<p>I'm not sure what kind of engineering I'd like to do, or even what engineering is really. Growing up my parents have just always said "be an engineer", and I'm good in math and science (and pretty much all subjects), so I'm going to try engineering first at Stanford. I'm probably most interested in computer science (although I have no experience with it so who knows I may hate my intro class in the fall). I know people are going to say "dont do engineering if you dont like it", but at this point in my life, I don't know what I like. I applied undecided almost everywhere. So I'm going to try engineering first. I have some pretty broad questions though:</p>
<p>1) Stanford's coterm option seems pretty popular with its students. What are the advantages to a masters degree when it comes to engineering? Is it recommended to get one or would going straight into work after a bachelors be better?
2) I honestly know very little about engineering in general, so why would I go to grad school in engineering? I think that in most fields, people go to grad school to do research and get into the academic career field. Is this true with engineering? Or is it more "professional-orientated" like law school and b school? Are there advantages in the job search field if you have a grad school degree (higher than a masters)? What is higher than a masters in engineering anyway? A PhD or something else?
3) One of the many options I'm considering in my head is to get an MBA after an undergrad degree in engineering.<br>
--a) Would it be best to get some experience in industry first or should I just apply to b school right after undergrad?
--b) Would there be any advantage (or disadvantage) to coterming a masters degree in my engineering field and then getting an MBA? Or would it just be a waste having a masters in both engineering and business?</p>
<p>Sorry I'm such a novice haha. Maybe you guys have some links that could help me learn about engineering and various career tracks? Thanks for your help.</p>
<p>4) What extracurriculars are looked highest upon in regards to job searches and grad school applications? Research? Internships? Club leadership experience? I’m just trying to get an idea of what is valued and such. Obviously I’ll do stuff I enjoy.<br>
5) What are some good clubs I could look into as an engineer? Like maybe team based project stuff? I don’t know lol.
6) How often should I internship? And is it best to stay with the same company when interning over 3-4 years or explore options?<br>
7) How important is research in relation to engineering grad school admissions? What exactly do engineers “research” anyway? </p>
<p>Sorry these questions are so ridiculously newbish, but I guess everyone starts somewhere lol. Thanks for any help.</p>
<p>1 & 2. STOP worrying about graduate school already. You havn’t even really decided what you want to major in. Its good to think about the future, but dont be so obsessed about it that you loose focus of the present. Rather spend your time now researching majors and try and figure out what you want to “be when you grow up”.
The masters is a graduate degree, and the PhD is the highest degree (docotrate) degree you can get in any field. A masters degree has two opitions: a thesis and a non-thesis. The non-thesis option is usually a terminal degree for those who want to work in industry while the thesis is a research oriented degree for those who want to research or carry onto get a PhD. A PhD is for those who want to conduct research or teach at the university level. It generally takes 1-2 years to get a masters (after the BS) and 4-6 years to get the PhD (after the BS).
Most engineering jobs dont need a masters degree. In some cases, a masters degree will make you “over qualified” for some jobs. But on the other hand, it may lead to a job that is more interesting and challenging. So if you go to graduate school, you have to make sure its for the right reasons. Again, you cross this bridge when you get there.
As an engineer, you get a foundation at school but you carry on learning when you start your first job. Thats why a masters degree doesn’t always help because the school doesn’t necessarily teach you every tiny detail of your job (actually they cant). So your education really only gives you the tools that you need to anaylyze the problems, and figure out what is going on.</p>
<ol>
<li> You probably wont get into a decent b school after undegrad. They will want to see anywhere between 2-5 years work experience before they will admit you. At some point in your career as an engineer, you would have to decide if you wanted to be a technical specialist (i.e work in engineering) or if you wanted to branch off into management. If you want to stay in engineering you probably would be better off with a MS because you could specialize futher. However, if you wanted to move into management, an MBA would be more helpful. Only in rare circumstances would having both help you.</li>
</ol>
<p>4 & 5. try an engineering society, Baja SAE etc.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>You probably only need an internship for 1 or 2 semesters. Or you could consider doing a Co-op</p></li>
<li><p>Research is important in getting into a graduate program. Research furthers the knowledge of a discipline, so if you were a materials engineer, you could research the strength of different materials.</p></li>
</ol>
<ol>
<li><p>Almost every mainstream engineering profession has a society which has student chapters. They usually sponsor competitions among colleges. I was involved in ASCE’s Concrete Canoe team and ASCE/AISC Steel Bridge team. </p></li>
<li><p>I’d say as much as possible. You’ll learn as much from work as you will from school. Whether or not you should stay with the same company will be different for each situation. If you are happy and know this is the kind of work you want to do for a career, then of course stay. If you want to try something different, then consider looking for another company. Not all companies work on the same things, even if they all fall within the same general engineering field.</p></li>
</ol>