<p>I got admitted to the school of engineering (i want to study civil engineering) in Vanderbilt, and I also got into U of Illinois at UC and waitlisted at CMU. I love Vanderbilt for its' unique line and character, but when it comes to engineering, how is Vanderbilt? I know it does not rank as high as Illinois or CMU but rankings don't really tell a lot. I would appreciate any comments.</p>
<p>Engineering professors at Vanderbilt are really cool. They’ll do anything to help you; they really care about their students! =]</p>
<p>reference: I went to PAVE this summer (it’s a pre-college engineering/science program)</p>
<p>My son chose Vanderbilt for engineering over both Illinois and CMU. He liked the overall university a lot better, and correctly guessed that he would have plenty of research opportunities at Vanderbilt, and plenty of chances to get to know the profs well.</p>
<p>^^ wow that’s just like the situation I’m in right now. </p>
<p>btw im international,</p>
<p>how is an engineering degree from Vanderbilt viewed by Americans? I mean I do believe that the education is top-notch, but compared to other top schools in engineering, would an engineer from Vanderbilt be respectable as them because Vanderbilt is simply a great school, or would companies not take an engineer from Vanderbilt seriously?</p>
<p>I’m not an engineer, so I can’t speak from that perspective. I have no doubt, though, that if you graduate from Vanderbilt and have references from their engineering professors, you will be taken quite seriously. For starters, even if Vanderbilt engineering is not “ranked” as highly as some well-known programs, it is still ranked above the great majority of engineering programs, and we can assume graduates of the other programs are being employed.</p>
<p>All engineering majors anywhere that are ABET certified are assumed to meet a standard set of qualifications, so most employers are not really looking at the USNEWS rankings (which rely heavily on graduate program reputations).</p>
<p>I agree with hilsa’s comment above that VUSE engineering professors are very involved with their students and they, and the administration, are committed to the success of every student they enroll. U of I is a very good engineering program, but I have a lot of experience with large public schools, and a lot of students get lost in the shuffle at big programs. (Not to say you would, but it is not uncommon.)</p>
<p>If you get good grades, and develop positive professional relationships with professors, you will likely get into any grad school, and qualify for many jobs. Engineering jobs are less dependent on “brand name” schools than other careers. After you start accomplishing things at work, few people will care where you went to school. It’s hard to get that perspective as an 18 year old, but professionally, your undergrad school choice is probably a lot less important than you think. Prestige is way over-rated.</p>