Do I trust "Top College" lists?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>Hello all.</p>

<p>I'm soon to be applying as a transfer chem engineering major for the 2014 school year, and it's now crunch time for selecting which schools I want to apply to. Up until recently I had only been considering UC's since they're close, convient, [relatively] cheap, and fairly highly regarded for my major. But after speaking to a few engineers at a local firm, I'm questioning whether the UC style of teaching, i.e. highly theoretical without a lot in the way of hands on applications, is the way to go. I'm definitely interested in Engineering itself as a profession, but would like to be involved in management at some point. Banking/finance are among my interests as well..</p>

<p>Anyway, I've been trying to come up with a few more schools worth applying to. My concerns include the prestige of the school but more importantly the quality of the school's program and how applicable it will be to my future career. How useful/reliable is, for example, the list of "Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs" on US News? I really just don't know where to look for reliable, relevant information.</p>

<p>Academically, my major GPA is a 3.92. Overall a 3.75 if you count classes taken in high school. So (though correct me if I'm wrong) I believe I will be pretty competitive at many schools.</p>

2

<p>I think the US News Best Engineering Schools where highest degree is a doctorate list is pretty accurate for approximate rankings but some schools are overrated like Harvard and you might miss a great ChemE program like U Delaware.</p>

3

<p>Did you ask these engineers for recommendations on schools?</p>

<p>Second, just remember that these engineers also have their biases; what one group of engineers at one firm thinks may be very different that those at another company. You need to find the place where you’ll excel. If you’re good at your job no one will care if your degree was too ‘theoretical’.</p>

4

<p>Only up to a point. Both people and companies (US News) can have biases so just be careful to get a broad oppinion. Visit the school or at least call them and ask tons of questions.</p>