<p>Which ones are better in computer engineering? I hate just going by USNews.... any to add?</p>
<p>4+ weighted GPA, 35 ACT one sitting, 7 or 8 AP's, white guy,
full pay and can pay with savings/cashflow
computer engineering or maybe mechanical
good EC's, from underrepresented state for most schools: WV
prefers school with evenish gender ratio (so GTech and RPI, etc are out)</p>
<p>ED Duke (legacy grandmother, both parents)</p>
<p>EA Michigan and Case Western</p>
<p>RD
Reach
Stanford
Princeton
Rice (the more we learn about Rice, the more impressed we are)
Northwestern
CMU
Cornell
Columbia</p>
<p>Match
USC
Wustl
Vanderbilt (iffy about this one--I love Vanderbilt but not sure about computer engineering)
JHU
(and Michigan)</p>
<p>Likely
Bucknell
Lafayette
(and Case Western)</p>
<p>Thanks! Suggestions on how to evaluate computer engineering programs would be very helpful.......</p>
<p>Stanford, CMU, Cornell, Columbia, and maybe USC are the strongest in Comp E. I think Duke is a great school, but we ruled it out early. CMU will actually admit kids into engineering with a note that says “Except for EE or Comp E”, so it is definitely a reach for most anyone. I actually think your Reach/Match labels are a little optimistic, though. Look at my results thread posts – my son (white) was applying computer science in engineering schools with 2200 SAT, 4.2 W GPA, and 10 APs and was denied at Vandy, Cornell, and Rice from another underrepresented state. He was also wait-listed at Case (which I now call Case Syndrome, though it is better known as Tufts Syndrome). One match of his I like was U Rochester, though that was for computer science and I am unsure about their computer engineering. Incidentally, he will be attending Northwestern next year, though CS/EE/Comp E are probably their weaker engineering majors. Their ME, IE, and Materials are really strong.</p>
<p>I think Penn is another good option. Also, you have Mich down, so I could recommend looking at University of Washington for Computer Engineering. They are cheaper if you are full-pay and give some merit to high-end OOS applicants. ($10k or so max).</p>
<p>Be careful of University of Washington. They may admit you as an undeclared student, rather than into your desired major. If so, and you attend, it may be very competitive to enter the major, particularly computer science.</p>
<p>Thanks very much. I’ve seen so many posts say that no one should pay OOS for Berkeley…too cutthroat, impacted majors, etc. Trying to narrow, so I pulled that one off.</p>
<p>I ruled out Texas, because that’s just too many Texans! (I grew up in the South.) Michigan is 30+% OOS. Austin is cool, though.</p>
<p>He said he liked Stanford over MIT. Have no idea why…but again, trying to narrow, plus getting this kid to express opinions is difficult. He tends to like all the schools we visit! (Haven’t visited Stanford or MIT, though.)</p>
<p>I don’t know a thing about Purdue and UIUC, other than that they are highly ranked. I will research, thanks. Also Washington could be very interesting.</p>
<p>We have visited Bucknell and Lafayette and Case (and Lehigh and BU and Rochester, etc–our tours emphasized likelies). I definitely want to get this list set so he can focus his attention. Thanks for that link. If he doesn’t get into Michigan EA, maybe we expand this section? How many should be in this section, do you think? I hear you about Case syndrome–I also think people are chasing their merit…</p>
<p>Let me ask a really dumb and cynical question, as someone who has worked in the fields of engineering and programming. What does it matter?</p>
<p>To work, you’ll have to code in a bunch of different languages. When hiring, the companies will be looking to see if you know the language they use. They may, in rare cases, let you learn it if you know something close.but, with a hundred million overseas programmers available and software development readily managed remotely, probably not.</p>
<p>A place that has tie-ins with physical product engineering (EE, MechE, etc.) lets you get robotics experience and that work might be a bit harder to offshore. But everyone’s trying to do robotics these days, every school too, so really I don’t think it matters much.</p>
<p>Engineering generally is a very practical field. You don’t get a huge advantage from connections or a “name” school. Your output can be and is measured and evaluated.</p>
<p>@oniongrass --I’m not an engineer, so I don’t know if it matters! I’m assuming your question is rhetorical, and that you believe that all (or most) engineering programs are fungible. Which would be cool, then we could just focus on other factors.</p>
<p>I’m not looking for a degree that’s more valuable in the sense that he will earn more. I value schools where the student culture values (for lack of a better way to put it) the life of the mind (and not just in the classroom.) I don’t know how that translates to engineering. Joy in geekiness? Engineering beyond the practical?</p>
<p>So yes, bopper, not having to freak out about getting into your major would be something to definitely avoid. Thanks!</p>
<p>UIUC’s College of Engineering has a $15,000 per year merit award that seems to go to engineering/CS students with very high ACT scores – 35’s and 36’s, perhaps occasionally dipping down to a high 34 (although you may need URM status for that one). The student is also placed into the honors program and eligible for additional awards – my son was awarded a total of $71,000 before he turned down his acceptance offer (if your family income is below $60,000 a year, financial aid from the top-tier privates will exceed any merit aid from a state flagship).</p>
<p>I think Carnegie Mellon (my son was a comp sci major there) will give you as much geekiness as anyone could want, though there are plenty of ways to party and lots to do in Pittsburgh. Still, if your idea of fun is hanging out in the Linux cluster, or playing complicated board games, or creating bulletshaped go-carts for the annual Carnival races, or making solar powered boats <a href=“Facebook”>https://www.facebook.com/CMUSolarSplash</a> - it’s your place. </p>
<p>My suggestion would be to make sure he is well acquainted with Duke and with other options you’ve listed before deciding to apply ED. Two years after doing the Duke engineering tour, I vaguely recall that biomedical was the predominant major at Pratt, but please check me on this. Have a look at the size and scope of the CE program, talk to some current students, and make sure it fits his needs.</p>
(I grew up in the South.) Michigan is 30+% OOS. Austin is cool, though.</p>