<p>I definitely want to go into either petroleum or materials engineering and am considering Penn State University Park or Colorado School of Mines. Penn State is cheaper, but money isn't really a problem and I love it out in Colorado as a skier and mountain biker. I'm not positive, but the material sciences program seems better at PSU and the petroleum engineering seems better at CSM so I'm having trouble deciding.</p>
<p>My GPA is 3.86 (unweighted) and I got a 2020 on my SATs (600 verbal, 660 math, 760 writing) and I'm ranked in the top 10% of my class if that helps. I'm taking ACTs in a few weeks since schools out west seem to prefer them.</p>
<p>Also, any other engineering schools to consider?
And as a girl will that help me get into schools like CSM, where it's mostly guys?</p>
<p>Hey… unfortunately I can’t help too much as I’ve been wondering that myself.</p>
<p>I’m looking more into mechanical or electrical engineering, perhaps computer… but anyways I’m trying to decide between psu main and CSM. From the wording of your post it sounds as though you’re still a junior, so you definitely have some time. </p>
<p>I had the opportunity to visit Mines and was very impressed with the campus, as well as the faculty I was introduced to. If you haven’t applied yet, you probably haven’t been offered financial aid. My scores were similar to yours, im not sure what my unweighted qpa is but my SATs were 710, 650, 740, and I ended up being offered 12 a year in scholarship, which made it about the same price as PSU. Granted the cost of travel isn’t included. </p>
<p>First off, am I correct to assume you’re a junior?</p>
<p>yup, I’m a junior, so I definitely still have time to figure everything out.</p>
<p>I have a friend who is a freshman at PSU now and he was offered 5 a year for CSM but chose PSU instead for mechanical engineering. It seems like CSM really favors out of state kids for scholarships. Plus I have a decent amount of AP credits so that should save some money too.
I’m retaking the SATs in May to try to get my math and critical reading scores up, because it seems like writing doesn’t matter very much so most schools.
I’ve taken a tour of PSU and driven through the Mines campus, though I won’t get a real tour there until summer. Both campuses seem pretty awesome, so I’m torn.</p>
<p>Yeah both campuses are quite nice. The weather seems to be a bit nicer in Colorado, though its not much different. (We don’t get much sun in PA)</p>
<p>In terms of scholarships, it does seem as though they favor out of state. I think they try and get out of state tuition as close to in state with scholarships.</p>
<p>I’m not sure how the actual academics compare, though Penn State is much higher in the usnews rankings for Engineering. </p>
<p>Campus Life is probably the biggest difference between the schools. PSU is huge, with many different majors (and many people who might not take their major as seriously), where as Mines is a small engineering school. The people at mines would likely be more focused, though from my visit it seemed as though the school was still fun, just in a different way. PSU is definitely a party school, but I imagine the engineering school at PSU is generally similar to the that of CSM.</p>
<p>I hadn’t realized the big difference between their rankings, PSU is top 20 for engineering and mines is 71st. I’m wondering if this is indicative of a major difference in educational quality. I tend to believe it is not, though in the absence of evidence which supports either side I feel as though the ranking might lead me more towards Penn State, especially since I’m looking at mechanical. </p>
<p>I’m hoping someone else will comment here, as I’m running out of decision making time heh. Both definitely do seem pretty awesome, though I think I’d probably prefer the smaller atmosphere of Mines… just not sure if its a big enough factor.</p>
<p>yeah i checked out the rankings, I’m thinking that CSM is so much lower than PSU in overall rankings just because its such a specialized school and doesnt have much to offer outside of engineering and some mathematics. Although I’m surprised that Mines is so low in the rankings for engineering programs… All the engineers I’ve spoken to seem to think both schools are great</p>
<p>Many, many years ago my husband had this same choice. He chose CSM for metallurgical engineering and I am glad he did because that is where we met! Its reputation has helped him in his career, also. It may not always have the highest rankings but it is very well known and esteemed in industry. If you want to go into Petroleum Engineering, CSM is definitely the best fit but Materials is also good. Penn State is a huge school with tons of school spirit. Mines is small and you will be able to know all of your professors and they will know you by name. The student body is a little nerdy but everyone works together. And being a girl will help you get into either engineering program. You will be able to ski and mountain bike and Golden is a great town. Good luck in your decision. And BTW I have lived in both PA and Colorado and the weather is much better and MUCH sunnier in Colorado!</p>
<p>Don’t be deceived by the rankings… (#77). At an engineering school you really shouldn’t be so worried about how US news and world report ranks the school but rather what engineers and employers think. If you want to do Petroleum then Mines is hands down the better choice. Haliburton, Shell, and about every other big-time oil company recruits out of here. When you talk Petroleum you’re talking about a specific type of Geology and Mines has that on lock (USGS headquarters are on campus). </p>
<p>Materials science is a good one too here. The school works very closely with the NREL and from what I gather, most companies that come to our job fairs are looking for Materials or Petroleum engineers.</p>
<p>If you’re going to college unsure of whether you’re doing Materials or Petro engineering then I’d say Mines is a great choice … We rank #1 of all public schools for starting salary (Payscale.com) and getting a job is pretty much guaranteed upon graduation.
Doesn’t hurt that we are literally at the foot of the Rocky mtns either…</p>
<p>I just got my acceptance letter from CSM today! I plan to study mechanical engineering and then materials engineering at the graduate level. I worked at Wright Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio last summer in the AFRL and many of the employees suggested and spoke highly of CSM. A few even got their doctorates from there. I’m choosing CSM over the University of Dayton.</p>
<p>Hey. Here are the US News Ranks for the top 10 Petroleum engineering schools:
U.S. News Rank University
1 Texas A&M UniversityCollege Station
2 University of TexasAustin
3 Stanford University (CA)
4 Colorado School of Mines
4 University of Oklahoma
6 Louisiana State UniversityBaton Rouge
7 University of Tulsa (OK)
8 Texas Tech University
9 Penn State UniversityUniversity Park
10 New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
I got accepted to Mines this year too! I selected my major to be petroleum engineering. Mines is the first school I received acceptance from and seems to be the better pick in terms of my future career. I am from PA so, I also have applied to University Park. PennState is closer to my house-three hour drive-Mines is a plane ride away. Although, PSU is in the middle of the state, which means it further isolates students from coop/internship opportunities. Mines is closer to the Petrol business and graduates are highly sought after by employers over most schools. I am thinking, hands down, Mines is the better choice.</p>
<p><< I am thinking, hands down, Mines is the better choice. >></p>
<p>Maybe, maybe not. Based on conversations I have had with friends (who are PEs with major companies), altho still well ranked, the reputation of Mines within the industry has diminished in the past decade or so. It’s still a good school and a good program, but I wouldn’t say it tops PSU “hands down.”</p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind is that about half of engineering students switch to a different major and many of those that do were sure they knew what they wanted when they first enrolled. If you were to decide you didn’t want to study engineering your other options would be very limited at Mines. (Also, the student population is predominately male and most are engineering students.)</p>
<p>“If you were to decide you didn’t want to study engineering your other options would be very limited at Mines.”</p>
<p>Yes this is correct-I hope to keep my head straight and stick with the major I picked. If I change heart, it would be very unfortunate to have limited options. I also like economics/finance, which I believe is offered as a major at mines.</p>
<p>My son only looked at Mines briefly - as they didn’t offer the ENGR major he wanted - but the idea of being part of a band that marched in hiking boots just did him in!! He’s just too much of a traditionalist! ;)</p>
<p>It’s not a matter of “keeping your head straight”. When you go to college you will hopefully be exposed to areas of study you never considered before. Students sometimes have a “change of Heart” because they learn their true passion is in a field they had not previously considered. This is not a bad thing; it’s one of the reasons one goes to college.</p>
<p>Mines does have an econ major. It is the only non-science/math/engineering degree listed on College Board. There is no business school nor is there finance. If you are concerned about rankings, you would have to go pretty far down the list to find their program.</p>