Inputs needed from current junior/senior/College student regarding industrial engineering major

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

My ‘D’ is interested in doing major in Industrial engineering because she would want to pursue business management later and she thinks that this major would provide her a smooth and meaningful transition later to business management (MBA). It would be great if current junior/senior/College student interested in doing major in Industrial engineering could provide her some inputs or she information’s. We have done a lot of research in this area and tried to figure out some of the best colleges for her but we would also like to get other’s input on the same. She is right now in Junior year in Torrance, CA and would love to discuss with someone having similar interest in this major. You can privately message us or you can also give your opinion on this forum too for everyone’s benefit. Her details are:

Junior year
Current Unweighted GPA - Around 3.8
Recently moved from India in May '16 ( so going through transition pain)
She had got 10/10 score in her 10th CBSE results in India
Her SAT score is 1300 but she is giving again in March - Hopeful to get around 1350 in March
Her interest areas - Love to Talk, Excellent public speaking, learning Horse Back Riding, Music, Guitar
She has just completed 20 Hours of Volunteering
Interested in Joining some clubs but not sure which one - She would only want to do if it interests her, she is passionate about whatever she likes to do or her interests are. She wants to align these activities either to her major or hobbies
Friends - Not many. Looking for best Female Friends ( She is a bit introvert but looking for someone friendly and easy to mingle)

We have shortlisted some of the colleges like
St Luis Obispo,
Pomona,
Arizona State University
San Jose State University
Texas A & M University
University of San Diego

Any input/guidance for her overall career or finding a right kind of college would be greatly appreciated. We are looking for a right fit rather then the best college. Sometimes an average college could become the best fit for a student. We don’t want her just to complete college but rather have a complete and fulfilling college life. Wants to make the best choice…

Thanks in Advance!!!

2

Any information’s/inputs from current Junior/senior (high schooler) or college going students would be most welcome. In fact, she would like to get to know some one having interest in same/similar major or thinking along the same line.

3

Not exactly a suggestion on colleges, but on major. If you are looking for a rigorous, quantitative, pre-business undergrad major, consider also data analytics/ data sciences majors that have come up. Ohio State and Michigan are among the schools that have started these.

4

yes. Sure. Only thing is that she is not very quant oriented though she has managed to get A grade in most/all of the math subjects. Data science/analytics become very quant oriented with huge focus on statistical techniques and modeling which doesn’t appeal to her so much. But great inputs!!

5

If someone does not necessarily like high school math (calculus included) that doesn’t mean they don’t like analytics. I can do calculus about as well as my cat (he’s pretty smart but cats can’t do calculus) but never had a problem with probability and statistics courses and in fact do a good amount of statistics in my work. I mean, who wouldn’t want to spend a semester talking about random number generation, and another semester developing simulation models :).

If she does not like statistical techniques and modeling, IE may not be for her. That’s really what IE is all about. If she likes the management side of things, there are Operations Management programs to think about (I’m thinking Purdue University as I went there).

While we’re at it, I gotta wonder about the MBA part. Both myself and my wife are IE’s (my specialization is Human Computer Interaction and hers is Manufacturing Information Systems). We each have 30+ years experience. It is rare to see someone with an engineering degree and a quick MBA become a manager. Like, unicorn rare. They have to spend the obligatory decade or so in the trenches, then, look for increasingly more challenging leadership roles and hopefully they can get into a management role.

6

In terms of your college choices, I just graduated from San luis obispo and can at least say it’s an amazing school, especially for engineering.

Industrial engineering is a good major to go into business management. As a bonus she may consider getting a minor in business to get more of an idea of the business side of things.

As an industrial engineer she can expect to see lots of statistics, so hopefully she enjoys that somewhat. Industrial engineers typically oversee processes to help with their improvement.

A project example that students did included working on the layout of an amazon warehouse. where given a certain amount of products arriving and leaving per day, they had to find optimal placements and methods (truck delivery, forklifts, etc) for everything.

Also my friend who graduated recently has a job in industrial engineering where he works in a manufacturing facility that creates window panes and oversees their work.

He came in and looked at their process. He realized that some workers’ stations were piling up with work so he moved people and stations around to ensure a smoother workflow which increased time to complete the products. He also helped managed shipments, made sure machines were working, and so on.

So he was kind of a manager of the people who worked on the floor. But he also wants to go into business management where he works more on the money side of things (which is common for industrial engineers).

Some companies may even help pay for further education so one thing she could at least think about is getting a bachelor’s in industrial engineering then go into the workforce. Then see if the company will help pay for further education which will save tons of money (assuming she doesn’t have scholarships). That’s not a guarantee so don’t put all your eggs in one basket, but it’s just a thought.

7

Industrial engineering can be pretty heavy in the math and statistics.

8

Thanks everyone including the wonderful post from Engr15.

9

@mnjkr My DD is not industrial engineering but many of her friends are at Georgia Tech where my DD goes to college (we are from California too). My DD has many friends who are South Asian (both international and from the U.S.) so your DD would find students who share her culture at Georgia Tech (plus tons of clubs, dance troupes etc, my DD really loves Bollywood). GT also has an excellent business school, many of my DD’s friends in IE combine their degree with a special program out of the business school (if you search my posts on GT forum you will find the exact name). In fact some businesses like Shaw have recruited my DD for fellowships with more of a business IE angle. GT is difficult to get into these days but there is a big push to admit more women so that could help your DD in the admissions process. My DD’s stats fell into a catergory where people may have thought she had no chance at admission, but she went out visited GT and met with the admission staff to express her interest in GT so I suggest your DD do that if that is possible. Every May/June the Women in Engineering have a special visit program for rising seniors in high school so try to get an invite to it, just look at WIE’s website for more info. GT’s IE program is ranked #1 in the U.S., Atlanta is a great city and you can fly non-stop from LAX on Southwest. Just be sure your DD applies early action since the admissions rate is much better. GT although a state school is small compared to others and there are lots of special programs that make the school feel smaller. My DD and her friends love it and have made many friends.

You have not mentioned your budget so not taking it into consideratinon, I would also look at Purdue and Virginia Tech for IE. I caution against San Jose State right now, terrible graduation rate and students tell me they have a tough time getting classes. Texas A&M while a great college is tough for OOS for admission because a OOS student has to be in the top 9% if they want to have any chance at admission. My DD didn’t like College Station, she felt it a bit isolated.

Both Cal Poly’s are great with the location of SLO better. Again SLO is tough to get into so if your DD really likes it, have her apply ED (students apply in Oct.). She would be locked into going there but it would definitely increase her chances. She can still apply to other schools early action, University of San Diego (my alma mater) has a beautiful brand new engineering school and they are anxious to fill it. They have given students merit but are not too generous with either financial aid or merit. San Diego is a great city and there is lots to do here plus industry is a source of internships for your DD. I don’t know how many international students are at USD.

As far as things to do, here are some suggestions:

  1. Have your DD join a robotics program- there are a lot in your area, right now is build season and with your daughter's love of speaking, she could be on the business, chairman's or sponsorship teams. There is a job for everyone in robotics. If she is afraid to join then have her attend the FIRST competions in your area (there is the OC, Inland Empire and LA reionals coming up). Look up FIRST robotics in your area on their website or have her check with her high school.
  2. Look into the local chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE). Many chapters have outreach for high school girls, My DD was involved in them and they were life-changing for her. Plus SWE puts on lots of programs for parents too and your DD could find a mentor. Plus you could ask about IE and who is one in SWE and your dd could shadow or meet with them.
  3. Look for outreach programs for girls in STEM in your area. The National Girls Collaborative Project has a good listing of programs in California. https://ngcproject.org/node/156/programs My DD was involved in one in our area and it was a nice place for her to do projects like BOTBall and meet other girls with similar interest. See if the American Indian Science & Engineering Society (AISES) in your area has a chapter and does any outreach.
  4. Look at your local colleges. We live by a UC and they would have outreach events that I would take my DD to (again anything we did was because my DD wanted to go, not because I forced her. As she tells people, "my mom gave be a buffet plate of opportunities and I picked off the one or two that interested me." When my DD was in 7th grade we went to one and my DD met Sally Ride who encouraged her to get into robotics and the rest was history, DD decided then she wanted ME and has always loved it since!! In fact your DD should look at University of Southern California- they have an excellent engineering school with IE. (again apply early). USC has a SWE chapter that does outreach. http://www.sweusc.com/community.html Look at the colleges to see if they have a WIE department or SWE student chapters. My DD's SWE chapter does 2-3 outreach events every semester so it would be a good opportunity for your DD to learn more about engineering and meet other high school girls.

Finally make sure your DD has a good college list. Depending on your budget I recommend 10-12 schools (especially if hunting for scholarships or in a popular area like engineering) with a mix of safeties, matches and reaches. Also find out if your DD would be considered an international applicant or a domestic one- it makes a difference in terms of admission. Apply early since the early rates are better. Have her take the SAT again (and maybe the ACT) but don’t stress, my DD’s SAT wasn’t high and she got into plenty of engineering colleges (just turned down from one). More and more colleges are becoming test optional since they realize there are many factors that play into getting a high score. In fact if you are worried, put 1-2 test optional colleges on your DD’s list (see fairtest.org for a list).

Good luck.

10

Just a note: SLO discontinued ED this year so it may not be an option next year either.

11

@Gumbymom Thanks for letting me know about SLO’s ED policy. I didn’t have anyone apply this year to SLO so I was unaware of the change.

12

@itsv Wow! What a nice reply. Thanks a Ton. You have really given so many insights. I was not even thinking about Georgia Tech, Purdue. But, now I must include them into my “Shortlist”. Thanks again.

13

If you’re interested in IE, Georgia Tech is a must to put on your list. I don’t put much stock in rankings, but GT has been #1 for 23 straight years. They have by far the biggest program, more than twice the students of #2, all of them very smart and we’ll prepared. Employers know this.

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@Chardo We will surely do that.

15

Ditto on GT’s IE program, it’s pretty good (like what the rankings said :slight_smile: ). At some point you pretty much run into the same quality schools and it’s the fringe elements that may tip the scale. U of Michigan also has a great program along of course Purdue. Any of the Big Ten schools, pretty much.

It boils down to specialization, what courses you’d like to take, things you’d like to focus on, etc etc. I don’t think there’s a ‘bad’ choice. Just make sure you understand what IE is and what IE’s do all day. It’s a very fluid discipline compared to other areas of engineering. That, and flexibility to take some classes outside one’s major. Anything from psychology (as I did), computer science, math, business…

16

Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech is also very good (undergraduate ranked #5). Engineering is very competitive for admission these days but the potential to be admitted should be higher there than at Georgia Tech. They have a program specifically for women engineers. https://www.eng.vt.edu/ceed/hypatia-galileo/hypatia About 30 % of students are from other states, including California.

17

Hello,

I’m junior here an IE major at Purdue, a candidate for software engineering specialization under my IE belt. Doing two minors in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), and Computer science. I know Purdue Undergraduate is ranked 3rd right now. We just went over UC Berkeley IE rank (#4) :P. I’m gonna share my passion as an IE and recommend things that one should take advantage as an IE undergrad.

I know for sure the IE community at Purdue is very engaging. They have very nice advisors. The undergrad students also believe that IE is the “social engineers” - because many IE students are very social, like participating in clubs and organizations. Although I decided to be more an introvert person during my last 2 years of my undergrad (I’m an ambivert).

I was going for mechanical engineering but turned out I didn’t like the “mechanical” side of engineering (intuitive engineering until you get to the upper division classes perhaps). I was more into computer engineering because it was more about systems, computer, and things that are counter-intuitive (the time it takes to understood electrical stuff is more than mechanical, comparing in each of their major classes). The reason I went to IE because I wanted to build my own start-up after getting my master and MBA. I talked to many people about different majors and it seemed IE is the best option for a person who will eventually end up with business related lifestyle. My mom pointed out one thing that made me putting aside the thoughts of getting Computer Engineering or electrical engineering. She’s a president commissioner and business development director for several companies. Her company just went for IPO. She told me one time that a person with technical capabilities of innovating products without the skills of business and efficiency would end up in a catastrophic event. Other than that, how Tim Cook saved Apple by improving their efficiency was also the reason I stayed because I realized if I went for computer engineering and starting my own products, I would not likely to have the capability to sustain the company. I’m planning my startup on the development of hardware technology like smartphones, and any embedded device for consumers.

Although I was a more “technical” type of person, I still love the IE program. It’s a mix of many aspects. Most of my friends told me that the way I think would fit me better in the ME or ECE major because I can work on many equations on the board and neglect how much time has passed.

what I’m saying here, IE is very wide major. I agree with some people recommending that if you want either ME, EE, CompE, Business, etc, take IE first as a bachelor degree then go for Master in an industry of your passion. Why? after we graduate IEs can work in many different types of industry (I am open for tech, manufacturing, aerospace, and consulting industries - see, many options). Now here’s a useful link; http://www.forbes.com/sites/emsi/2014/09/12/the-most-in-demand-and-oldest-engineering-jobs/#f9024514b4ac how the job demand for IE is much higher than the supply. It means that your D would have a higher chance of building up her credibility for whichever master program she wanted to take later, and gives her more time to explore in case she’s actually passionate about different fields.

Now before I go into the program in Purdue, I would like to mention that Georgia tech program is the top program for IE, and I believe that it’s not necessarily a tough because IE is more about problem solving skills and motivation to ask question (Also, because Georgia Tech IE alumni got into NASA as the IE specialist). I would recommend try apply Georgia tech and Purdue.

At Purdue, the undergrad program already show how IEs can cover different industry. We take classes from:

  • ME department
  • Nuclear Engineering department
  • ECE department

I think Purdue ranks will go up again soon because last year I checked, there were only 4 or 5 emphasis. Now they have 6 emphasis (check: https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE/academics/undergraduate/emphasis-areas-faq). Plus the faculty kept increasing. Even IE faculty came from different backgrounds, EE, ME, Healthcare, statistician, and more. I even like the one who had EE background (he has a very theoretical mindset), but trust me IE is very practical.

Now, I would recommend going for IE to also go for minors. I would specifically recommend go for minors in one other engineering or science or computer science, whichever that might be an interest to your D. I know a lot of IE take minors in economics or management but I would say it might not be worth it because you basically already acquired the hard skills of those minors from IE program. Even when I applied for ECE minor, they said that it’s worth it for an engineering major to take other engineering minors because it would give the necessary skill to communicate with other engineering disciplines major. Many people say IE with skills in software engineering would get way more jobs than the ones with IE major only -Lucky I do love computers-.

As from what I read, your daughter can fit in with IE. As I said before I just decided to finish my degree with introvert attitude, focusing on GPA and part time job. There’s always the benefits of being introvert, despite many IEs are extrovert. her activities that you described seemed like she has the attitude of an IE. I am sure that she will be a successful IE. As for transition, I have seen many IEs came from India, and many from them blend just right in with all the students here (Students from India is the second largest international student population here at Purdue, the first are Chinese students). She doesn’t need to be in a sorority to blend in. many students live on campus and we meet friends in classes (sorority can be a distraction or not, depends on many things. Remember Purdue has a great Greek life).

Purdue has a lot of resources too. Tons of Study Abroad program if interested, Purdue research park where companies donate to Purdue and establish facilities and Purdue Research park, a path for Purdue students to gain direct experience with the private sector while taking classes. I myself just got a part time job there with one of the companies. The fact that they are at Purdue facility, it gaves student a higher chance to get their first job there. A lot of part time job in that park, including research with professor and summer research fellowship. recent establishment in the park was Rolls-Royce (which was a big deal). They received a place at the Purdue Research Park. Here’s the news: https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/releases/2017/Q1/purdue-gives-keys-to-rolls-royce,-facility-to-open-in-march.html

I can talk more about this major. I have done a lot of research on IE and the comparison with other majors. I talked with professionals, professors, advisors and other students. I can say more about my passion and more about IE but I think this is long enough. I hope that you can find the school that best fit with your D needs.

Good luck! let me know if you have more questions

18

@yellowbananas Thank you for explaining at such a great detail. True, her dream colleges are GT, Purdue, UC Berkley and Virginia Tech but at the same time we are trying to be realistic. She was at the top in India but after coming over here, she has fallen behind a bit and also it was too much of transition for her. Even then she is trying hard to make up as much as possible. Her reasons for choosing Industrial engineering are same as what you stated as it would give her lot of flexibility to choose electives and she could tailor her studies depending on her interest areas and also she could either branch out into Business/management or continue her MS in IE. She is also looking forward to continue her studies and do MS/MBA. Also, another reason is that she wanted to do major in one of the STEM field and IE seemed to fit that goal. She has been doing very few volunteering activities as she is least interested in and would only want to focus on few things. She is looking forward to do some research work in engineering during her summer which could give her some advantage. We are carefully determining her safety, reach and dream colleges. We don’t want to leave out any of the dream college. She is giving her second SAT in coming month. We would know for sure which colleges to target for. One thing is very sure that the things/areas/work that she loves, she gives more than 100 % and excel into that. Also, based on what I have observed, she could really do well in IE. Thank you all for going at such great length to provide info.

19

@mnjkr Another option would be to attend community college for the first two years and then transfer. I attended college first because I had been an international student when I started college in US. There are benefits to this:

  1. save more money because college tuition are much cheaper, either you’re a citizen, permanent resident, or international student (Definitely save more money!), because it depends on how many credits you’re taking
  2. When she transfers, the GPA will start over from zero. This will give the benefit of any mental fluctuations that students usually have during their freshman and sophomore year. It could also help her transition well!

Community college is the same thing as going for 4-year institution. The differences are that in college, you are not being guided as much as in 4-year institution. What I mean by guided, in 4-year institution, they have much more workshops or seminars or meeting with different department (different majors) as they were trying to promote their majors to freshman (at Purdue it’s called First Year Engineering Program where all engineering freshmen start). But it seems like she knew already what to major, might as well go to community college. It benefits economically for you and mentally for her (I bet she would like to have her GPA starting from zero during her Junior year). The benefits of this would be that she has less burden in mind of keeping GPA around 4.0 from freshman year. Many things can happen during the first two years of college. By having less burden, she would enjoy college more. If she managed to get 4.0 in college, well get ready for higher chances to top schools. If she didn’t get 4.0 she would not have to worry as long as above 3.5 then she can start fresh after she transfers and maintains high GPA during her last two years of college (like now I’m very close to 4.0 after transfer. totally worth it).

If she’s aiming for UC Berkeley, Diablo Valley College (My community college before) had the highest transfer rate to UC Berkeley, the College often have professors teaching courses from UC Berkeley (one of the physics professors was really good at teaching that he totally made me understand electro-magnetism, and made me like the subject within physics). Also, you can imagine some courses can be as hard as UC Berkeley courses -because many UC Berkeley professors teach at DVC. This fact is known among international students, and that’s why you’ll see a lot of international students in this college. The community is also very active. They have an active student government, honor society and more. Great cafeteria. I bet she’ll love the college.

if you want to know more about DVC, just let me know. It’s in Bay Area, and she would really have a great global community experience. From what you said above, she’ll thrive in the community in Bay Area. I got my first Summer job with a non-profit in Bay Area, and that led me to receive an award from a Mayor in one of the cities in Bay area. Great experience.

20

@mnjkr I didn’t know Virginia Tech was already on your daughter’s radar for IE. In #15, I said that VT is about 30% OOS. To clarify, that is the school overall. Engineering has a higher OOS percentage and is currently at about 46% OOS. Good luck !