My son got into both Drexel and UMich into McKee program. As we are out of state there is no different with respect to tuition for us.
The co-op program at Drexel sounds very interesting but at the same time UMich Engineering has its name and fame. Any thoughts or ideas on which one to prefer?
until we were leaning towards Univ Michigan, but after visiting Drexel we are in dilemma and thinking if Drexel would be a good option too.
Any insight from you will greatly help us in making this decision.
If they cost the same, I don’t think Drexel makes sense, co-op or not. Michigan will offer your son far more options and opportunities.
Drexel might be close to UPenn, but it isn’t anywhere near close to UMich. ? For similar money, your decision is easy.
Thank you.
He is worried about the rigor in Mechanical Engineering too. If he comes out from UMich with an avg GPA would that impact his career opportunities ? or comming out of UMich will open up multiple opportunities by default.
vs from Drexel his GPA will be better in comparison with UMich
From what I hear, my freshman LSA kid has friends who are in UMich CoE, yes, UMich CoE isn’t a “walk in the park.” Whether GPA matters I’ll leave up to the actual engineers. I think I heard to expect a 0.5 to 1.0 drop in GPA in CoE, but this is just 3rd hand hearsay on my part. @Knowsstuff has a son who’s in CoE right now.
I’ll add that my kid has taken math classes with engineers the first two semsters and for those that don’t withdraw, about 2/3 of the class with get a B or less. And a B is scoring around 60% on tests. The math tests are very hard. After the the 1st math test this past semester (math final was today), about 1/2 of the class scored 50% or less. That’s when many drop.
@sushiritto. You are correct. Michigan is a very tough school but will get you prepared for the real world. Especially Math. Michigan is known world wide for their Math curriculum. It’s been an adjustment for my son since he’s not used to getting anything below like an A with a B here and there. I told him in college it’s more about learning then the grade point. At engineering orientation last year they said a “b” at Michigan is like an “A” anywhere else according to them. He keeps telling me that he got a 65% on a test and that was good for the class. ?.
For engineering you want to maintain a 3.0 or above. A 3.0 is sorta the cutoff for most of the big companies like Ford. Doesn’t mean if you have less that you won’t get a job. The avg in engineering all 4 years is something like 3.3. Kids have to get used to not getting the same grades they got in high school. Engineering patients tell me that the goal was to pass the class. If you got a C that could be very good for some classes. ?.
The other thing is to actually use all the resources. Michigan has everything you need from learning labs to peer to peer help to professor hours etc. These kids are not used to asking for help. The nice thing is it seems that everyone is more then happy to help each other. Plus they are all struggling together.
Michigans name does mean something in the real world but only you can get the job
Being active on campus in events, clubs etc helps. Companies want people that are active not just studying. So building up a resume counts also. Also them Alumni are real at Michigan.
So does Michigan have rigor.? … You betcha it does but from what I hear Michigan grads do very well adapting in the workplace with the knowledge they graduate with. So hard work does pay off.