was the safety school when I applied to all my colleges. (automatic acceptance if top 7% of your class) If I got rejected from all those other schools, I wouldn’t have to choose. That question you asked is the point of my dilemma: even though duke doesn’t have Chem E and UT does, I am still considering Duke because overall, regardless of its program, it appeals to me (hence why I made the analogy to the person that you fancy)

Either way I will consider what you said about making a pros and cons list! Thanks!

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You need to decide if you want Chem E or Duke. If it’s Duke, then your decision is done. If not, then you need to sort the rest. Two things to consider. First, your safety school might be not only the cheapest, but the strongest engineering option. Second, if you want an ABET accredited BS and not just a BA from Dartmouth, it’s a five year program. At most other programs you’d walk out with a Masters in the same amount of time.

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Rice seems ideal for you. Not sure why you are struggling with your decision. You have given good reasons to reject all of your other schools.

Get over living in Houston. You’re going to college not settling in Houston. The Rice house system is very nice.

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Rice was a great fit for my son too EXCEPT living in Houston. He’s very outdoorsy and pretty liberal. He had no interest in living anywhere in Texas, especially Houston. He had a free app at Rice and didn’t even bother applying. There are SO many good school options out there that there’s NO reason to go to one where you don’t think you’ll be happy. There’s far more to college than just the nuts and bolts of the academics. Trust me. I did go to school in Houston. Houston sucks.

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True when you are choosing where to apply. Not so much when you have a short list of schools and have to pick one to attend.

Did you go to Rice? I don’t think Rice is as “red” as Houston in general. All of his other options have real downsides too. I definitely wouldn’t recommend choosing your major based on where you want to go to college. Your college should enable you to study whatever you think you might want. Duke doesn’t. Most Rice students love Rice.

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I went to graduate school at U of H, but spent plenty of time at Rice. I love Rice. I also was very fond of USC. They both though have the same problem. They are enclaves in otherwise crappy places to live and be a college student.

I agree that the decision on the school list could have been better vetted before applying. Given the options now though, UT would be far cheaper, is in a much nicer location and has a very strong engineering program. It’s downside…it’s big, really big.

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I noticed classicrockerdad you said “I definetly wouldn’t choose your major based off of where you want to go to college” doesn’t that seem rather backwards? You may love your major but if you hate the school why bother? ALOT of things come into play when deciding a college besides just your major of choice.

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and btw is Pratt engineering majors are all ABET accredited right? I believe so

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It seems like a nice list. /How do costs compare? If TX is in-state, that could be the deciding factor.

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@Labonvie‌, most do as @ClassicRockerDad‌ suggested. They decide on what type of engineering they want to do and only then form a list of schools that they think are good fits.

You must not care too much for Chem E if you’re willing to disgard it completely to go to Duke. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Just know, if you choose Duke, Chem E is completely off the table. Duke offers BME, Civil, EE and ME, none anything like Chem E.

If you want to be an engineer, Duke doesn’t have the cache you might think. Neither does Dartmouth. In fact Cornell is the only decent program in the Ivy League. It’s certainly up for debate, but there’s lots of plain Jane publics, Texas among them, that would be more respected in engineering circles than any of the Ivys or Duke. Unlike most schools where an engineering admit tends to be tougher than a regular admit, that isn’t the case at Duke or Dartmouth. It’s harder for them to fill spots because they aren’t strong programs, so they have to admit more students to fill the slots. They are not schools that attract the top engineering candidates.

Dartmouth is 5 years. It is not a four year program that most can’t complete on time. It is five years to get a BS. That’s ridiculous. They also will not take AP credit. It’s not highly regarded anywhere other than for creating bankers out of their 4 year, non-ABET accredited BA program. Even then, I’m not sure how strong they are.

If it were me, I’d narrow it to the two Texas choices. They are both substantially better programs than either Duke or Dartmouth. If you want to be an engineer, you’d be doing yourself a disservice to pass on both UT and Rice for the schools with the bumper sticker names.

As much as I bashed Houston (it’s BIG, HUMID and has a fairly high crime rate), Rice really is a cool school. Houston has many good restaurants and some funky, fun bars right near or on the Rice campus. I was really pushing back on the concept of not choosing a school based on location. Those discussions however should happen BEFORE applications. You’re now sort of painted into a corner, because you (or your advisors) didn’t do that homework.

UT has lots of school spirit and has had a strong engineering program for a long time. There’s nothing like being in the student section of a big time college football program. It’s a blast, even if you don’t love football.

Take a little time and decide what you really want. It might be more important to be a Bluedevil than to go to a better engineering program. In the end, your success will be what you make of it. Just don’t choose Duke (or Dartmouth) because you think it will be more respected. It won’t.

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Because you are going to spend 4 years in college and 40+ years practicing your chosen profession. If something that you might love is closed off from you at 18, you might regret the next 40+ years!

Think about it. It’s hard to put a bunch of 18 year old students together on any campus so that they have a miserable time.

Besides, people don’t hate Rice. It’s a very desirable and prestigious school.

14

Cornell is not the only decent program in the Ivy League. Princeton has a renowned engineering department and Harvard is rapidly acquiring brilliant professors.

It is also worth noting that Duke has the most improved undergraduate engineering school in America.

Also, department rankings matter little at the undergrad level. Why do you think that you’ll be missing out on internships at Duke?

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Department rankings matter more for undergraduate programs than graduate program. They are still of limited worth, don’t get me wrong; this is more of a comment on how little they are worth for choosing graduate programs.