<p>I am an international student, and I have been looking into Columbia's combined plan and it really looks like something for me. For those of you who don't know this is the 3-2 plan which would enable me to pursue 2 degrees - a B.A from a liberal arts college and a B.S from Columbia SEAS. </p>
<p>My question however has to do with the affiliated colleges, I already have looked into it some but it is a large list, so I was hoping to get some tips from you guys. </p>
<p>The most important thing for me is value. I don't have endless resources when it comes to money and my home country can only offer me a loan package of 44.100 USD over all my undergraduate years.</p>
<p>I would really appreciate it if you could tell me anything about any of these colleges.</p>
<p>You need to provide more information about yourself to answer your post. What to you want to major in for the first three years - physics, math? What type of engineering do you intend to pursue? What sort of environment do you want to go to college in for the first three years? What are your test scores, grades, etc?</p>
<p>There are over 100 colleges listed. Additionally, some of the colleges listed have 3-2 engineering with other engineering schools as well (e.g. RPI, Caltech, Dartmouth).</p>
<p>Well thank you for your reply and I see now my question wasn’t very detailed, but it was supposed to come of in a more general way.</p>
<p>What I meant was, if anyone has any info on any of the lesser-known schools (i.e not Williams, Georgetown, Claremont McKenna etc.) then that would be extremely helpful. I’ve already looked into a lot of the more reputable schools but i’m still trying to put together a list with my top 5-6, so instead learning about every single school on the list then i’d like to get some feedback from other people who know more about it.</p>
<p>The fact that you name Georgetown and Claremont Men’s and that you don’t provide any info indicates you don’t know what you are doing.</p>
<p>In general, 3-2 engineering generally is for science majors at LAC’s. Physics majors tend to go into EE, ME or material science. Chemistry majors sometimes opt for 3-2 chemical engineering. Civil engineering doesn’t use as much physical science or math as the other disciplines.</p>
<p>LAC’s that are good in physics and/or for 3-2 engineering are: Reed, Carleton, Grinnell, Oberlin, and probably Wesleyan, on top of already named Williams. Keep in mind that there are many LAC’s where physics is unpopular. Most of the colleges on Columbia’s long list are in sleep mode with respect to 3-2 engineering for long periods of time. There may be a student who does 3-2 engineering once every five years from those colleges.</p>
<p>Many students who start out as 3-2 engineering end up doing 4-2 engineering. They graduate in 4 years from an LAC with a science major and then go on to a 2 year MS program in engineering often on a funded basis. </p>
<p>Further, a number of the 3-2 engineering students at Columbia come from poor quality institutions like CUNY Queens College. They don’t major in a true engineering discipline but in OR or IE (management). These are just people seeking backdoor entry to Columbia. However, for good students it is a waste of time to do 3-2 engineering for something other than a true engineering discipline.</p>
<p>Lastly, most good colleges for 3-2 engineering have dual degrees with multiple schools. See</p>
<p>Thank you for your reply it was helpful, you probably are right in that I may be a little ignorant when it comes to this, however I do feel like you may have misunderstood me, i’m just asking if anyone has any tips on some of the lesser known schools (e.g my relative went there, and he/she really loved/hated the…). And i’m not asking about a specific department (physics, math etc.) and how good that is within the school (I may once I have narrowed it down to a few realistic choices that I like), i’m mostly interested in finding a school that i’ll be happy at, especially if I decide to back out of the program once i’m there (maybe my goals will change), like I said i’m interested and plan to do this but I still have a lot of time left until I even start applying to colleges.</p>
<p>Secondly the reason i’d like to do the Columbia 3-2 program instead of some other school is because (please do correct me if i’m wrong) I would complete more non-technical credits.</p>
<p>Lastly, you don’t have to answer me if you don’t like to, I came here “Hoping for the best, prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.” So any knowledge I may get I appreciate.</p>
<p>What schools are you looking at? Are you looking at schools that give international students lots of aid? Do you want city/country/ht/cold? There are literally thousands of liberal arts colleges to choose from so if you narrow it down a bit you may get more help. I live in New England so I have friends at a lot of LACs up here, any that you want to get about? </p>
<p>Colby college in Maine has a 30ish% acceptance rate and is very good. My father works in engineering and has hired a couple of graduates from the Colby/Dartmouth 3-2 plan. Colby also has a reputation for being generous to international students in regards to financial aid. I have friends there that love it, but it is definitely in a rural and cold setting.</p>