Good Engineering Schools

<p>how about Colorado School of Mines? is it comparable to your description of SDSM&T?</p>

<p>@NROTCgrad I am curious about the University of Rochester. I know it’s a great school, open curriculum, etc. But, I don’t have a feel for the engineering program specifically. Can you tell me something about it that sets it apart?</p>

<p>@VMT‌
Rochester is roughly in the same league as Johns Hopkins and Case Western Reserve for science and engineering. In other words a notch below MIT and Carnegie Mellon, for example.</p>

<p>Its most distinctive specialty is optics and optical engineering, because of Rochester’s long association with Kodak, as well as Bauch and Lomb. I would not be surprised if it is among the top three or four universities in this specialty. Of course Rochester also has the core ABET accredited engineering programs: Mechanical, Chemical, Electrical and Computer Engineering majors (and minors too!). UR is also ABET accredited in biomedical engineering (similar to its peers at Johns Hopkins and Case Western Reserve, although those schools might have a slight edge… or not).</p>

<p>The engineering and applied science department also has a number of interdisciplinary majors, such as geomechanics and cognitive science (which includes a computer science component). Another very interesting offering is the BA in engineering science, which allows a broader understanding of engineering principles while also permitting more opportunities for a non-science/engineering electives; or even a minor. My one criticism of UR is that it does not offer civil engineering or industrial engineering. Perhaps they feel that these two have less innovation than the others.</p>

<p>The “open curriculum” is a major advantage, in my opinion, for engineering and other technical majors because it allows them to tailor their own studies in a way that will help them proceed more quickly to getting a degree. I cannot claim to be able to back up this assertion, but certainly this flexibility allows more options – which an engineering major will appreciate!</p>

<p>I’d say Harvey Mudd would be a super-stretch unless your test scores increase significantly. They are almost as selective as MIT or Cal Tech. How about Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo? It has grown increasingly selective, and you have to specify a major when you apply, but they are relatively affordable (significantly less expensive than the UCs for out-of-state students), and located in a beautiful area. It is a little inconvenient for travel from the East Coast, since it is close to a day’s drive from either SF or LA, but if your parents like wine-tasting, they might not mind an excuse for traveling there. As a VA resident, who isn’t drawn to urban campuses, it sounds as if VT might well be your best option. </p>

<p>SD School of Mines & Technology has a similar heritage to Colorado School of Mines. Both are very strong engineering schools. The differences are the size of the schools and the cost of the respective educations. There are more women students at CSM, I believe, but the administration in SD are trying hard to attract more women. All tech schools have this problem to one degree or another.</p>

<p>In all honesty, Golden CO is probably more appealing to a student than Rapid City SD. Yet, Rapid City is no wasteland culturally. And while generally the state of Colorado is great for recreation, you can’t beat the Black Hills region of South Dakota if you’re active in the outdoors. My student contacts at SDSM&T tell me that the skiing in the Black Hills area is sort of lame, however.</p>

<p>I would not take Harvey Mudd off your list just yet. It is bigger than it might appear because it is part of the Claremont Colleges consortium which has a total of over 6,000 students. <a href=“http://www.claremont.edu/”>http://www.claremont.edu/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>The colleges are all within walking distance of one another and you can take courses at any one of the five undergraduate colleges. It is one of the finest college situations is the country. </p>

<p>Your SAT scores are only a bit on the low end of scores for students who do get into Harvey Mudd, so you definitely have a shot at getting in; especially if you raise your score. Plus, Mudd is one of the few engineering schools which can offer more opportunities than VT. This is a school worth stretching for.</p>

<p>If you like sports, then remember that California’s weather allows outdoor activity… every… single… day… of the year.</p>

<p>NROTCgrad,There are plenty of opportunities at Virginia Tech as well. It is a major research university , currently ranked number 15 in undergraduate engineering overall. There is currently lots of research going on with robotics, unmanned aircraft,etc. Engineering students were involved with Lumenhaus , which won an international award a few years ago. Choosing a school like Harvey Mudd is great if that is the best fit, the student wants a smaller environment , can afford it, etc. It’s a great school and attracts very high achieving kids , many of whom go on to get their PhD. Virginia Tech is great as well and as others have said, sounds like a great fit for the OP and is an affordable instate option. </p>

<p>Of course there is nothing at all wrong with VT. It is a truly great university. Yet my view is that the student, at this point, should be expanding his or her options. This is not the time to make a decision.</p>

<p>Ultimately, I recommend seriously looking at 12 to 15 schools and applying to at least 6 or 7 that the student feels good about. Given that Harvey Mudd is an outstanding school and meets many of the requirements of this student, then I highly recommend that it remain in consideration for now. The choice to even apply is several months away, and the choice to attend is almost a year away. Each attractive school deserves close examination.</p>

<p>In addition to my recommendation of the University of Rochester, I would add the University of Washington in Seattle. UW has an outstanding aerospace engineering program; probably because of its proximity to Boeing (plus strong ties to NASA). Seattle is not a large city in the sense of Boston, NYC, or Wash.DC. It is medium size, and a great city to be a student in. I lived there for a long time. There are a huge number of outdoor activities available almost year round. There is probably not a more outdoors oriented city than Seattle. The UW is one of the few state universities, not located in VA or the south, which I can recommend to this student.</p>

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<p>I beg to differ… The Seattle weather alone is something every person needs to take into account before moving there (whether for school or work). Having lived up there for about a year myself, the winter weather can really wreak havoc on your mood. It is not for the weak! UW is a good school, but purely from an academic POV IMO. It takes a certain breed of person to be able to live in and enjoy Seattle year-round. </p>

<p>I would hate for the OP to move there and then become depressed about the weather.</p>

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<p>Rochester is not truly open curriculum. Most students must have a major, minor, or cluster (3 courses) in each of three general areas (science/engineering, social studies, humanities; this typically means at least 6 courses outside of the major). Engineering majors are an exception, but still need to take 4 humanities and/or social studies courses, including at least one cluster. This is in addition to a frosh-level writing course.</p>

<p>Indeed, ABET-accredited engineering degree programs cannot be open curriculum, since ABET requires that they have some humanities and/or social studies breadth requirements. Brown, which actually does have no breadth requirements besides writing for most majors, does have humanities and/or social studies breadth requirements for ABET-accredited engineering majors.</p>

<p>Regarding Harvey Mudd, it has a relatively heavy humanities and/or social studies requirement of 11 courses, within which the student needs to cover breadth areas within those categories and have a concentration area.</p>

<p>fractalmstr makes a good point… clouds and drizzle are not for everybody. However, most people do not get depressed in Seattle. Apparently this problem is biological in its roots. People who were born and raised in Seattle have left and never felt so good. Some people, like me, arrive as adults and have no problems. Some of us need good doses of sunshine; some do not.</p>

<p>If the student is averse to clouds and drizzle, then Harvey Mudd is a great solution! :)>- </p>

<p>What makes Seattle great for outdoors activities is that the temperature is moderate year round and you can be in the mountains – not hills, mountains! – in less than an hour. Seattle is chock full of bicyclists and runners and hikers. For anybody who wants sporting activities, Seattle has it. (well, okay, water skiing is rare)</p>

<p>ucbalumnus… I could have been more clear about precisely what Rochester’s curriculum requires. You gave a better description, but I think that you are mistaken about the minor. No minor is required, for any student, to the best of my knowledge. However, Rochester’s curriculum makes minoring easier than at most universities. Clusters are required, but are designed to allow students to follow their interests. The student chooses his or her clusters. Two clusters, usually totaling six courses, at most, are required. </p>

<p>The curriculum is rigorous, but it is not a burden because, outside the requirements of the major, no specific classes are required. Outside your major course of study, you choose all of your classes.</p>

<p>How about Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana? Worth checking out.</p>

<p>BIG CAVEAT: I am not a fan, at all, of rankings. Still, they are not totally worthless either (almost but not quite). Anyhow, USNEWS WR (anybody see that coming?) ranks Rose-Hulman number one in engineering undergraduate education.
<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-no-doctorate”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-no-doctorate&lt;/a&gt;
And, look who is number two! (and three)
This is among colleges which do not offer a doctorate. So, yes, check it out. Might be a good fit. Small city and undergraduate focused.
<a href=“404 | Rose-Hulman”>404 | Rose-Hulman;

<p><a href=“Rose-Hulman vs. UIUC vs. Miami OH Computer Engineering - Engineering Majors - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/1632578-rose-hulman-vs-uiuc-vs-miami-oh-computer-engineering.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>:-" </p>

<p>I loved visiting the Claremont Consortium with my son. I agree that with all 5 of the Claremont schools neighboring, the “small” size of Mudd feels larger. You will likely need higher SAT/ACT for Mudd.</p>

<p>For Aerospace, both University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and UA Huntsville deserve a serious look. </p>

<p>UA Tuscaloosa is growing the Engineering College and has dumped large money into the facilities and expanding the faculty. With many aero jobs in Alabama and Aerobus moving in, you really need to move past “I don’t want to be in the South” because many jobs are in the south. My son did not want a large school, but he wound up at Bama. The Aero program is small, making many of his classes smaller than he expected.</p>

<p>Rochester - I do not know if a minor is required or not, but every student I know who attended double majored.</p>

<p>I agree with an in-depth look at 12 or so schools and then whittle it down for applications. Many wonderful engineering schools.</p>

<p>Point of order! While the U of Washington is among the finest public universities in America, a non-resident can expect to receive little in the way of financial aid. For the past couple of years the UW has actually dropped the number of state residents in its entering freshman class in order to offer more spaces to full-freight students from out-of-state.</p>

<p>Ok so from what I’ve read these are the schools and my first impression about them:
Virginia Tech(one of the highest options right now)
Harvey Mudd(reach school, my personal opinion is best school and I think I will have more opportunities here, not that Tech wont have good. Also the atmosphere may not be the best “fit” for me, I think I have a chance of getting in with a little higher SAT scores but still not a favorable chance)
U Wash in Seattle(agree it has good recreational city but it is still a city and the constant drizzle will probably be a major drawback)
Any of the Alabama’s Schools: Sorry i’m not a big fan of the atmosphere in the south, I guess I’m more of a mountain type of guy and west is much more appealing)
Rochester: another one to seriously consider but is kind of on the edge on this currently; I like the curriculum and lack of civil engineering doesn’t bother me. </p>

<p>The drizzle in Seattle is not actually constant. However, gray skies are nearly constant from October through, oh… May or June. The truth is that it does not rain more in Seattle than in Virginia. The rain is spread over more days, and Seattle is exceptionally cloudy. Sun worshipers do get miserable, but it is easy to stay dry.</p>