<p>I'm a senior looking to go into engineering and am trying to decide what schools to apply to. I have a list of schools I'm thinking about, but it's about 15 schools and I'm having trouble deciding what I want in a school. My list is basically just a list of second tier colleges known for their engineering programs. From the brochures and talking to the reps at college fairs, they all sound good and pretty similar. I visited some schools and talked to students at a few of them, there were two that seemed really nice and one that I didn't like, but most of them were just good. I liked them and could see myself going there, but they all felt pretty similar.</p>
<p>Should I just apply to the most prestigious schools I think I can get into?</p>
<p>Lots to think about. Do you want an urban or rural environment? Is weather a consideration? Want to be close to home or far away? How independent are you? Do you know what type of engineering? Can your family afford the school? Spend time on all apps, not just your reaches.</p>
<p>Given that most engg schools are pretty similar, it is more about you than the school. Accreditation has a way of evening out the curricula of all schools in the field. Add to this fact about enng that your ability to get hired and the salary you get when you graduate will not much depend on where you go to school. So it doesn’t really matter to your education or your employment where you go to school. So go to school some place you really think you’ll be happy. In addition to what @DiffMom suggested: Where will you best fit? who are you? what an your family afford? where would you like to work after you graduate? do you mind being a middle-of-the-pack student wherever you go, or do you have to be top gun? do you need a lot of contact with your professors? how do you feel about partying and fraternities? is gender ratio important?</p>
<p>The college search is an opportunity to get to know who YOU are, and some engineers or prospective engineers can really benefit from this opportunity. A little investment in introspection will pay all kinds of dividends down the road. Talk to your guidance counselor, parents, pastor, friends, favorite aunt and uncle what they think your strengths and weaknesses are and at what kind of college they think you would succeed. Consider a variety of opinions and decide for yourself what you want in a college.</p>
<p>Although ABET accreditation ensures a good minimum level of quality in an engineering degree program, it can matter which school you attend, in that there is often a local bias in employer recruiting, due to convenience. This may feed back to the school in inducing it to offer majors and courses that are more relevant to the kind of work being done at local employers.</p>
<p>At the highest reputation levels in engineering, the school may attract more out-of-area recruiters.</p>
<p>To get the best idea of what kind of school you want , visit a few local universities - one small, one large, one in a city, one rural. While it may not be a university you think you want to go to going in, you can get an idea of what kind of campuses you like. That can help you narrow your search, and who knows, you may end up liking a school you never thought you’d care about before visiting.</p>