<p>I was intrigued to find that Brown engineering is ranked 43rd or something. But Brown is still one of my top choices for their open curriculum even if I am probably going to study mechanical engineering.
My questions are:
How is engineering at Brown compared to other ivy leagues?
How is it viewed by job employers?
How easy is it to take other classes (philosophy, arts … ) with the (obvious) heavy engineering workload?
Is it less stressful then elsewhere ?
It would be great if current or past students in Brown engineering could tell me more about it ?
Thanks</p>
<p>Until an engineering student comes along–I don’t know too much about it, I had a math-cs concentrator, but if you are taking ABET accredited program that is an assurance for employers and I don’t think undergrad department rankings even exist in any meaningful way–are you sure those are undergrad rankings and what the criteria are for numbering universities? As with all depts, a strength at Brown is undergraduate research opportunities. Also with Brown there is always greater than average flexibility. You can take outside classes credit/no credit. </p>
<p>The engineering website has sample schedule so you can see an example of where you can take other classes.</p>
<p>Oh I see you were looking at U.S. News graduate school rankings, are you looking to apply to the grad school? At Brown the grad depts are small and although some have very good reputations they are not the size as some of the large engineering powerhouse type universities. Grad rankings are based on publications produced etc as well as reputation. It isn’t really something you have to be too concerned with as an undergrad. Different grad schools have different research and strengths that are more important as a grad student. Grad students will come to Brown to work on specific research with specific profs. For undergrad, the program is broader. But one thing nice to know is that all the professors teach undergrads as well as grads and you will have the opportunity to join research groups and work with those profs and grad students.</p>
<p>Thank you @BrownParent. yes I am applying for undergrad. And obviously Brown has a good engineering program. But how good is it compared to other ivies ?</p>
<p>That’s not the question you should be asking. You should be comparing courses offered, size of classes, philosophy of the department, research done and the ease that an undergrad can do research – these types of questions are relevant instead of a vague, broad question about which whether it is “good.” Have you been on the Brown engin website? Have you looked at the other schools’ websites? </p>
<p>To answer your questions:
How is engineering at Brown compared to other ivy leagues? See above. I can say this: Brown does not have as wide a range of courses/majors as Cornell. One of the nice things about engineering at Brown is that your first two years you are exploring a wide range of engin classes, and not specializing immediately. So you take classes in materials and fluids and electrical, etc., which helps you figure out what you like best before declaring a major. Brown also emphasizes the entrepreneurial approach. I don’t know anything about engin at other schools. </p>
<p>How is it viewed by job employers? Many employers recruit at Brown. Brown engineers get jobs that pay a lot of money. What else do you want to know? </p>
<p>How easy is it to take other classes (philosophy, arts … ) with the (obvious) heavy engineering workload? If you do the ScB, then there aren’t many other classes you can take – one or two a semester. If you really want to take a wide range of other classes, consider getting an AB instead. At least at Brown you don’t have any other requirements like foreign language.</p>
<p>Is it less stressful then elsewhere ? That is totally dependent on you. If you want straight As, you’ll probably be stressed. If you plan to go to med school, you’ll probably be stressed. A more recent graduate can chime in, but in the past Brown engin classes graded on a curve, which made it hard to get As. And engin classes are hard. </p>
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<p>This is such an odd question, but whatever. </p>
<p>I would echo @fireandrain’s advice to compare the courses offerings of the schools you’re considering.</p>
<p>I spoke with a father last night whose son is being recruited as an athlete by Princeton University. He wants to study mechanical engineering and, to the disappointment of his father, has decided not to apply Princeton because he felt the course offerings were too abstract and not “hands-on” enough for him. He hopes to attend MIT, Stevens Institute of Technology or Georgia Tech. The father said the son had spent a ‘ton’ of time poring over the course offerings. He also visited the schools, attended classes and met with the coaches.</p>
<p>Are you for some reason bound to Ivy League schools? If so, you may be subjecting yourself to a high admissions premium to attend an inferior engineering college.</p>
<p>^^ I do understand an international applicant who may require financial aid may be limited in his or her choices.</p>
<p>It is probably hard to compare programs, but in comparison of students this is a good reference from American Society for Engineering Education:</p>
<p><a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5586/screen/19?school_name=Cornell+University”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5586/screen/19?school_name=Cornell+University</a>
<a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5820/screen/19?school_name=University+of+Pennsylvania”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5820/screen/19?school_name=University+of+Pennsylvania</a>
<a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5603/screen/19?school_name=Brown+University”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5603/screen/19?school_name=Brown+University</a>
<a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5876/screen/19?school_name=Columbia+University”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5876/screen/19?school_name=Columbia+University</a>
<a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5692/screen/19?school_name=Princeton+University”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5692/screen/19?school_name=Princeton+University</a></p>
<p>Yale, Harvard, and Dartmouth didn’t provide data.</p>
<p><a href=“http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5566/screen/19?school_name=Massachusetts+Institute+of+Technology”>http://profiles.asee.org/profiles/5566/screen/19?school_name=Massachusetts+Institute+of+Technology</a></p>
<p>You’d probably get similar answers at the MIT site if you asked how good MIT’s English department is compared to other engineering schools. I disagree that the rankings are only for graduate programs. They reflect the strength of the department in general. In fact, engineering departments in colleges that don’t have graduate programs are never-the-less ranked. I do know that research productivity is a major variable but that is related to quality in all kinds of complex ways. You’d not be hearing that excuse if you were asking about Brown’s math department. Compared to the other Ivy’s few of the departments are rated highly because Brown isn’t the academic power house that other Ivy’s are. It just isn’t. I’m not saying students don’t love being there or that they don’t have a great experience but if you want an academic powerhouse-Brown isn’t it. But that isn’t the question here. The question here is about engineering. I suggest Cornell or Princeton if you want an Ivy and want engineering.</p>
<p>An important question: do you have a good chance of getting in there?</p>
<p>@whuffy That really has absolutely nothing to do with the thread. Applicants are simply asking about the program. You can answer the question without knowing the probability of an applicant getting in.</p>
<p>if you can get into a school is always important for considering programs at the school. it is unrealistic to spend hours of time looking into a school then realizing you can’t get in. @lb43823 </p>
<p>@whuffy Maybe he is aiming for it. It shouldn’t matter to you. Instead of spamming negative/unhelpful posts on people’s threads, maybe you should spend your time more productively. Thanks.</p>
<p>@Ib43823 I agree. He’s pretty much saying you have no chance to everyone and pretty much insulting people everywhere.</p>
<p>I was just asking if he had a chance of getting in so I could help him. and some people need the reality check of whether they are going to get in or not @An1100345 @lb43823 </p>
<p>@lebanesekid As per my knowledge, Brown is not regarded as the “go-to” Ivy with engineering. With that said, however, it should not be disregarded. Brown Engineering probably looks more impressive to employers than, let’s say you go to OSU at Columbus, that is ranked 26, but I would be willing to bet that job outlook at Brown would be better despite its lower ranking. Brown has an open curriculum by the way, so it is totally up to you how you manage your time.</p>
<p>@An1100345 Yeah he attacked my thread too, without any form of constructive criticism besides “you won’t get into any ivy’s and you’ll be wasting your application money, villanova (45% acceptance) is much better” meanwhile i am a 2300, 4.0 applicant which although doesn’t guarantee accepatnce, definitely doesn’t put me out for the count at Ivy". So I was like let me see if this guy is genuinely giving advice or if he is just attacking threads all over CC (He has had like 100 posts in the last five hours, LOL)</p>
<p>@whuffy disagree. You are not the admission officer and you never know. When you say an ACT score is terrible when the person scored above the average for the school, you are just being mean. You are viewing everyone as if you have 0 chance when one little thing is bad. This is not how it works. At least when you say it, say it nicely, not like you have no chance. You should say the college you want to go to is a high reach. This is not helping, you are just insulting the person.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone.
Here is a little about me if that helps
I am lebanese and go to a french system school. I speak arabic french and english fluently, I am learning mandarin.
SATs: 790 maths 610 reading 690 writing
Subject tests: Math2 740 Physics 720 french 800 (did them again and hope to get 750+ in math and physics)
Grades: My school does’t follow the GPA system but I have an average of 17.5 (A+)
Ranked first in my class (over 88)
Many EC activities and community service
Sports: lebanese national fencer and sailor.
Rec : great
Essays: great
btw @lb43823 I have applied early to princeton</p>
<p>Are you a competitive fencer? Which weapon? Did you reach out to the fencing coach? Did you fill out the Brown athletics prospective Student Athlete Questionnaire? </p>