<p>I have decided to attend William and Mary next school year, but had some questions about the Engineering program. I understand that it has partnered with Columbia University; however, is engineering at W&M still a feasible idea? Like most, I have no idea what I would like to do in my future, but I was curious to see if someone who was interested in an engineering field could excel at William and Mary. </p>
<p>I really cannot wait to attend. I visited again yesterday and reaffirmed my love for the school. Everyone is so kind and humble!</p>
<p>Hey, I think what you’re referring to is the combined engineering program. W&M partners with Columbia and RPI but you spend either 3 or 4 years at W&M and 2 years at Columbia or RPI. Besides that I don’t think there is an undergraduate engineering program like you’d find at other schools.</p>
<p>How much information have you been able to get on the 3-2 program? My D wants to major in engineering and loves W&M (her mother and I are both alums, her brother is there now), but the 3-2 program at W&M did not appear to her (or us) to be substantive enough. We had trouble getting any information on it or finding anyone who would/could talk to us about it. We did manage to find that very, very few of the very, very few students who enroll intending to pursue the 3-2 engineering program actually follow through - most switch to other majors (physics, math). We found this to be the case with all of the 3-2 programs she looked at - no one wants to leave after the three years - they end up wanting to graduate from that school (and I can’t blame them). </p>
<p>My D also toyed with the idea of majoring in physics and/or math and then getting an engineering graduate degree. However, everyone with experience in engineering noted that, although a few people have done that, no one who has started out with that as the plan. They were math/physics (or something else?) majors who somewhere after committing to the undergraduate degree, or already having earned it, decided to go the engineering route. Also, it was stressed that they often have big gaps in their knowledge of things that they should have learned in an undergraduate degree engineering program and that were not really covered in the graduate (because . . . everyone gets that in undergraduate).</p>
<p>We also were concerned that being one of only a handful of people pursuing that degree would limit the cooperative/team component that is so much a vital part of engineering education. At the colleges she looked at with true engineering programs, the collaborative/cooperative/teamwork component was clearly one of the selling points. She is still deciding whether it will be Bucknell or U. of Delaware, but regretfully acknowledged that W&M was not to be. However, she has narrowed it down to two really great choices and will make someone on the W&M waiting list very happy. </p>
<p>Do you have any other acceptances into colleges/universities with actual engineering departments/schools? I love William & Mary and you will get a great education there. However, if you truly want an engineering degree, you need to do a little more due diligence and some soul-searching. It may be that attending W&M is more important to you than what you major in, and that’s fine as long as you go into it with that knowledge.</p>
<p>W&M has the 3-2 programs… that said, I personally would never participate in such a program for any major.</p>
<p>K9leader has mentioned many valuable points, including the idea of “transferring” to another school after 3 years, away from all your friends, missing out on your senior year, etc.</p>
<p>If you have no idea what you want to do… going to W&M will probably not lead you into an engineering field.</p>
<p>Must agree. 3-2 programs are viable, but not practical. They are attempts to broaden and market the academic potential of institutions. Engineering is a challenging program of study. Transferring multiplies those challenges monumentally in many cases.</p>
<p>Imo, a student committed to studying an engineering field should go to a university with a solid engineering school or program. If it’s just one of the possibilities, a different story.</p>
<p>I must say, “humble” is an interesting descriptor of “everyone” @ W&M.</p>
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