Hello, I am now a senior in high school. So far, I got accepted to several engineering schools, such as Purdue, VT, OSU, and Penn State. Unfortunately, I got rejected from UIUC’s engineering and had an alternate major(undecided). At this point, I am pretty depressed. I know lots of positive things from Purdue, but I believe its engineering is not as good as that of UIUC. Since I am an international student who also think about going back to my home country, college’s reputation and rankings are important.
I have applied and got accepted to several LACs that offer 3-2 Combined Plan with WUSTL and Columbia. If you are in the program, you can pretty much study in Columbia after finishing 3 years in LACs with the minimum GPA of 3.3. You end up getting 2 degrees as well: BA from LACs and BS from Columbia or WUSTL.
Columbia is an ivy league schoool that I can’t even apply with my HS stats. Furthurmore, getting a degree from Columbia might help me get into some prestigious law schools in US or back in my country(I am not sure whether I will be a straight engineer or not).
However, I have heard some cons about the program. many in my country say there is a huge discrimination for transfer students even though they went to IVYs. Their words are actually pointless because they are maintaining without a convincing proof or stats. I know there must be the lacking integration with students who were in Columbia since freshman year. Internships and research opportunities are possibly limited for transfer students as well.
In all respects, do you guys think Combined Plan is worth it enough to miss an opportunity to study in moderately great engineering schools for 4 years??
No I don’t think 3-2 plan is worth it. Think about it Columbia is not exactly known for its engineering program. Those other schools are and even if you are planning to get a law degree you still go those schools you mention and still end up at great graduate school. If you search more on this website you will find other past forums on the topic of 3-2 plans.
Columbia’s Engineering School is ranked # 18 in the undergraduate level and #14 at the graduate level. Columbia University is ranked #4 overall. They accept only the brightest students (6% admission rate) It is an Ivy League school and everyone knows about Columbia around the world. A degree from Columbia University will open many doors. Furthermore, Columbia is in the most dynamic city in the world, New York. There are thousands and thousands of the top companies in the world in NY. All the major companies recruit on campus. Every year Columbia accepts about 100 students into this program so there is no discrimination. Although the plan is 5 years you will get two degrees, making you more versatile.
There is nothing wrong with the program. It really is a great program, and a great education. In fact companies prefer students graduating with a dual degree. Those students tend to be more well rounded with develop better communication skills than students who pursued traditional 4 year programs. The challenge for you will be meeting all their requirements for guaranteed admission. You need to maintain at least a B+ average, get at least a B in every class the very first time that you take each class. You have to meet the graduation requirements of the liberal arts school, graduation requirements for your major at the liberal arts school and take all the prerequisite courses in math, science as well as 9 courses in non-technical electives. If you miss any of these you will not be guaranteed admission. They will still consider you, but just as any other transfer student. Their transfer rate last year was 3%. So if you are going to do this you have to stick to the plan.
"I know lots of positive things from Purdue, but I believe its engineering is not as good as that of UIUC.
Where do you get that nonsense? Purdue is one of the top institutions for engineering in the country. So are VT, Penn State, and OSU.
The only reason why you are considering the 3-2 plan is because you are in love with the idea of attending an Ivy. You aren’t considering it for the possible academic reasons (more time to take more courses in a different major, more time to get a stronger background in the liberal arts). Here is the deal: you almost certainly don’t want a 3-2 plan. It requires a lot of work to keep your GPA up, and at minimum requires the expense of an extra year of college. Run the numbers. Two years at Columbia will cost you a lot more than just one year at Purdue, VT, Penn State, or OSU. The difference could more than pay for a 1 year M.Eng. if you think you want one.
You do not want to study law in the US. Law school here prepares people to work as lawyers in the US - often only really in the state where they study. You won’t be able to get a job here with a US law degree. If you want to study law, stay home and do that in your own country. You could come here for advanced work in international law if you decided to do that some day.
Columbia has good financial aid, but I’m not sure how that extends to transfer students or foreign students.
Columbia works to integrate transfer students into the student body. Opportunities for transfers are the same as for other groups on campus. You would not be kept out of jobs.
My understanding about 3-2 programs is that the transfer is not necessarily automatic. You may need to earn a certain grade level. On the positive side, LACs provide excellent education in thinking and problem solving that straight engineering programs don’t always have. It’s great training for later. Also in the US some LACs are much more prestigious than some universities. It depends on the schools in question.
Purdue is a top engineering school, BTW
The advice about law degrees for foreign students by someone here is not accurate. Foreign students study law in the US all of the time. Often they work in the US for cross-border transactions for example. You may return to your home country and work or you may work in the US. You should choose your law school wisely however. If you decide to do engineering and then pursue law, it’s a great combination and can lead to careers in intellectual property and patent law.