<p>Hi,</p>
<p>Dartmouth has been my dream school for a long time, but right now I found out that the University of Washington CSE department is also super good (I'm applying direct admit for sure). But, Dartmouth is still kind of special to me. Does anybody know if the Dartmouth engineering/cs department is good? Is it comparable to UW's CSE department?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>You can check the CS and engineering course listings at each school to see if they match your interests.</p>
<p>Note that ABET-accredited engineering at Dartmouth is nominally more than 4 years (12 quarters). It is also a small department which offers a general engineering major within which you can choose from the various kinds of engineering.</p>
<p>Washington’s CS department is known to be fiercely competitive for admission if you are not directly admitted as a frosh. If you attend Washington intending CS but are not in the major, be sure to have alternate major plans.</p>
<p>Washington will likely see more CS and engineering recruiting, while Dartmouth will likely see more investment banking and consulting recruiting.</p>
<p>I’ve heard about Dartmouth’s ABET accreditation program. I tried to search for ABET accreditation but I’m still confused on what it does for you. Does graduating from an ABET accredited program make you more competitive in job searching? Or is it like an honor thing?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Also, can undergrad participate in their research programs? I’m really interested in their Energy Technologies focus and was wondering if as undergrad, one can take part in them?</p>
<p>You might want to ask around on the Dartmouth board as well.</p>
<p>I don’t get it. Small Ivy League school in remote rural New England town, vs large state flagship in major city in Pacific Northwest. Could they be more opposite? How are they both a potential fit for the same person?</p>
<p>UMass- Amherst, UMD- College Park, Purdue, UDub, Stony Brook…all of them are good.</p>
<p>Why are you bothering to debate which is better unless you have been accepted to both?
Neither is easy to get into!
If Dartmouth is your dream school and you get in and you can afford to go, then I’m sure you will be happy with their CS program. Accreditation doesn’t matter for CS.
What else are you looking at? What are your criteria? What can you afford? Are you OOS for U.Washington?</p>
<p>ABET accreditation assures you that a degree program meets a fairly high minimum standard. It is generally seen as a necessary indicator of quality for most types of engineering, but not for computer science, though it is strictly necessary only for Professional Engineer licensing (most commonly done for civil) or taking the patent exam.</p>
<p>I’m in state for U.Washington, and I’m applying to their Honors program as well as going for CSE direct admit (I know, a big dream 
). I’ve mentioned in my previous post that what I like about Dartmouth engineering is their focus on Energy Technologies, and after reading the post below I feel it would be a more personal/intimate department rather than UW’s big 600 people or so department (I assume, I might be wrong). </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/dartmouth-college/1469397-how-reputable-dartmouth-engineering.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/dartmouth-college/1469397-how-reputable-dartmouth-engineering.html</a></p>
<p>As in how could these two drastically different schools be the same fit for me, well, I guess I don’t know. But, I do like both of them, and I will apply. I’m just interested in how their engineering department compare to each other.</p>
<p>They compare like apples and oranges! Totally different but equally good.
Do you really like Dartmouth engineering or it is Dartmouth itself that you love? If it just that your are interested in energy technologies, then there are plenty of engineering schools that also have plenty of courses and research in this area as well.
Is it the concept of a BA rather than a more traditional BS engineering degree that appeals to you?
No matter what, Dartmouth is so hard to get into that you need to spend more time figuring out where else to apply and less time agonizing over whether it is better than your state school.</p>
<p>Yes, it’s Dartmouth itself I love, so I was wondering what my intended/dream major would be like at Dart. And yes, I know it’s VERY hard to get into (sigh). As for degrees, I totally didn’t think about that. Would you mind telling me the difference between a BA and a BS engineering degree? I do know that it usually takes one five years to get the BA/BE degree at Dartmouth due to its ABET accreditation or something. </p>
<p>Truth be told I have no idea where else I should apply besides U.W. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>If you want to work as an engineer (as opposed to studying engineering out of interest and then working as a banker or consultant), completing the ABET-accredited version of the engineering major is a good idea.</p>