<p>Right now I'm going to a state university for ChemE thats ranked in between 50 and 100 by USNWR and I'm thinking about transferring to Columbia for Spring of next year. Right now I'm pulling straight A's but I expect that, if I were admitted to Columbia, I would take a GPA hit since their program is likely more demanding. Is this a reasonable expectation? Also, is the Ivy League name worth the increased tuition and lower GPA?</p>
<p>yes, this is a reasonable expectation</p>
<p>Well in comparison to other top-tier schools, Columbia Engineering isn’t that demanding.</p>
<p>but CalvinTBOD, the OP is not asking about Columbia compared to other top-tier schools, is he?</p>
<p>he is asking about a 50-100 level school compared to Columbia</p>
<p>1] Read the title.</p>
<p>2] Based on the title, I was implying that he should consider other Ivy Engineering Programs besides Columbia.</p>
<p>3] Bite me.</p>
<p>There are several other questions to ask about Columbia.
- Do the professors teach the labs or the TA’s?
- Can the professors explain the matter with passion and complete sentences?
- Is there a cooperative spirit among the students?
- Smaller higher end schools sometimes have more a personal touch than a land grant school.
- Find a final exam from Columbia for a class that have already completed. Is it harder?</p>
<p>I’ve heard that grade inflation is quite common in some ivy league schools, so your GPA might not suffer much, if any at all.</p>
<p>Purdue, I’m not surprised by that. It’s probably even worse in non-technical programs.</p>
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<p>Purdue, you might want to do some research on the official grade deflation policy at Princeton</p>
<p>Now here’s another question for you: Right now I’m attending a state u as an out of state student. I’m going to try to transfer to a university in NY where I can receive in-state tuition, most likely CCNY. If I were to apply to CU and get in, would it be worth the debt to have a Columbia degree? or should I stick to the cheap, less regarded public university?</p>
<p>I find the Ivies are overrated for engineering (but not for most other areas). Are you dissatisfied with state u’s program and, if so, why? I would focus on engineering program rankings/quality rather than overall school ranking, esp. in engineering. Your GPA may not suffer but the wallet will. Perhaps a SUNY is an option?</p>
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<p>Thanks for the reply. The nearest SUNY with an engineering school is Stony Brook, which is a 2.5hr commute for me. I’m not too sure I’d want to have to deal with that 3-4 days a week. As for the current uni I’m attending, I’m paying out of state tuition for a fairly average program. I figure I have two options: continue paying a large tuition, but instead for an Ivy League education, or transfer to a less respected CUNY school that will leave me in less debt. My only problem with CUNY is that it’s low ranking and I’m worried that I’ll work hard to receive an engineering degree only to have my resume canned due to my alma mater not being highly regarded. Maybe I’m not giving CUNY enough credit? Is keeping debt low more important than your school’s name?</p>
<p>From what I have read about Chemical Engineering on this board, the supply/demand is not like computer science…therefore, your school’s name may matter as far as jump-starting your career (read: getting good offer(s) right out of college).</p>
<p>If you were say computer science and will/had taken several practical CS courses, I would say goto CCNY and have that low debt because chances are that you would have job offers anyway.</p>
<p>Why not go to Stony Brook then and use the money you save over Columbia to live at Stony Brook instead of commuting? Is there a reason you MUST live at home?</p>
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<p>rmac, which Ivies are you talking about here that you think are “overrated for engineering”?</p>
<p>Any Ivy not named Princeton, Cornell or (to a lesser extent) Columbia is generally not going to be worth it for an engineering degree except in a few select situations.</p>
<p>While the ivy league schools are not regarded as being the absolute best choices for engineering, there is nothing wrong with going to one for engineering. You will be surrounded by some of the best and brightest, which may open up opportunities and possibilities you might never have had otherwise.</p>
<p>Well, if you want a Chemical Engineering program that’s pretty rigorous yet cheaper than CUNY, there’s always Cooper Union. Unfortunately, what’s good for the wallet may not be good for the GPA.</p>
<p>Please consider a school with a good Co-Op or internship program. If you work for Wonka Chocolate as an intern your odds of getting a job offer from Wonka improve by 5X.</p>