Engineering school dilemma

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>I am currently a rising senior with pretty good grades 4.3W 3.8U and 34 ACT, and a new member but have been browsing the forums for a couple months now. I am thinking about industrial engineering for a major in college, which narrows the list down substantially, because there are not a lot of colleges with that major, and industrial engineering is not set in stone either. I live in Illinois so I am looking at big ten schools like U of Illinois, Purdue, and Michigan. However, I visited University of Miami, which is not known for its engineering my any means, and really love the campus, location, and atmosphere of it way more than any of the other schools. The big problem is the fact that it kinda sucks at engineering. But it does have industrial so i would be studying what i want. Does anyone have any thoughts/advice on whether it is a good idea to study engineering at a not-top engineering school?</p>

<p>Edit- U Miami Florida not in Ohio</p>

2

<p>I would weigh three things. </p>

<p>-School Rank
-Location (where do you want to live?)
-Cost</p>

3

<p>A lot of people seem to think you absolutely HAVE TO go to a top tier engineering school to be successful. This is not the truth in any way. While I would not advocate going to just any ABET accredited school, as long as you go to a reasonably good one you’re not going to have any problems. If you have a good GPA and good work experience you will be better off than a vast majority of top tier graduates.</p>

<p>Another thing to keep in mind is that employers in a geographical area also target the schools in that area. So, just because some school does not have an amazing national reputation does not mean that no employers have heard of it. If you want to work in Florida it would probably be better to go to U Miami than Purdue, not that Purdue would eliminate your chances, but a lot of regional employers will go to U Miami job fairs.</p>

4

<p>Personally, I think it would be silly to pay OOS tuition at a school like University of Miami over IS tuition at UIUC, but if you’d be getting merit scholarships there it could be something to consider. Did you look into that?</p>

5

<p>There are other schools that are good engineering schools down south a well if rankings are a concern. U of Florida and Georgia Tech, for example. If you are really concerned with ranking, jet look at other schools with higher rankings that are culturally and geographically similar to Miami. Maybe you can get the best of both worlds.</p>

<p>Still, if your heart is set on Miami, go there. It’s ranking might be low-ish, but you can certainly still be successful. Being happy where you at is similar in importance to school ranking.</p>

6

<p>@QwertyKey- Miami tuition is not in state/out of state, it is private and only one price, but with my grades I think I can get manageable merit aid</p>

<p>@everyone else- I am not looking for a school in the south or in any particular region, my main problem is compromising a top engineering education with a school that is great at everything else</p>

7

<p>So then how do UIUC and UMich not fit the bill? Both are better at engineering and both are better all around schools. The only thing Thug U has on those two is being in Miami.</p>

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<p>I am seriously looking at UIUC and Michigan, but I like the fact that UMiami is in a large city, and is also a small private school. Since my parents are not keen to the idea that UMiami is not a great technical school, U of I is a perfectly fine choice, albeit not the ideal setting</p>

9

<p>You are reading too much into the setting, Some place like Miami (or NYC) will offer things to do that Champaign will never have, but going to UIUC won’t prevent you from having a good time.</p>

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<p>I know that PurdueEE; I have a lot of friends that go to Illinois that love it there. But as you said, schools in cities offer things that Champaign cant, and have a special appeal to them. Ultimately, though, I think engineering program>asthetics</p>

11

<p>Have you though about Georgia Tech? It has the best industrial engineering program in the country, and it’s located in north Atlanta. What do these large cities have that Urbana-Champaign, Ann Arbor, etc not have?</p>

12

<p>You’re not saying Urbana-Champaign and Ann Arbor are similar to New York, Miami and Atlanta, are you?</p>

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<p>^^ Not at all Ken. I’m just wondering why he wants to be in a large city versus a smaller college town. That being said, who wouldn’t want to live in Miami?</p>

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<p>Theres nothing wrong with smaller college towns like Champaign, Ann Arbor etc. I’m diversifying my college search and have concluded that large city is better than small town. But, that is only one part of the whole decision.</p>

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<p>Well, I’m a little biased, as a UMiami alum, but I have to defend it as an excellent science school. I was a marine science/biology major, and as such, took the same calculus and physics as the engineering majors. It was not a walk in the park. The biology, chemistry and geology were top notch as well.</p>

<p>Miami is not in the city, but the suburb of Coral Gables. Back in my day, there was poor public transportation, so I saw little of the city, which was fine, it was not necessarily safe back then, racial riots and Cuban boat lift going on. But now there is a light rail and I understand there are shuttles for the students to enjoy the night life.</p>

<p>It is, however, pricey, and you may get, at most, a three quarter scholarship. My nephew had wanted to attend for audio engineering, but even with this top scholarship, it was way out of his parents’ price range. </p>

<p>But I must say, I was afforded a well rounded education. I was able to choose from a variety of courses to satisfy my core requirements, and I was also able to explore the beauty of the surrounding areas, such as the Everglades and the Keys.</p>

<p>If you have good stats and cannot afford the U, as it is now called, and are looking for a school that will get you connected to Florida employment, I would suggest University of Central Florida. It was offering good scholarships the last couple of years, and is very well respected among employers such as Lockheed in the Florida area. It is near Orlando, so you will have some “city” life, as well as college life, and may be more affordable than UMiami, which has a cost similar to that of Tulane.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

16

<p>“@QwertyKey- Miami tuition is not in state/out of state, it is private and only one price, but with my grades I think I can get manageable merit aid”</p>

<p>Ahh… Okay. Sorry, I had never heard of it, and it sounded like a public school.</p>

17

<p>Any thoughts on USC’s engineering program?</p>

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<p>Bump, I am really interested in this. The only bad thing i have heard is that it is overpriced. Is this true?</p>