<p>As a Rising Junior, I'm narrowing down my college list and I'm set on a MEng degree w/ a possible engineering physics or economics minor.</p>
<p>Through the classes I've taken at my school, I realized I'm truly into real life applications of the stuff I learn rather then simply cranking out equations(I HATED chem while I love physics).</p>
<p>So I'm turning towards CC to recommend colleges where the focus of the MEng degree is project and practical applications rather then useless therotics. I've heard Olin is a main example of this.</p>
<p>My grades area fairly good (3.3 with higher grades in Math+Science at a rigorous private), so most likely mid-tier colleges/universities will be a match.</p>
<p>Have you taken a look at your home-state public universities? Some of those will be very good at preparing you in this type of engineering. Take a look at Ag. Engineering programs in addition to general M. Eng. If your state has more than one university that offers engineering, and there is a clear “top” institution, then look at number 2 and number 3 for a more practical orientation.</p>
<p>I was actually thinking of Olin when I read the title. I don’t know how your stats would compare, as I know very little about the school. I recall reading somewhere that Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo is more focused on projects and applications.</p>
<p>Sorry should have included more info, I’m from NY and frankly instate probably wont work out simply due to parents expectations and I’m already looking in Community College classes for the summer in between Junior and Senior year.</p>
<p>“instate probably wont work out simply due to parents expectations”</p>
<p>Are your parents prepared to shell out $40,000 to $60,000 each year for the cost of attending an OOS public U, or a private institution? If they aren’t, then you should be looking within the SUNY system first. Since you are currently attending a “rigorous private” school, have you asked your guidance counselor for help making your list? Often the counselors at that type of school are able to predict with seemingly psychic ability which college/university is the best match for a student.</p>
<p>I go to this “rigorous private” with immense FA so I most likely wont be paying anything near the sticker price. And the college counselor I’ve meet with has helped me with a list but her knowledge of engineering schools and their programs was rather low and when I came to her with this is stated it may be my best bet to go the schools and ask these questions. But I need to reduce the number of colleges on my list since my family simply cant afford the number of trips most kids at my school take.</p>
Yes, you will be paying near the sticker price. Unless that 3.3 puts you in the top 5% of your class you would not have a very good chance of getting any merit aid. FA at OOS public universities is dedicated to in-state students. You would potentially get a Pell grant of ~$5.5K and loans of $5.5K which don’t touch the $40K it would cost OOS. Try U Buffalo.</p>
<p>Lehigh and Lafayette are both good engineering schools, as are Villanova and Bucknell in PA. I know from experience that Lafayette offers good need-based aid. I would not rule any of these based on the ‘sticker’ price. That said, it is always good to have a ‘financial safety’, which might be Penn State or Pitt, if you are in PA. They both have good reputations for engineering.</p>
<p>Look into a place like Georgia Tech, Case Western Reserve, something like that.<br>
Erin’sDad: I think he’s suggesting that he may also be getting very generous financial aid at whatever college he matriculates if he is currently getting generous aid. However, this is mainly applicable to private schools. Public schools can’t provide but so generous fin. aid. The student, if they want to go out of state, should maybe look at privates w/good engineering that give good fin. aid. Ideally a school that may heavily focus on problem/team based learning kind of like Olin. However, the OP will have to research himself and look at various ME programs and try to discern their curriculum (maybe try to find some syllabi to get an idea of the pedagogy/course design.</p>
<p>Erin’s Dad- bernie12 summed up what i would say
LC82-Thank you, all 4 of those schools are on my radar, and I’m looking into "financial safeties
bernie12- Thank you for defending me and offering those schools, i had heard of both but info on the latter is scarce, and I fear that my ability to discern curriculums will be basically nothing</p>
<p>The Cal Polys (both the better known San Luis Obispo campus and the less selective Pomona campus) have a reputation of being more “practical” (and career oriented). They are also part of the California State University system, which means that they are also less expensive than many out-of-state public universities (including the University of California). See [url=<a href=“http://www.csumentor.edu%5DCSUMentor%5B/url”>http://www.csumentor.edu]CSUMentor[/url</a>] for more California State University information.</p>
<p>Other less expensive universities for out of state students include Virginia Tech and University of Alabama (which also offers automatic scholarships to those who meet specified GPA (3.5) and test score thresholds).</p>
<p>Alfred University (NY) established in 1836, offers Mechanical Engineering. </p>
<p>2,300 Undergrads, small classes-know your professors, need based aid, merit aid, Division III Athletics, No Greek Life, housing guaranteed for all 4 years, Honors Programs, the School of Engineering has a Co-Op Program, rolling admissions. </p>
<p>Inamori School of Engineering
College of Liberal Arts
School of Art & Design
School of Business </p>
<p>Princeton Review’s Best 373
Fiske Guide 2011
USNWR’s Great Schools Great Prices
Fiske Small Schools Strong in Engineering
Fiske Small Schools Strong in Art & Design
Fiske Best Buy
Princeton Review’s Best 300 Business Schools </p>
<p>Cost of Attendance for Mechanical Engineering = $38,000/year, with merit and need-based aid available, an excellent value, not a 50K Plus school. An in-state private school. </p>
You are dreaming if you think you’re going to find a school that focuses on doing and minimizes theory. Some, like the Cal Poly schools in CA, may have a good helping of the practical. But make no mistake about it – any ABET acredited engineering program in the country is going to be loaded to the gills with those “useless therotics”</p>
<p>Look at Northeastern in Boston, where they actually put you out in the workforce for a semester as part of their Engineering curriculum. They are not overly generous with their FA, however.</p>
<p>Both Northeastern and Drexel have very strong co-op programs for engineering (alternating working and classes during last 2 yrs of college); many students will do up to 3 co-ops over a 5-yr period but end up with valuable work experience - often, more than you would get from just summer internships and this frequently lead to job offers from co-op employers after you graduate. However, many universities also have co-op programs even though they may not be required. Definitely something to consider. </p>
<p>GeekMom-Thanks
Mikemac- I know but finding a school with a heavy co-op or significant use of these theoretics in real life projects is my goal.
jshain- thanks
scansmom- thanks, did not know much about WPI</p>