Gatech vs. Umich vs. CMU for mechanical engineering

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
1

<p>I am trying to decide which university to go to for mechanical engineering. Can one help me outline the pros and cons for each university. </p>

<p>Points to be considered are:
1) Brand name. How will it matter?
2) Jobs and acceptance to grad school
3) Engineering reputation
4) How good the mechanical engineering program is..(rankings for MechE are CMU 10th, Gatech 6th, Umich 4th)
5) Cost (though not a major factor because I am an international student)
6) And other minor factors (like weather, location etc)</p>

<p>Is Umich the best choice because it stands in a good position in all these areas listed....how good is the MechE program in umich..your input would be greatly appreciated...</p>

2

<p>I graduated from Michigan's ME program.</p>

<ol>
<li>In engineering circles, these 3 share equal prestige. </li>
<li>All 3 will be good for engineering jobs. But I think Michigan and CMU are ahead of Georgia Tech. </li>
<li>See above.</li>
<li>I can't say for the others, but Michigan's ME program is extremely rigorous, it is also the largest major in the college of engineering. There's a very fine balance of lab work and theory work, you will have design classes starting from sophomore year (250,350,450), and lab classes starting from sophomore year(295,395,495). There are no easy classes. You will move from mostly studying from textbooks and lectures in your freshman and sophomore year to mostly spending time in the labs and teams in your junior and senior year. </li>
<li>They are probably all expensive, but CMU is the most expensive of all. </li>
<li>Location depends on what you like. Michigan is well-rounded, with every kind of students on campus, CMU and GAtech have more engineering presence on campus. I did research for 4 years, and if that's on your mind, you cannot beat Michigan. </li>
</ol>

<p>There's also a very large international presence in UM's ME program. We have a student exchange program with Shanghai Jiaotong University, one of China's premier engineering schools, they send 5-10 of their best students to the UM ME department every year. A lot of MEs also study at SHJT U during the summer in China, along with a internship program.</p>

3

<p>social life at Michigan blows away the other two schools.</p>

4

<p>I got my BS in Chemical Engineering from CMU and my son is at Ross Business school at Michigan. Both school are very rigorous acadamically. I found the 'university experience' at CMU to be depressing, while my son loves University of Michigan.</p>

<p>Pittsburgh is not as cold as Ann Arbor but probably more gloomy in the sense that it seemed it was always cloudy there. You can visit nearby Oakland to 'piggyback' on University of Pittsburgh's social life, but that does not even compare to what University of Michigan has to offer. </p>

<p>I also found CMU's placement office to be lacking, though things may have changed since I went there many moons ago.</p>

<p>If you are thinking about Computer Science as a possibility, I would recommend CMU. University of Michigan gives you a chance for a more rounded college experience.</p>

5

<p>CMU is the more selective school right. Does that mean it is more prestigious? And umich being a public school, does that mean it really lacks the same number of research and job opportunities CMU has? If I am an energetic and enthusiastic student, can the drawbacks of a public school be neglected?</p>

<p>And like how CMU is known for its computer science program, is that the case for MechE in Umich?</p>

<p>And lastly, sorry if I'm being naive, but how would a more well-rounded experience benefit you, especially if you are sure you are going to do engineering. Is it experience? certain classes? jobs?</p>

6

<p>If you really want to go to CMU, then you should just go.</p>

7

<p>Selectivity and prestige are sometimes related, but a university is seldom prestigious because it is selective. Generally speaking, it is the other way. A prestigious university will be selective because it is in demand. Of course, a school like Michigan, with over 25,000 undergraduate students, is going to find it hard to be as selective as a smaller university like CMU, which has barely over 5,000 undergraduate students. </p>

<p>This said, CMU is not more prestigious than Michigan. In Engineering circles, all three schools you are considering are equally respected. As Vick mentioned CMU is considered best in all things Computer whereas Michigan and GT have a strong reputation accross the Engineering spectrum. However, in terms of overall prestige, Michigan is more prestigious than CMU or GT. That's thanks to its top ranked Business, Law and Medical schools, top ranked academics in almost every traditional academic discipline, as well as its huge presence on Wall Street, popular culture and in Silicon Valley. Michigan covers all aspects of humanity like only a very select few universities do.</p>

<p>Finally, a well-rounded experience means that you will enjoy it more. It means you will have more variety in your social life. Of course, if you intend on spending all your waking moments studying, and then, if you are 100% sure than you want to be a pure Engineer for the rest of your life, it does not matter. However, if you wish to experience more than just studying in college. If you wish to make friends, have fun from time to time, perhaps even take classes in an unrelated field just for the hell of it, then, a well-rounded university will help. Your friends at CMU and Georgia Tech will mostly be majoring in Egineering, the Sciences or Business. At Michigan, you can meet people majoring in almost every field of study. Furthermore, if you wish to cross-over from Engineering to another field, either when in college, upon graduation (when looking for a job), or later in life, a degree from a university like Michigan could help. Finally, and this may not matter to you since you don't seem to care about social aspects of college life, Michigan is 50% male, 50% female. CMU and Georgia Tech are more than 60% male and less than 40% female. That's another way in which Michigan is more "well rounded"! hehe!</p>

8

<p>i had to pick between cmu and umich years ago as one of my choices too. Actually Cornell, CMU, Michigan, UIUC share many of the same out of state applicants. If you really like CMU, then go. I'm not really sure what being public status vs. private status has to do with this discussion, but CMU has a small endowment. Selectivity isn't just in acceptance rate, Michigan Engineering also boasts a 1390 median SAT, and a better yield than CMU. CMU has always been one of the worst yield schools.</p>