<p>In the context of top engineering schools like Cornell and MIT, how does Pratt match up?</p>
<p>not in the same league except BME</p>
<p>How does it compare to U of Mich?</p>
<p>yeah I have the same question. Cept for me, I want to maybe go into electrical engineering. Though at the end I want to end up going into the financial world (though with the current economic times… haha)</p>
<p>It doesn’t have as much prestige as MIT, Cal Tech, etc (except for BME where its among the best). I’d say it’s comparably in prestige to UMich, Ga Tech, etc for individual departments. Pratt is also harder to get into than those comparable schools and the students stats (GPA, SAT, etc.) are much higher. That is for a reason. The main reason UMich, Ga Tech, IL engineering programs are ranked so much higher (i’m not denying that fact) is that they are around 5 times the size of Pratt. When you have 14 departments as opposed to just 4, you’re going to be more nationally recognized as a great engineering school because of the breadth of the studies and the numerous scientific breakthroughs etc (easier to have more when you have 5 times as many faculty). Engineering rankings are largely a result of the research that has come out of an institution. </p>
<p>If you’re interested in the four departments that Pratt offers, you’re going to get a great education on par with or better than UMich, IL, etc. Obviously, if you’re interested in aeronautical engineering, Pratt isn’t for you. mech E, elec e, and BME are all VERY strong. I find Pratt is especially attractive due to its smaller nature (easier to do research, 2/3 of all undergrads do research, more interactions with profs, smaller classes). Don’t worry - at Pratt you have top-notch students, faculty, and facilites. I’d choose MIT and a few others before Pratt (except for perhaps BME), but if I was interested in EE or ME (there are also hardly any civil engineers; like 15/class), I would easily choose Duke over more “traditional” engineering state school powerhouses. Also, keep in mind, 30% of engineering students transfer out nationwide (I think the pratt transfer out rate is ~25% to Trinity), so make sure you can live with the arts & sciences college at the respective university. Obviously, you’re not planning on this, but it happens to many people who also don’t plan on it.</p>
<p>This coming from somebody who chose Pratt over scholarships at Ullinois and UMich engineering (and I grew up a HUGE michigan fan). It’s a very different experience at those schools and certainly you’d get a top notch education there as well. Comes down to personal preference really. I liked the widespread research (at some of the large state schools, only the top 20% or so can participate), smaller courses, but most importantly, the university as a whole. I found Duke as a whole much more appealing than MI or IL, and the quality of students is higher as well.</p>
<p>I’d also say that Pratt grads are more diverse in their undertakings compared to the large state schools. While most of the engineering grads at MI, IL, Ga Tech, etc go to work for engineering firms, Duke grads go into a WIDE array of undertakings. Consulting is especially popular, as is i-banking (or used to be), medical school, law school, etc. Certainly, there is still a sizable contingent that works for engineering firms or goes on to grad school in engineering and that’s still an option at Pratt. But I’d be willing to bet the percentages at Pratt going into business-related fields or non-engineering grad school is higher than that of those other schools.</p>
<p>Thanks for the amazing post! I am really looking forward to studying at Duke (accepted International! :D) Can students at Pratt study courses at Trinity too? I would love to coalesce Math at Trinity with Engineering at Pratt! And what about the study abroad program for engineers?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>As a Pratt student, actually MOST of your courses will be in Trinity. You need 34 credits to graduate - in BME, for example, typically around 14 of your courses will be in Pratt, while 20 will be in Trinity.</p>
<p>See the undergrad BME handbook for a sample curriculum: <a href=“http://www.bme.duke.edu/downloads/Ugrad_advising_handbook_F09.pdf[/url]”>Page not found | Duke Biomedical Engineering;
<p>It’s fairly popular to double major with a Trinity major. Math, physics, and economics are particularly popular. </p>
<p>And 25% of engineers study abroad. Forgot to mention that. At most schools, it’s virtually impossible to study abroad as an engineer - in fact, the national average is around 1.5%. Not so at Duke - it’s pretty commonplace really and a great experience. I studied in London. FWIW, more than 40% of Trinity students study abroad. The UK and Australia are the most common choices for engineers since they have the most engineering courses accepted by Duke (and they speak english; Pratt students don’t have to take a language), but if you plan properly, it’s certainly possible to study abroad in other countries as well and take purely non-engineering courses when you’re abroad.</p>
<p>Where did you study in London? We will be there for a few days in May for a vacation and would like to visit some potential study abroad sites. My D was accepted to Pratt for the fall and would like to do study abroad. Thanks for all the information.</p>
<p>Queen Mary, University of London. It isn’t the greatest campus, though, and I personally wouldn’t go out of my way to visit it (on the East End, by Mile End station). They have one cool building, and the rest are pretty ugly. It’s more just being in London that was the great experience. The university itself was so-so. Made me really appreciate the beauty and facilities Duke actually. Queen Mary is the most popular destination in London for Pratt students. There were a few, however, that studied at UCL. You don’t really study abroad for the university, though. You go for the experience/traveling/different cultures/etc. Oxford, LSE require a year abroad, so aren’t really open to engineers unless you plan REALLY well.</p>
<p>Thanks very much for the information. We can try to look for it when we visit.</p>
<p>Thanks bluedog! So, when you talk about “planning well” what exactly do you mean?</p>