Help with choosing an engineering school/selecting major!

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

Hi everyone,

I’m a rising senior in high school, so I’ve been developing a list of colleges I would be interested in.

My main quandary is this:

I know I want to study a form of engineering, although I am not sure which kind. I am leaning toward EE/CE/CS, Aerospace Engineering, and Applied Physics/Engineering Physics. My main interests are in space vehicles and robotics.

Relatively, I’m not as interested in Chemical and biomed engineering.

I also want to go to a school where I can have a broad liberal arts education as well (in the humanities, social sciences, etc.), and be around people with similar technical + non-technical interests.

Thus, my goal is to find a “non-technical only” school that’s still highly ranked in engineering, and have large departments of engineering (with a lot of choices for majors and minors so I have options).

I have done a ton of research into this, and it appears that I can only have one or the other. Either the school offers great liberal arts and great engineering but in a few specialized departments/majors, or the school has strong programs in a variety of engineering disciplines but virtually no liberal arts.

First, does anybody have any college suggestions for my case? It doesn’t necessarily have to offer Early Decision.

Second, how important is your college major? I’m sure I want to go to grad school, so does your undergrad degree dictate what grad program you can get into? In other words, is it possible to “change” the type of engineering you study in grad school? If so, then I guess I shouldn’t be too worried about some schools not offering majors in specific engineering disciplines?

Sorry for so many questions and for the long post!! Thanks in advance!! :smiley:

2

The liberal arts/engineering puzzle has been bantered about over and over here and the results might be surprising. You will be able to take a similar number of arts, history and social science classes no matter where you go. You won’t get more at the small LACs with engineering like Bucknell and Lafayette and you won’t get less at any of the big state engineering flagships. ABET accreditation guidelines specify what each major’s curricula must include. They are fairly broad and don’t leave a lot of room for variance. If you want to compare particulars, you can download curriculum maps. You may need to dig a little to interpret the abbreviations, but it’s all there.

For space vehicles and robotics, you should definitely add ME to your list of possible majors, specifically, mechatronics. LOTS of different majors work in aerospace, including Civil Engineers, but ME is a broad major with lots of applicability to the industry. Certainly though, not the only, or the “best,” just another to consider.

As for rankings, they aren’t nearly as important as vetting the qualities you want in a school. Non-academic things are just as important. Size? Region? Hobbies? Cost? Class size? Ease of changing majors? Balance of other majors at the school? These and many more, are what you should consider above rankings. In fact, if you place a high emphasis on ranking alone, you can end up at a school that’s a terrible match.

So, lots of food for thought, with no specific schools. Answer some of the more intangible questions and they’ll help posters guide you.

3

Great advice! I attended a conference of the American Concrete Institute recently, and one of the best seminars was on 3D printing of concrete structures. NASA has tasked a few universities to develop the technology. I wish I were in grad school again! That sounds cool. And it’s in its early infancy - the photos the professors shared were of big blobs of concrete squirting out the hose. They have a ways to go, ha!

I agree that you won’t have a lot of time for liberal arts. There is SO much to learn to become an engineer. Besides basic core liberal arts classes, my non-engineering electives consisted of tennis, racquetball, and two semesters of astronomy. That was all the time I had!

4

If you to be an engineer, then go to an engineering school. You want the quality and variety in engineering. An engineering school will also probably provide better placement opportunities for grad school or a job. Most engineering programs require a fair number of " humanities " classes that will satisfy your desire for the liberal arts. Many engineering students are like you and have interests outside engineering, so those classes can be quite good.

One can’t make specific recommendations without knowing your academic qualifications.

If someone isn’t sure of their specific major, I would recommend mechanical engineering. It is the most general and you can find a career path in just about any industry. Aerospace encompasses all the engineering majors; structural, thermal, electrical, materials, etc. I spent most of my career working on manned space vehicles and recently in space robotics. My BS degree is in civil engineering with an emphasis on structural engineering and my grad school was in applied mechanics.

5

Wow thanks for all the advice!

@eyemgh Thanks for recommending ME and mechatronics. I will definitely take a look into that. As for the intangible questions, the region the school is in and cost are not huge factors. I would prefer a school that’s either suburban or urban, although that won’t be the final decisive factor for me; I’m mainly looking for strength in academics and good opportunities (co-ops, internships, study abroad, etc.). As for class size, I would again prefer smaller classes but it’s my understanding that’s a bit harder to come by in engineering.

@MaineLonghorn That sounds very cool! May I ask where you went to college and what your major was? How was your college experience?

@HPuck35 Thanks again for the ME recommendation. I will definitely look into it! Correct me if I’m wrong, but are you suggesting that I go to a very engineering-focused school (like GA Tech, CMU, MIT, Caltech)? As for my academic qualifications, I’m in the top 2-3% of my class, 99 percentile on the SAT I, and have taken 8 AP courses so far (with 5-6 more senior year).

6

I went to UT-Austin and got my BS in Architectural Engineering (I concentrated in structural engineering) and my MS in Engineering. I loved it and would be a perpetual student if I could afford it. UT was a great combination of strong academics and lots of fun! :slight_smile:

7

I don’t think @HPuck35 would suggest that you have to go to a tech only school, but to any school that has robust engineering. That could be a school like the ones you mentioned or a school like Illinois or Cal Poly, examples, and certainly not the only ones, of schools with great engineering programs, but where engineering only represents a portion of their overall enrollment. Avoid schools with very limited engineering curricula and facilities for the purposes of getting more liberal arts. First, you won’t, because engineering and related classes will eat about 75% of your curricula, give or take, in any ABET program. Second, you’ll have an inferior engineering experience.

Small classes in engineering are indeed possible. You just need to know what you’re looking for and how to find it. :smiley:

What is your unweighted GPA? ACT or SAT? highest math you will have completed at graduation?

8

@eyemgh Unweighted GPA is 3.99 on a 4.0 scale. SAT is 1590/1600. I would be completing multivariable calculus senior year (I took BC Calc this year as a junior). I also took AP Stats and will be taking Physics C next year too.

What do you mean by “how to find it” lol :smiley: any tips on doing that?

Also, I’m especially looking for a school to apply Early decision to, if I can find a suitable one. Early decision applicants usually have higher chances of getting in, but it’s a binding decision process; because of this it’s one of the major issues ive been struggling with. On one hand I dont want to waste the opportunity to apply ED and on the other I haven’t yet found the best ED school where I would be 100% confident in throwing away potential offers from other schools.

Non-ED schools are not a big problem for now since I can apply to all of the schools im interested in and then decide later once I have offers (fingers crossed) to lay out and compare. :slight_smile:

Most ED schools that I’ve looked at aren’t as tech focused, but still have merits in engineering (to my understanding). Some of these include Cornell, Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, and Rice. However, these schools don’t offer as much a variety of engineering paths as compared to a state flagship like UMich or UIUC, for example. I’m concerned that I won’t be exposed to as much research/intern opportunities in the specific engineering disciplines I’m interested in now or may become interested in later down the road.

CMU is also an ED school but my high school has been unfortunately somewhat blacklisted from them and they seem to be more focused on high achievement within a major/department than a broad-based education that I’m interested in.

I understand that this is a very personal decision of “fit” so it’s hard to give advice on specifically. I just want to make sure that I will be making the best decision possible in this process.

:smiley:

9

Based on the original post I suspect you didn’t look at many state schools. Those are great candidate’s for places with great engineering and liberal arts programs. For example, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Berkeley, UCLA, Texas, etc. are all great at both.

Also, pump the brakes a little on graduate school talk. It’s great to have that in the back of your mind, but saying you’re sure you want to do it and yet you don’t even know what you want as an undergraduate major is a bit premature.

10

@boneh3ad thanks for the reply and suggestions! I actually have those colleges on my list and will be visiting all of them except for Texas (I assume you’re referring to UT Austin) over this summer.

I understand what you are saying regarding graduate school, but the main reason I asked about it is because I am wondering if it is possible or feasible for me to go to grad school for an engineering discipline I didn’t major in for undergrad. This would help me in the process of assessing whether or not it’s important for me to choose a college that provides a specific engineering major that I might be interested in.

So far my understanding is that as long as the engineering discipline is related (Electrical-Computer or Aerospace-Mechanical) it’s definitely feasible. Otherwise it will be harder/take more time to get the degree. Correct me if I’m wrong.

I guess I should have clarified that my main concern was Early Decision in my OP. State schools are virtually all EA or regular-only so I can apply to as many I like.

Thanks for your advice!

11

Yes you can go to graduate school for engineering even if you studied something like physics for your undergraduate degree. That said, you are always better off starting in the field you want when possible. Get an undergraduate degree that will lead to a job you think you will like. That way, if you don’t end up going to graduate school (either due to lack of interest or grades) you aren’t screwed. So yes, it’s important to try to attend a school that has the particular engineering major you want.

Electrical/computer and aerospace/mechanical are somewhat special cases. They are so related to begin with that it’s largely irrelevant which you do if you try to gain admission to the other. Trying to go from, say, chemical to electrical would be doable, but not quite as straightforward. Starting in physics (a common path for those who choose liberal arts schools instead of larger schools with engineering) is also possible but is the most difficult path of the three with the worst backup options should graduate school not materialize.

Pick a major you want that will lead to a job you’d like even without graduate school. If you are choosing your schools based on who is ED or EA (which are, IMO, ridiculous programs to begin with) then you are using the wrong criteria.

12

There are several routes to small class sizes. One is to go to a small school like Olin or Harvey Mudd or even WPI. When you don’t have many students, you don’t have giant lectures.

The next way is to seek out larger schools that have simply made it part of their teaching philosophy and business model to have small classes. Cal Poly is a good example. Their largest lecture hall only holds 200 students and there’s a single engineering series taught there, Materials I and II. That’s because 25% of the student body are engineers and nearly every major (all?) have to take Materials. The rest of their classes, even from first year hover around 25 and are all professor taught, even labs. That’s not to say every professor is an awesome teacher. They aren’t…anywhere.

The last way is to look at schools that have honors colleges WHERE IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE FOR ENGINEERS. At some schools, Utah for instance, that has amazing honors dorms, honors classes add to the length of the curriculum and offer no engineering relevant classes. Oregon State on the other hand offers honors classes, relevant to engineering even deep into the curriculum.

I’d second the sentiment on ED, with one exception. Use it ONLY if you have a single choice you want above all others. In a perfect world, this should never be the case. My son for example applied to a range from reach (Stanford) to several safeties (Oregon State, Colorado State and Utah, and was very conflicted on which he liked the best. Everyone of his choices had strengths based on his vetting criteria.

13

There are tech only schools and ones with significant tech presence that would be good engineering schools. A lot is individual preference. You just want a big enough engineering presence to provide you the opportunities that you desire.

14

“Most engineering programs require a fair number of " humanities " classes that will satisfy your desire for the liberal arts.” - True… but OP should know it is typically only about 1 course per semester (and that is broadly including non-STEM electives such as econ)/

15

Even at a huge school like Texas, upper level engineering courses are small. I knew everybody in my major - we were a tight-knit group. I tell people that big schools are like cities. You’re not going to see all 50,000 people at once, and you usually hang out in the same “neighborhood.” But there’s always cool stuff to do, academically and otherwise. Like I said, I loved my time at Texas and am glad I went there.

16

I took a couple econ classes as my “humanities” classes. I could have taken other classes to meet the requirement but I chose econ because I was interested in the subject. I also took a literature class, a photography class and a music class. I also took a class on politics and television that was taught by a well know (nationally) political consultant and was quite interesting. I lived in a city that had lots of opportunities outside the classroom that I took advantage of.

17

I enjoyed my econ classes (2, at least one of them required). It was a nice break from the other classes. My point was that not every semester included the classic sort of humanities classes.

18

@MaineLonghorn makes a good point about class size. The question is, how will you fair if your physics class has 600 students. Worse, your intro to CS has over 1000 students, the current lecture size record, held by Berkeley. Will that hinder you from getting to the advanced classes. Probably not, but if you are careful in your quest, you might get everything you want, including small classes from the get go. This really depends on what you want and what you prioritize.

For example, comparing to CA schools, class sizes are small, all classes are taught by professors and the lab facilities for undergraduates are top notch at Cal Poly, maybe even unparalleled. They have more than 80 labs in the college of engineering alone. Cutting edge research and nobel laureate faculty are no where to be found. They are an undergraduate focussed institution and don’t grant PhDs. Berkeley on the other hand is a world class research institution with an associated national lab. Research options will be much more plentiful for undergrads. The trade off will be large classes early on and lots of TA instruction early on.

Only you can decide what is most important to you and what you’ll exclude when things are mutually exclusive.

19

You are less than five months away from the early action deadlines, and you are still parsing through majors and what type of college environment you like. My recommendation is to choose a school such as Stanford that offers restricted early action, which is non-binding. I would also say that a lot of your non-engineering learning (maybe most of it) will be outside of the classroom. You’ll learn from the other students you live and interact with, from the community, and from following your own interests. So I would recommend a good engineering college that is well-rounded outside of engineering—there are many public and private colleges that fit this description. This recommendation might steer you away from places like CalTech.

Other recommendations:
-Put a lot of work into choosing the right undergraduate major/concentration–this is more important than the choice of college, believe it or not. It’s not an absolutely irrevocable choice, but life sure is easier if you choose the right major and stick to it, though. ME is a great major, in my opinion.
-“the region the school is in and cost are not huge factors.” Have a serious discussion with your family about cost: whether in-state or out-of-state truly doesn’t matter, how you would make a decision if you find yourself choosing between school X that you marginally prefer over school Y, but school Y is giving you a full-tuition scholarship worth >$150K.
-Don’t become awed by a college’s aura or reputation. There are lots of miserable students at colleges that have great reputations–because the fit wasn’t there in the first place. Don’t be afraid to let practical or “intangible” considerations narrow your choice. The best research indicates that for a student like you (i.e. high-achieving in high school, evidently without economic disadvantage), the college you attend does very little to determine your economic success. Other measures of success are harder to gauge, but I would say this supports the idea of going to a good college that feels like a great fit, vs one that has the best “reputation.”

20

Humanities to me is the study of the human culture. Many people just consider art, literature, etc. to be the humanities but I guess I have a broader definition. Econ and poly sci fit into my definition.

There are lots of other considerations that go into choosing a college. For instance, I steered my daughter away from applying to some colleges that would have been reaches for her. If she had gotten accepted to one of them, she wouldn’t have been happy there. She liked to be at or near the top of her class and she would not have been at those colleges. She ended up at a college that was a challenge for her but one where she could, by working hard at it, excel at and make the dean’s list.

Do you want to participate in sports? Some colleges have very good intramural programs.

Do you want to live in a city, a small town or ???

Male to female ratio at some engineering colleges is skewed to one side. Is that acceptable to you?

Want to join a fraternity? Or at least have the option?

Lots of things to consider when choosing a college.