<p>I didnt know Brown had an engineering college...</p>
<p>I have heard that undergraduate engineering is pretty brutal. The tests are hard and there's is no curve to help you out. Kids flunk out and drop-out in droves because of the difficulty. Unlike the social sciences, and humanities where grade inflation is thought to be rampant, engineering professors are in the business of finding and reporting the truth and nothing but the truth. Be ready to get Bs and Cs for maybe the first time in your life (and feel you were lucky). Also be ready to feel dumb, slow and inferior for the first time in your life. There is no "extra credit" in college. </p>
<p>At the elite schools like CalTech, MIT, Stanford and others, literally every other student will be as smart as you, many smarter. To get separation and be able to award a normal distribution of grades, the test are made ridiculously hard.</p>
<p>You will have less of a life than any other major on campus.</p>
<p>I notice that companies looking for Engineering interns for summer employment usually specify a 3.0 or better GPA. That will probably carry over to the permanent jobs.</p>
<p>Brown Engineering? Interesting. Are you planning to go to grad school? MBA, Med, or More Engineering? What type of Engineering...EE, ME, Bio??</p>
<p>I'm another freshman in the Brown Engineering program. I don't know all that much about rankings in Engineering programs, so excuse my potential ignorance. However, I have been told that since all Engineering programs have to be for the most part the same, due to ABET certifcation and all that, the school you go to will not have an incredible impact on the usefulness of your degree. Is there anything wrong with going to someplace like Brown for Engineering?</p>
<p>Also, another question along the same lines. Someone said they have no respect for Brown Engineers. I am honestly curious as to why this is. Is there any real reason for this, or is it one of those Harvard hates Yale kind of deals?</p>
<p>I'm a chemical engineer at the University of Pittsburgh. Let me hit you guys up with some facts. We actually have a lot of chemical engineers (one of the most difficult of the engineering majors) with 3.7's, 3.8's, 3.9's...even 1 or 2 kids with perfect averages. It's not impossible to do really well every semester. But of course...those people work like crazy. But they still find time on the weekends to have some fun. In fact, I think engineers throw better parties than our liberal arts comrades. Anyway, I digress. Now I will honestly say that my GPA after 2 years is only a 3.1, but I'm still thinking of med school as a future option. The only person keeping you out of grad school or professional school is you. I also do co-op at DuPont and some research at Pitt. These things will help someone like me, who has a lower GPA due to a very demanding major. By the way, for anyone thinking about going into engineering...don't double major...unless you have a death wish. One engineering major is ENOUGH...trust me...</p>
<p>I forgot to talk about curves. Let's look at this logically. There a bunch of kids coming into college from high school who choose engineering just because it sounds cool or they think they handle it. Those dilletantes get mauled during the first 1 or 2 semesters and switch academic programs. So basically, there are huge curves during freshman year when you compete against the people who shouldn't really be there. Now, as soon as sophomore year comes...you are left to compete with the survivors. And they survived because they work just as hard, if not harder than you. Therefore, curves disappear because everyone begins to perform at about the same level. Really, chemical engineering averages (on exams anyway) are usually above 70%. Trust me, getting a 70% on an engineering exam is not always easy. But, this is the big leagues now. People have scholarships that they can't afford to lose. Moreover, co-op is very important if you don't have any grad school or professional school agenda, so they need to maintain > 3.0 GPA's overall. Basically, the curves suddenly disappear after freshman year, so you need to get A's and B's the hard way...by actually scoring enough points to earn the A or B. If you consistently get test grades below 75%, you might want to get some serious help with your classes, or switch majors to stop the bleeding.</p>
<p>As for Brown engineers, I don't see what the problem is with them. Can somebody please inform me about this? Just because Cornell is really the only Ivy league engineering school that people seem to mention, doesn't mean that Brown is a bad school for engineering. Or was the Brown thing just a joke? If it was, excuse me for my ignorance. :)</p>
<p>;-) it was just a slam on Brown 'cause they aren't known for engineering. But honestly, I think the overall rep of your school is going to matter more for undergrad.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you are probably right about the reputation thing. Basically, engineering school is just as challenging no matter where you go. I mean, it has to be...it's engineering. But a Cornell engineer is thought of much more highly than a Brown engineer, just like an MIT engineer...well...I guess they're better than everybody...lol.</p>
<p>Charman: As an '03 chemE graduate, I'll disagree with almost everything you say. Granted, my major didn't really lose people throughout the four years, so I don't have the same experience. However, our tests were still scaled to a 2.5 GPA throughout junior and sometimes into senior year. That's rough. I also disagree with the "dilletante" theory - perhaps at large state schools, but at top-ranked institutions, no one goes into engineering for fun. The engin. students are statistically "better" (i.e. SAT and class rank) than their liberal arts counterparts. End result is you compete against smarter people, few of whom drop out, on a rough curve for at least three years. No wonder why our median GPA was less than a 3.0.</p>
<p>No quantitative data, but I've been told that a 3.0 from a respected school, in an ABET accredited program will open doors for you.</p>
<p>anyone an engineering student at usc?? how's the gpa issue there??</p>
<p>Pitt is a large, state school and it is one of the top 50 engineering schools in the country. So, it is a top school. Also, we have one of the top 10 research schools in the country. </p>
<p>Also, I wouldn't exactly sell liberal arts kids short. Normally, liberal arts majors are better at verbal than engineers, so that counteracts our strength at the math section.</p>
<p>A lot of people go into into undergraduate engineering without knowing anything about it. They simply pick it because they are good at math or science. Unfortunately, just because you do well in high school doesn't mean that college will be easy. Thus, the kids who don't adjust have to drop out of engineering. Most people struggle during Freshman year, but then after that, the real competition is left. The kids who always do well and the kids that have adjusted to become great students. Then, the averages are normally where they should be and curves become almost non-existent. </p>
<p>The only exception I can think of is in computer engineering/electrical engineering. I have a friend in that major and although he does really well (he's insanely brilliant), he says that the averages are normally pretty low. Especially circuits. I always though Chem E was the hardest discipline in engineering. But, computer engineering and electrical engineering seem to be pretty nuts as well. Thoughts from the computer/electrical engineers?</p>
<p>I also never said that kids go into engineering for fun. I said that some kids go into it because they think it is cool and/or that they can handle it, which is true of some. That doesn't mean they think it is fun. Being cool just means it is interesting to them.</p>
<p>I believe you said (correct me if I'm wrong) that engineers don't go into it for fun. Well, shouldn't they? I mean, why do something that you don't enjoy? This is the rest of your life here, it should be fun for you. Doctors enjoy medicine, it isn't about having the M.D. title or having the money. I mean, wouldn't business school be a less time-consuming way to make that kind of salary? Don't get me wrong, I know that engineering and many other disciplines require a lot of hard work and discipline, but it still should be fun.</p>
<p>Yeah let's just go with pure numbers. My Accelerated Chem class at U of I. It was almost full capacity (350) the 1st semester. Now (3nd semester) it is down to 146. That is a huge drop. And it will keep dropping. The test scores. For the second test the average was around a 34%. That was a huge curve. That is how engineering majors go. I have fun on the weekend. I know I will never be at the top of the program and I don't care about that. My goal is a 3.3 this semester. I think I can do it. If you think you can handle it at least try. I did and no matter how hard it gets, I'm not dropping. There would have to be pretty much an abomination of sorts for me to drop.</p>
<p>So after rambling a bit a conclusion. Engineering will eventually be worth it when you have a well paying job and still managed to have fun in college. Yeah you may not be participating in Wasted Wednesdays and Thursday Thursdays but those who did will have a harder time searching for work. Meanwhile you have already worked hard and it will have paid off. Just surviving is your payoff haha.</p>
<p>i don't know what u guys are smoking, my intro classes at UM were HARD. especially the intro physics and math classes. I think i can retake E&M and still not get an A.</p>
<p>I have a friend in Engineering Physics...he dropped it after E+M...so that class must be death. Organic chemistry can be just as evil, especially at Pitt, where the profs don't really teach it. They just kind of throw all of the reactions in your face. It was a painful sophomore year.</p>
<p>Charman20...gasp! I still remember how tough organic was at Pitt, even decades later. I guess some things never change!</p>