<p>Between these two colleges in Pennsylvania which one is the better in Engineering?</p>
<p>Which has the better reputation? </p>
<p>All the kids in Philadelphia see Drexel has a great University.</p>
<p>But anyway, between these two which is just better?</p>
<p>Well they couldn't be more different. Drexel as you know is very urban. I too live near Philly and Drexel has strong reputation in engineering.</p>
<p>But Penn State's engineering is ranked higher and is more well known nationally.</p>
<p>PSU engineering HANDS DOWN....HANDS DOWN</p>
<p>"Well they couldn't be more different. Drexel as you know is very urban. I too live near Philly and Drexel has strong reputation in engineering.</p>
<p>But Penn State's engineering is ranked higher and is more well known nationally"</p>
<p>i agree with you there. Drexel is good but PSU has better reputation nationally when compared.</p>
<p>Let me throw something in here about the interviewing/recruiting process.</p>
<p>If the decision DOES come down to WHERE you received your degree (which usually means the employer is looking for a tie-breaker), it may come to what part of the USA you are interviewing.</p>
<p>If you are in the Philly area (I have lived there before), Drexel gets the nod over PSU. Anywhere else...Penn State because it is more known. It won't matter if Drexel's EE program is ranked 10 spots over PSU's EE program...for an interview in say Tampa Florida...Penn State has the bigger name.</p>
<p>Keep in mind....the HR folks who are verifying your degree do NOT have the US News rankings in front of them. Penn State could have the 164th ranked EE program for all they know.</p>
<p>Another thing is that employers outside of Pennsylvania would not even differentiate between Penn State main campus and one of Penn State's 100 regional campuses. You can get a B.S. in Engineering Science from PSU-Harrisburg and that employer in Colorado STILL thinks you attend the main Penn State and saw Joe Paterno.</p>
<p>hmm...makes sense</p>
<p>thank you.</p>
<p>The rankings are worthless in this context. What's more, why would you need CC to tell you what the rankings are? You can find that out yourself.</p>
<p>Here are some things to think about when comparing these (or any) two schools.</p>
<p>a. Freshman year, many engineering programs have a "rat line" mentality (to borrow a phrase from the Virginia Military Institute). That is, they set up situations in one or several classes where you are tested on your ability to attend to the most minute details. Many students are washed out for non-academic reasons. They used the wrong color pen. Their lines weren't straight enough. They brought the wrong book to class. Some students thrive in such situations, but you want to be sure you know what you're getting into.</p>
<p>b. Senior year, the most important course--and the one that really distinguishes engineering schools--is the capstone course. All e-schools must offer this to be accredited. You need to ask deep, probing questions about this course. How many students to a project? (My son, at UVa, has four on his project. Other schools have told me their average is 27!) Is the project a 'start to finish' or a 'section of a design pipeline? And, who meets with the group regularly, a professor or a TA? </p>
<p>c. What percentage of the professors have difficult-to-understand accents. This is MUCH more important to know than the USNWR beauty contest results. Read ratemyprofessor.com comments on your candidate schools.</p>
<p>d. How many courses are taught by TAs? Are any sections or courses taught by UNDERGRADUATE TAs? (The answer might surprise you!)</p>
<p>e. TAs will grade your papers and exams. If they're overloaded, you get ugly results. To what extent is the grading arbitrary and capricious? </p>
<p>For c, d, and e you should ask EVERY engineering student you can get your hands on. Opinions will differ, of course. This is a big investment in time and money (on your part). It deserves a lot more consideration than the magazines invest in rankings.</p>
<p>Note: I have no 'dog in the fight' between Drexel and PSU. In fact, I don't actually know what the answers would be for those two schools. But, you should!</p>
<p>thank you.
That was pretty helpful.</p>
<p>oh yea..i checked that prof. website and it seems the kids rate the drexel profs. as not so good.
Penn State seems pretty good in that.</p>
<p>Well I had the choice between the two and I chose Penn State. So far Im not regretting. One thing is I liked about Penn State over Drexel was the style of campus (pretty much complete opposites.) Also Drexel is a coop school and Penn State is not (though you def. can do coop while at Penn State)</p>
<p>I Think You Can Do Co-op There, It Takes Some People 5 Yrs To Graduate Coz Of Co-op In Psu</p>
<p>
[quote]
If the decision DOES come down to WHERE you received your degree (which usually means the employer is looking for a tie-breaker), it may come to what part of the USA you are interviewing.
[/quote]
And it rarely comes to tie-breakers...</p>
<p>what do you mean?</p>
<p>Students are rarely so identical that a tie breaker is required.</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>How Is Johns Hopkins U.?</p>
<p>it takes u 5 years at drexel with coop too ;).</p>
<p>John Hopkins is a very good school....costly, but good.</p>
<p>"it takes u 5 years at drexel with coop too" </p>
<p>yea but they have quarter semesters making the classes shorter than usual...and oh yea one guy bfr you stated about drexel's co-op.</p>
<p>Yes they have quarters, but you're in school for the exact same amount of time. 3 10 week quarters vs 2 15 week semesters...:)</p>
<p>no no no...since its quarters do the courses finish faster?</p>
<p>i mean in semester a course is from sept. to dec.</p>
<p>is it not shorter in quarter</p>