<p>Good day folks, I am currently a junior attending the University of the Virgin Islands and I'm looking to switching my major to either EE or Applied Physics and transferring to a stateside school up in east coast, preferably in New York. Now UVI has a 3-2 agreements with Columbia and the University of Florida, but I feel that Columbia is not worth it since I have to finish all my requirement in 2 years or else I have to drop out. I recently did an REU at UF but nothing really resonated with me, partly due to my lackluster research experience for the summer. So could you all help me out? Thanks.</p>
<p>GaTech has one of the best engineering programs in the country, their CS program is pretty good so I would assume their EE is pretty damn good as well.</p>
<p>University of Maryland College Park</p>
<p>There are a ton of schools on the east coast. We will need a lot more info than that if you want good suggestions. If you are narrowing it down to just New York, I would look at RPI.</p>
<p>However, knowing something about your grades and any other places you would be willing to look would be helpful as well.</p>
<p>Alright for credentials: Right now I have a 3.44 GPA, hopefully after this semester I’ll be at a 3.5. I have taken Linear Algebra, Calc I-III, Differential Equations, and am currently taking Numerical Analysis. I have also taken General Physics I-II, Modern Physics, and am doing Classical Mechanics and Physical Chemistry now. I’ve only done two summers of research, and the experiences, could have been better. I was looking at Cornell just for kicks but I highly doubt I’ll get in because I have no hooks (what are hooks anyway?). Does hurt to say that I won an award to attend ABRCMS next month?</p>
<p>Also, I was looking at Cooper Union, but I read that it has low transfer in rates, high transfer out rates, and seems to be geared to those who commute to school. So it is not a traditional college? Is it worth applying to if I want to get a full college experience?</p>
<p>I can’t say much about Cooper Union but my professor used to tell us how difficult Cooper Union is… but ken (a CC member here) went to Cooper Union.</p>
<p>Anyway. The 3-2 program is really tough IMO. You only had two years to finish everything. If you screwed up one class for any reason you might have to re-schedule everything. Also consider the pressure. You are in Columbia and you are going to take upper-level engineering courses which makes the learning even harder.</p>
<p>If you are already a junior, you are going to lose a lot of credits.
Beside that, a lot of schools have a maximum credits cap for transfer admission (not maximum credits allowed to be TRANSFERRED UPON ACCEPTANCE)</p>
<p>Cooper Union IS a good school, but you definitely won’t get the traditional college experience there. If I am not mistaken, they pride themselves on being different than that.</p>
<p>I looked at University of Maryland but it looks like it’s too big of a school. I’m hearing that RPI is quite expensive and seems to have a city and gender ratio problem. I’m not going to dismiss these school but are there any other suggestions?</p>
<p>Where else are you willing to look besides NY? How big of a school do you actually want?</p>
<p>Actually, I was also looking at UC San Diego and it seemed nice, but the thing is that I do well when I can meet my professor to ask him/her questions. I am apprehensive about getting that same treatment at a larger school. Unless I can get some pointers to do well in that kind of environment, I will more than likely stray away from those types of schools.</p>
<p>Virginia Tech. Nationally ranked top 25 for engineering; school overall is ranked 13 in nation for recruitment of graduates (very important in these times); Aerospace Engineering is the highlight of the school (great program); Chemical graduates are the highest paid major of the entire school.</p>
<p>Where is your residency (which state)?
For out of state public institutions, it can be really expensive (also consider living and commute).</p>
<p>Well, right now I’m a resident in the US Virgin Islands, and I’m looking into Applied Physics and EE programs. How’s the surrounding city for Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech? One of the reasons why I wanted to go to NY is because of the convenience of transportation, specifically the subway system in NYC.</p>
<p>GT is in Atlanta and has access to everything…VT is in the middle of nowhere :)</p>
<p>Penn State! Although it’s really big, I still meet with my teachers easily when I need extra help. They are all required to have office hours and you can always email a question or make an appointment</p>
<p>Factors to consider (I would say however you weigh these factors) - look at the top 100 or so engineering schools in US news on the east coast and rank by:</p>
<ul>
<li>Cost - possibility of OOS scholarships or In-State residency, default OOS scholarship</li>
<li>Reputation/Prestige</li>
<li>Quality of Program</li>
<li>Location (subjective)</li>
<li>College culture (subjective)</li>
<li>Size/fit</li>
</ul>
<p>To be honest, pretty much any large school has the capability of giving you personal attention. You just have to be proactive about seeking it out. With larger classes, it won’t just happen on its own.</p>
<p>Virginia Tech is in the middle of somewhere in the middle of nowhere. It’s in a pretty large town. There is actually a lot to do at Tech; not your typical hustle-bustle, lack-of-interpersonal-feeling city life and if that’s what you’re looking for then it may not be for you. Your expressed reason for wanting to go to school in NY wasn’t because of a desire for city life but rather a dependable transportation system. If that’s the main reason for NY then you should keep VT as an option.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t say that Blacksburg has the world’s greatest public transportation system. If you’re interested in that: New York, Chicago, DC, Boston.</p>