Engineering

I know that there have been past discussions that seek to better explain Swarthmore Engineering but I feel that with all the recent developments to the program and the college’s desire to recruit more engineers, we should revisit the topic.I am currently trying to decide if I should enter Swarthmore for engineering.

While engineering was the most commonly declared major in the class of 2019, it still remains comparatively smaller than many other engineering programs. Do you think that there is an obvious choice between famous engineering schools and Swarthmore?

After I visited campus, the faculty and students convinced me that professors at Swarthmore were above average and that classes were very intense. They also told me that a Swattie engineer has the tools to be an adaptable problem-solver who can connect parts of different problems that a person who graduated from a very focused engineering school might not be able to.

They did admit that the vast majority of Swarthmore engineers go on to further their education but they also said that with the commonness of a basic engineering degree these days, anyone who wants a high level job needs to get a masters degree. The Swarthmore site has listed many of the professions that their engineers are involved in and they do seem diverse but it is impossible for me to gauge the relative success of each engineer.

Finally, engineering was notoriously one of Swarthmore’s most difficult majors and many engineers also double major. It is difficult for me to understand how both of these truths can exist simultaneously but I guess it is mostly because of the few requirements that engineers need to complete.

i would love some insight from Swarthmore engineering alumni and current students about the size of the program, the futures of most of its students, and the general happiness and social life of engineers while at the college.

Did you decide?

I did. I picked Swarthmore.

Ultimately, I picked it over schools that are more widely known for their prestigious engineering programs. I like Swarthmore for its beautiful campus, exceptional teachers who truly want to teach, and intellectually diverse student body. These are things I noticed most when I visited.

Its engineering program offered something different. The option to double major in fields similar to or different from engineering was quite remarkable and relatively unusual in the other schools I was looking at. Swarthmore will help me become well-rounded and prevent me from limiting myself to early on like other schools might. I feel like it could set me up well for a mix between entrepreneurship and engineering.

The few concerns I had with difficulty of coursework and size of the college were more or less dispelled after I had some conversations with students and professors at Swarthmore. They convinced me that Swarthmore’s rigor gives it its reputation among employers. Students are very well prepared for life, whether they go to grad school or not.

The size of the college was a more complex issue. Even so, I saw on campus that you can never be around only one group of people at Swarthmore if you have different passions both academically and extracurricularly. Swarthmore’s size makes its online footprint smaller than other colleges and universities of similar caliber although it is still very much present in rankings. The professors showed me that engineers at Swarthmore had the same opportunities that people from hard-engineering schools had due to the college’s resources per person and the recognition it receives from top grad schools, recruiting firms, and the general job market.

Hopefully, I made the right choice and have a great four years!

Congratulations on your acceptance.

I think your assessment of the Engineering program is 100% correct, and have heard from several established Engineers that they think more and more of the program every year. It will be very challenging, especially if you want to double-major or attempt the honors program, but the environment at Swat seems to embrace that type of challenge.

What I think the Engineering program at Swat gives better than most is options. Wall street, med school, grad school, tech firms, teaching…or a completely different area of study…are all available to you over the next 4 years. Those options aren’t available at most other schools at the level offered by Swat.

Best of luck!

I also congratulate you! I agree with EyeVeee. I didn’t weigh in as my knowledge is either too old (Swat Engineering class of '83) or too fresh (son is class of '18, potential double CS and Engineering major). Myself, I went to grad school in engineering, but I have friends who went to med school, direct to industry, non-profit work, etc. etc. Best wishes!