<p>Wondering about Engineering at Harvard, any insight from current students? Thanks!</p>
<p>What are you wondering about?</p>
<p>A good place to start on the web is the undergraduate guides at: [Harvard</a> School of Engineering and Applied Sciences - Admissions - Undergraduate](<a href=“http://www.seas.harvard.edu/admissions/undergrad/index.html]Harvard”>http://www.seas.harvard.edu/admissions/undergrad/index.html)</p>
<p>Harvard can give you anything, from engineering to plumbing. Trust me, you cant go wrong with HAHVAHD.</p>
<p>Please let me explain something to you. Everyone listen and feel free to assent with me. The reason you dont hear about engineers at Harvard that much is: People who cant get into Harvard (95% of people) tend to talk badly about Harvard for the mere sake of ‘revenge’ and when that happens, the Harvard engineering applicants who get rejected go to MIT(sometimes. Well, its 10% acceptance so dont get false hopes). People find it SOMEWHAT easier to get into MIT so MIT is much more famous when it comes to engineering. In reality,however, engineering is just as hard to get into at Harvard. Harvard over MIT? i dunno but probably. Its Harvard.</p>
<p>Lobzz, I’m tempted to agree with you, but there are at least 20 times as many research and academic opportunities for an engineer at MIT. At what point does the brand name stop being the deciding factor?</p>
<p>lobzz, do you go to Harvard?</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t recommend Harvard for plumbing.</p>
<p>I don’t know enough about Harvard engineering to be able to give the program a strong endorsement. I do know that Harvard Applied Math + Computer Science are strong programs that students like a lot, although they may not be the #1 ranked undergrad programs in the area. I also know that there are a ton of jobs in the tech field available to tech-savvy Harvard graduates (Microsoft, Facebook, & Google recruit heavily, but also biotech + startups).</p>
<p>You should also think about what sort of a peer group you’d learn the most from (Harvard + MIT are pretty distinct, I think), as well as what your experience would be like if you end up changing majors (most students do!).</p>
<p>Nope, I dont go to Harvard. And Arch3r25 is absolutely right, MIT gives more opportunities. Wait, I found flaws in my previous statement. When people do engineering at Harvard, theyre likely to change majors, Just<em>forget</em>me is correct. A person I know who went to Harvard engineering (he chose it over Caltech) ended up changing to Economics after freshman year. He now works at GoldmanSachs. In conclusion, for any major, you cant go wrong when making a choice between places like MIT and Harvard. Just choose the place you feel more comfortable at. You will most likely be at an advantage for jobs anyway, you will make the same salary. When you get into places like those, its all just luck and what you make of yourself after that.</p>
<p>So basically, brand name should not be a deciding factor when your choosing between places like HYPSM. Its like trying to choose between Louis Vuitton and Armani. You can NOT go wrong.</p>
<p>Hey sorry question was pretty general, not trying to compare MIT with Harvard. I know MIT’s reputation is stellar. What I want to know about Harvard’s is is it more theoretical teaching-style or is it a lot of “real world experience” type of learning with the opportunity for a lot of hands on experience. Has anyone majored in engineering at Harvard in the past or currently? Thoughts? Thanks.</p>
<p>You have wide latitude to shape your concentration at
Harvard; engineering is the one major exception due to their
push to be 'ABET’ed.</p>
<p>** Double the number of requirements **
The different engineering disciplines stack up differently at Harvard. Overall
the issue is very simple as to why matriculants eventually drift away from
engineering as a concentration. It boils down to relative requirements compared
to other concentrations. </p>
<p>Almost every engineering discipline at Harvard will require you to do roughly
double the number of courses to get a S.B (this includes prerequisites) when
compared to Science (OEB/HEB/MCB) or Economics concentrations. </p>
<p>** Problem solving **
All 3 schools seem to focus on inculcating a “type of thinking” when problem
solving. The caltech problem solver is quite different from the MIT one and
usually very different from the Harvard student. Exceptions exist.</p>
<p>At Harvard, the focus of your efforts will be on the process of solving and not on
the problem domain. To imbibe this (as I am learning :() is very difficult if on
top of this you are striving for excellence within the problem domain (a key focus
at MIT).</p>
<p>A lot of MIT engineers also end(ed) up at Goldman Sachs or other places like that, so you can’t hold that against Harvard. I think you go to Harvard for Engineering if you want the other stuff Harvard offers (whether that’s Harvard, the fellow students, the House system, Cambridge, the curriculum requirements etc). My son didn’t really value that stuff so he’s doing computer science at Carnegie Mellon - it’s not the choice I would make, but it’s right for him. </p>
<p>And by the way, for him at least Harvard was easier to get into than either Caltech or MIT which both rejected him after deferrals from EA.</p>
<p>Courses in engineering can be hands-on at Harvard but such courses are
typically scarce compared to MIT’s course offerings (with the exception of
biomed which has a lot). As far as research opps go they are available in
abundance for engineering concentrators due to their low numbers compared
to the number of active faculty engaged in research. </p>
<p>If CS is the basis of choice, you will find indeed that CMUs CS and UCBs CS to
be challenging. You can pretty much wimp your way through a Harvard CS
if you time your courses right- something you will never be able to do at MIT.
That said if you are trying to go deep into “Complexity Theory” specifically related
to CS, Harvard may be one of the very best places to be (along with Caltech).</p>
<p>The fact that you can wimp your way through a Harvard CS A.B. degree is not lost
on the future employer/grad school. Therein lies your problem. If you choose to
take on the pain it can actually exceed what you may go through at MIT
approaching the Caltech level of pulling your nails out for fun. If you “wimp it”
you will probably pay in the future.</p>
<p>One of the truly bizzare things at Harvard is the nature of the matriculant. You
may find an Economics or English concentrator doing serious science/engg research
because they are interested. Harvard is a place to come to if you literally want the
world to open up for you so you can pick and choose what you want to explore.
MIT is the place to go if you want a more structured experience.</p>
<p>Keep in mind you will not be doing much exploring if you do a engineering degree
at Harvard due to the course requirements.</p>
<p>This weekend we are traveling back and forth to the admitted student weekend while D is of course staying on campus. I don’t know much about the engineering program at Harvard and with that in mind, I am only going to repeat something I heard at the Advising Information Session. The statement related to the value of being able to earn a BA in engineering at Harvard in addition to a BS. I got the impression that Advising felt that this choice of BA and BS was very important and a distinction from many schools. My understanding of why one would choose one path over the other is that a BA in engineering might be chosen of the individual wanted engineering but also more breadth in their undergraduate academic path and was planning on further degrees, law, medicine or even further engineering. The BS is more the pre-profession path with the more classic engineering training which could not only prepare for further degrees but also prepares for post undergraduate engineering employment if that is desired.</p>
<p>Please correct any misconceptions I may have written above. I do think though that the BA/BS discussion may add to the understanding of Harvard’s engineering vs other schools.</p>
<p>From what I have heard, engineering at Harvard is a relatively undeveloped program (compared to some of the school’s other well established programs). MIT will probably offer a stronger engineering education than Harvard. However, I understand that the two schools, being in such close proximity, sometimes allow engineering students at Harvard to take engineering classes at MIT. At the same time, MIT students are able to take classes at Harvard. I am not sure how common or available such a program is however.</p>
<p>There was a study done sometime in the last couple of years at Harvard<br>
that showed no significant difference in where A.B. and S.B. students in
engineering ended up (i.e they both were equally likely to go to grad school,
start companies or take jobs).</p>
<p>Another way to look at the relative engineering programs is as follows:
It is not that MIT offers you a “stronger” education; It is more like “MIT does
not give you the option to graduate with a weaker education” - specifically
if you are an engineer. </p>
<p>Cross-registration is encouraged and hence equalizes any course based benefits
(however, keep in mind that the problem solving culture at MIT is group based
versus Harvard’s individual based putting the Harvard student at a disadvantage
when taking certain MIT courses).</p>
<p>Harvard engineering is not “undeveloped”. In other programs Harvard sets the standard
for excellence. For engineering, Harvard chose to be enslaved by ABET requirements.
This limits the flexibility tremendously. IMO, standardization which is the hallmark of good
engineering in this case could also be construed as the precursor to mediocrity.</p>
<p>If by now you understand how Harvard works you should know there is always a way
at Harvard 
to pursue excellence (See Special Concentration). This is quite unique
and it is understandable why administrators do not advertise this option too much.</p>