<p>I am an incoming high school senior (class of 2014) interested in studying engineering in college. Going to MIT or CalTech would be my absolute dream, but UC Berkeley or San Diego seem like better fits for me at the moment. </p>
<p>Although the UCs do boast engineering programs that rank highly on a nationwide scale, I am looking to attend a university outside of my home state of California. What colleges (other than the obvious [insert state name] Institute of Tech) provide the best education for those looking to major in engineering or technology?</p>
<p>Have you talked to your parents about what they will contribute to your education?</p>
<p>UCs are pretty good with need-based aid for California residents. Most other public schools (which includes many of the best-regarded schools for engineering) will not be as good with need-based aid for out-of-state students, though some may have merit scholarships.</p>
<p>I understand the financial benefits of attending a public university in my own state.</p>
<p>As I said earlier, however, I feel like I’m limiting myself to California schools; I only know about the UC schools and don’t know much about opportunities at other universities. Through this thread I would to learn about other schools that could provide an engineering program comparable to a UC Berkeley, for example.</p>
<p>b. You do not want to work in California and prefer to attend school in a region you want to eventually relocate to (employers tend to have a strong local bias in recruiting, though Berkeley does attract a decent number of non-local recruiters).</p>
<p>c. You prefer a much smaller environment than the big university environment. Examples would include Caltech, Harvey Mudd, South Dakota Mines, New Mexico Tech.</p>
<p>d. You want to study a major not offered at Berkeley or other UCs (e.g. petroleum engineering).</p>
<p>I personally feel that Olin has by far the best engineering program for the overwhelming majority of aspiring engineers. It is clear from this board that most members who plan to pursue engineering are interested in a future private industry career. With this in mind, attending the prestigious research institutions is senseless without some strong internships or co-op employment. In my past engineering career, I was always impressed by my colleagues who had previous technician backgrounds (usually an associates degree from CC) who later completed engineering degrees. They ran circles around the engineers from the big prestigious institutions.</p>
<p>Olin formulated the right curriculum for the future of engineering employment. Employers want engineers who requiring minimal training and minimal supervision. These engineers are ready to work on day one. My only wish is a more affordable tuition because they require an elite tuition to attend. Please look into Olin and speak to their current students to learn more about their system.</p>
<p>What else are you looking for, other than being out of state? And what are your credentials.
Olin is an excellent and innovative school but TINY and very difficult to get into (16%). Some interesting stats on their last admitted class:
Class Rank: 48 (out of 86 total) ranked in the top 2% of their graduating class</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus I agree that Cal Poly claims to offer a similar curriculum to Olin but on further examination they do not. What they describe as early hands on exposure are the common lab classes that accompany typical engineering courses. They do state that design starts in the junior year. From what I’ve read on Olin, design start year one and the basic science courses are integrated. I’ve searched really hard for another engineering program that replicates Olin College and can’t find one other than an aeronautical (Daytona) and a maritime (Long Island) engineering school I’ve read about. If you know of others please let me know. I love what I’ve read about Olin, but it is way more than I would spend for my DDs to attend.</p>
<p>At Northwestern, design also starts year one under the Engineering First curriculum (trademarked). NU also has one of the oldest and most established co-op programs.</p>
<p>Besides the ones mentioned above, you should look at the other [Association</a> of Independent Technological Universities: AITU](<a href=“http://theaitu.org%5DAssociation”>http://theaitu.org) schools. These include Cal Tech, MIT and Olin but a number of others too. They are all private and some give reasonable merit financial aid.</p>
<p>OP, if you are considering private schools (Caltech and MIT) be sure to look at Stanford and Harvey Mudd. While both are in CA, either would provide an excellent engineering or tech education.</p>