<p>Hi I'm going into my senior year of high school and I'm deciding between Dartmouth and WashU for early decision. I literally change my mind on a daily basis. If you could put in your input regarding pros and cons for each I would really appreciate it!</p>
<p>by the way im going into chemical engineering.</p>
<p>I don’t know enough to say anything about Dartmouth, but WashU would probably be best ChemE if you’re interested in the energy/green side of chemical engineering. It’s a major focus at WashU, and while it appears to be a great program, it probably wouldn’t be a good ChemE program for someone who isn’t interested in that…</p>
<p>You won’t like this answer, but if you’re changing your mind on a daily basis, don’t apply ED to either school. One tiny, insignificant pro or con posted by a stranger on the internet should not tip the scale when it comes to applying ED.</p>
<p>It’s OK to not be able to make up your mind. ED is a big commitment and you should only do it if you’re absolutely certain where you want to go. You’re not.</p>
<p>Definitely Wash U. I’m not familiar with Dartmouth so I just did a bit of research. Dartmouth has about ~40 students per class in the Engineering School, fewer than 50 faculty, and 2 buildings. There aren’t “departments” within the school, so you wouldn’t earn a Chemical engineering major or degree. You’d graduate with a bachelor of arts, and while the distinction between a BA and a BS doesn’t really matter for any other field, it kind of does matter for Engineering. You can stay a 5th year at Dartmouth to earn a Bachelor of Engineering, which would be more time and/or money. </p>
<p>So, I’m trying to get across the point that you really won’t have a lot of resources at Dartmouth, few faculty, and no real program in Chemical Engineering. Wash U is still somewhat medium sized as far as engineering schools go, so you would still have a nice community feel (which I assume is the main draw of dartmouth) while having extensive resources for Chem E and two brand new buildings for classes and doing research. Also, you can still study abroad and get a minor in the College of Arts and Sciences if there is something else outside of engineering that interests you. </p>
<p>I think Wash U would be a good fit that would allow you to actually be a Chemical Engineer while having a nice, laid-back campus that is known for a strong community feel. You’d get some of that at Dartmouth, but your specific academic interests would probably be compromised.</p>
<p>Yeah, you need to stay 5 years to get an ABET accredited degree at Dartmouth, which is ridiculous.</p>
<p>(And yes, not having an ABET degree can be a hindrance for some employers. While it’s not as big of a deal as it would be fore something like CivilEng, it’s not ideal to be sans-ABET).</p>
<p>Edit: Clarification- it’s “ridiculous” from a tuition standpoint/ comparisons to other programs that only take 4 years. I personally think it’s silly to get a liberal arts degree if you want to do engineering, but I recognize that my view is not the only one.</p>
<p>Assuming both have amazing programs, you should explore other aspects, including location. Dartmouth is way into the northern hills of NH, while WashU is close to a midwest city. very different. D’mouth has lots more focus on frats/sororities, and you have to be there one summer and off one semester. There are other differences to look at too. Whichever you decide, be sure to visit both.</p>
<p>For chem E, Wash U all the way…</p>
<p>Thank you all for your input. I really appreciate it. I did visit both and I’m going back to visit each for a second time in the fall. I am really in love with both and if I ended up at either I really don’t think I would have any regrets. I am not necessarily sure what I want to do out of college and am very open to any experiences that will sway me to any career path. Does washu make it easy to take classes in the college of arts and sciences in addition to all of the engineering requirements?</p>
<p>I strongly agree with Ravn…if you aren’t 100% sure where you want to go, don’t apply ED anywhere. Saying you’ll be really happy at either doesn’t really change that. I decided to apply SCEA to somewhere else (it was a while ago so I don’t even remember where), even though Wash U was always my top choice.</p>
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Yes. It’s ridiculously easy. There aren’t really any restrictions (upper level 300-400 major specific classes are exceptions).</p>
<p>You can also take classes in the art school and business school very easily.</p>
<p>Furthermore, taking classes outside of engineering is very encouraged (and you’ve probably seen this stat, but there are a huge percentage of engineering students who double major in artsci/business. I’m sure there are engineering/art double majors, but I don’t know any personally).</p>
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<p>My thought, also.</p>
<p>You can get some helpful information here:</p>
<p>[Bachelor</a> of Engineering | Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth](<a href=“http://engineering.dartmouth.edu/academics/undergraduate/be/]Bachelor”>Dartmouth Engineering | BE)</p>
<p>(In particular, “completion of the B.E. requires a minimum of 9 courses beyond the A.B. and generally takes 1 to 3 terms of additional study, depending on the courses taken during the first 4 years. (Advanced standing on entry to Dartmouth may shorten the time required.) Most add a fifth year to earn the B.E. (financial aid is available), but students may also plan ahead to finish a combined A.B./B.E. in four years.”)</p>
<p>and here</p>
<p>[School</a> of Engineering & Applied Science | Washington University in St. Louis](<a href=“http://bulletin.wustl.edu/engineering/]School”>http://bulletin.wustl.edu/engineering/)</p>
<p>(In the section that says: "Combined Major and/or Degree Opportunities</p>
<p>Multiple Majors in Engineering
If you are enrolled in the School of Engineering & Applied Science and you wish to pursue more than one major from the school…")</p>
<p>I’m doing Comp Sci (engineering), Math (artsci), and Econ (artsci). Really easy, will be done with all three within seven semesters.</p>
<p>^ geez, that’s fast…</p>
<p>It’s pretty easy to do at WashU, though it’ll vary depending on the majors and how much they overlap (I’m guessing CompSci/Math/Econ overlap quite a bit).</p>
<p>thank you all so much!</p>