<p>I was just wondering why engineering Smithies chose Smith, or what schools others are considering & where Smith falls on their lists. So far I've been accepted to Penn State, Purdue, and Smith, and cost is the major thing keeping me from Smith. I was interested in knowing what other engineering students, or prospective students, saw in Smith's programs.</p>
<p>My roommate is an engineering major. She just absolutely loves it even though heavy emphasis on group collaborations keeps her up until midnight in working with other people on homework and projects. She applied to Smith ED because she knew that she wanted to be in an all-women's setting for engineering. It's mad crazy but you will not find another dedicated bunch of students to engineering and math! And chemistry! And physics!</p>
<p>And, according to the Smith website, it will have an exchange program with Princeton next yr for their top engineering students. That tells me that the Smith program is highly respected.</p>
<p>Smith is the only engineering program in the nation where graduates with a 3.5 GPA are GUARANTEED admission to engineering graduate programs at Princeton, Dartmouth, Notre Dame, Univ. of Michigan, Johns Hopkins, and Tufts. The big difference in the Smith program is that 50% of classes must be taken outside of the engineering core - in social sciences and humanities. The concept is that they hope to be educating not only engineers, but engineering managers and executives, of which they are notoriously few of the double-X persuasion.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback! Wow I didn't know that there was such a secure tie for Smith engineering with other graduate programs - that's very interesting. Another thing that I keep running across is that fact that Smith is M.I.A. from "Top (however many) Engineering Programs" lists, but I just assume that it's because the program is so new. Whenever I tell teachers I'm going to be an engineering student and I mention Smith they get a weird look on their face, but it's generally a nicer reaction than when I mention Penn State - go figure. Well I still have a few weeks until I choose, but Smith is def. at the top of my list now.</p>
<p>You probably get the weird look because no one connects a women's college with engineering. The program is new and it may not be as broad as some others. But I think it is--or will be--the real deal.</p>
<p>I just wanted to clarify the post that said Smith engineering majors take 50% of their classes outside the major. In fact they take about 25%. The model schedule is set up so that each semester you take three engineering major requirements and one elective. Engineers are encourraged to get Latin honors by taking one class in each of seven disciplines. Many students take a semester or two of five classes, four of which are engineering requirements.<br>
The wonderful thing about engineering at Smith is that we're a very tight bunch because there aren't very many of us. This means that I know all of my classmates and we all help each other out.</p>
<p>when my d visited engineering programs last april, she compared 2nd year continuum mechanics classes... and discovered significant differences in teaching and level of engagement. she chose smith and hasn't regretted it. in the fall, she joined a team of upper class engineering students to prepare a proposal to NASA houston for a zero-gravity experiment on lubrication... their proposal was accepted in november, and now they have until july to build and test their experimental apparatus. d isn't as advanced in scientific background as the others, but is a contributing hands-on partner and learning a tremendous amount from the experience. the engineering students are a great group.</p>
<p>It's been about a year since the last post to this thread. I wondered if anybody (preferably a Smith engineering student!) could update us? Virtually any information would be helpful - how, for example, has the program evolved since its inception? Is "engineering science" somehow regarded as "less than full-fledged" engineering? Please forgive my complete ignorance. I know nothing about engineering, hence the questions.</p>
<p>I have no connection to Smith, but know a bit about liberal arts degrees and engineering. Some thoughts:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>Smith's engineering program became accredited by ABET in 2005. This is the "gold standard" for engineering bachelor's degrees. As such, a Smith engineering BS is a true professional degree; it has the same legal status as an engineering BS from (say) MIT or Berkeley. A Smith engineering BS would automatically meet the education requirements for professional licensure in all US states, as well as many foreign countries.</p></li>
<li><p>The Smith program is relatively small, and appears to offer a thorough grounding in fundamentals, rather than specialized training in specific disciplines. Thus, all Smith grads get the same degree (in "engineering science"), as opposed to degrees in civil, mechanical, electrical, etc. Swarthmore has a similar program. If the BS is your only degree, then this may initially be a disadvantage in the job market; some employers probably do prefer traditional, specialized BS degrees. Nonetheless, I would expect Smith grads to be quite employable, and to do just fine after they get their foot in the door.</p></li>
<li><p>I would bet that the Smith BS degree is very highly regarded by engineering grad schools. Probably business schools as well.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>
[quote]
I just wanted to clarify the post that said Smith engineering majors take 50% of their classes outside the major. In fact they take about 25%.
[/quote]
Unfortunately, the requirements for ABET accreditation are so rigorous that there is relatively little room for non-engineering coursework in a 4-year degree program. This is perhaps why so few LACs have engineering programs.</p>
<p>Most LAC students who get engineering degrees do so through a 5-year dual-degree BA/BS plan: 3 years at a LAC, followed by 2 years at a cooperating university engineering department.</p>
<p>"Of course, there had already been plenty of acclaim for the plan to teach engineering at Smith. The college had been basking in the national spotlight for the past week and a half, ever since the board of trustees, at its spring meeting, had given its blessing to the program. The New York Times had run a laudatory front-page story in which Smith President Ruth J. Simmons, whose strong support for the initiative had been consistent and decisive, spoke of the need for "a critical mass of women moving through engineering together" to topple sexist barriers, explicit or implicit. CNN played up the news, and prominent accounts appeared in newspapers from coast to coast. The San Francisco Chronicle even had an editorial on the subject. "We salute Smith for its bold step into a male-dominated area of study," it said. "We are confident Smith engineers will be paragons when they begin to graduate in 2004."</p>
<p>He's back!!</p>
<p>{{He's back!!}}</p>
<p>lol--Miss me?</p>
<p>He surely did. </p>
<p>See "Smith" thread: "Missing Person:
I haven't seen RLT for several days. I've been under the weather myself so my own posting has been kinda sporadic but as I'm coming back up to periscope depth, I don't see his phosphors anywhere. Yo, RLT, what's up?"</p>
<p>RLT...hasn't been the same without you! Very quiet, indeed!</p>
<p>I was flipping through (ok, actively, passionately absorbed in) the course catalogue last night and was trying to figure out how the engineering courseload worked. Can you opt out of some of the physics, chem, and math requirements with AP scores to free up space in the schedule? If so, it seems like it is possible to do less than 75%. Also, does engineering make it harder to take classes in the 5 colleges because of time constraints? There are so many other interesting courses out there that the idea of spending 75% of your time in the major is a little scary.</p>
<p>{{Can you opt out of some of the physics, chem, and math requirements with AP scores to free up space in the schedule?}}</p>
<p>In many instances you can. Call and ask about your specific case.</p>
<p>Academic Work Completed Before Matriculation</p>
<p>"Credit may be awarded for Advanced Placement examinations, some foreign diploma programs, and/or college level courses completed while in high school. Such credits are not immediately applied toward the degree and the restrictions governing their use are published in the Smith College Bulletin. Advanced Placement and other prematriculation credits may not be used to fulfill the distribution requirements for Latin Honors. A maximum of one year (32 credits) of any combination of Advanced Placement, foreign high school and/or college credit earned before matriculation may be counted toward the degree."</p>
<p>Advanced Placement Credit </p>
<p>"Smith College participates in the Advanced Placement Program administered by the College Entrance Examination Board. Credits are recorded for scores of 4 or 5 on most Advanced Placement examinations. The credits to be recorded for each examination are determined by the individual department. Further restrictions regarding the transfer and use of Advanced Placement credit are published in the Smith College Bulletin."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.smith.edu/registrar/transfer.php%5B/url%5D">http://www.smith.edu/registrar/transfer.php</a></p>
<p>R**2, engineering is very demanding of course slots and you have a lot fewer options than most non-engineering schools. I imagine that the labs and such would in fact impact your ability to sanely schedule courses at the others of the Five Colleges, if at all. I started life as an Engineering major and in some ways I regret not having gotten a Clue earlier so that I would have been able to take more humanities and social science courses. Somehow it all worked out though.</p>
<p>RLT, I miss people in various ways. Sometimes it's just because I'm a lousy shot. ;)</p>