<p>Hello guys. </p>
<p>I am a highschool senior about to go to college for an engineering degree. I am stuck between choosing UCLA and CMU as my colleges. My parents argue that UCLA is a better school because the physical science departments are ranked higher. And since engineering is tied with the physical sciences, my parents recommend me to go to UCLA for a solid foundation.</p>
<p>While I seek a good solid foundation myself in the physical scienes as well as mathematics, I can't help but wonder, will it matter? Some people say that engineering courses are truly the ones that matter, which CMU is ranked better at. My real question is, are my parent's argument valid? Do the ranks of the department affect the basic natural science courses? My major is going to be Material science and engineering by the way, a major that utilizes both physics and chemistry. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for all your helpful advices</p>
<p>Differences in the quality and rigor of departments show up mostly in the upper division courses, where you will be taking mainly materials engineering courses rather than physics and chemistry courses, unless you take additional such courses as electives. Lower division courses are more standardized; many students take lower division math and science at community college, transfer to UCLA engineering as juniors, and succeed there.</p>
<p>However, small differences in rankings are not likely to be as significant as whether faculty in your major have specific subareas of interest that align with yours, since that will affect course offerings and research opportunities.</p>
<p>Also, consider net cost after non-loan financial aid and scholarships. If there is a large difference in net cost, especially if student loan debt is involved, then choosing the lower cost school among several good options is a good idea.</p>