<p>Liberal Arts Colleges enthusiastically promote their Engineering 3-2 Programs, but one CC member posted a very interesting opinion about them; he opined that many 3-2 participants discovered that it takes longer than 2 years to get the B.S.M.E. at the Engineering College, and also that some 3-2 participants were relatively unhappy at leaving their LACs before graduation, leaving behind friendships etc. a year early. But of course, you would think that students who feel that way wouldn't apply to a 3-2 program anyway.</p>
<p>What do you 3-2 alumni have to say?</p>
<p>It would not surprise me if you get no response whatsoever from an actual 3-2 graduate, since my impression is very few people actually successfully complete such sequence.</p>
<p>My own thoughts on this are here, FWIW:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/oberlin-college/859076-engineering.html?[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/oberlin-college/859076-engineering.html?</a></p>
<p>Normally, I would question the sense in spending 5 years of time and tuition to earn a 4-year engineering degree; and monydad points out the difficulties in making this work in practice.</p>
<p>OTOH, I know someone who completed 3 years at Bates and is now at Columbia for engineering. He would have had essentially a zero chance of being accepted to Columbia straight out of HS, so he is extremely excited and satisfied.</p>
<p>It’s more like 5.5 years. Some engineering courses need to be taken in sequence. It’s almost impossible to finish your engineering curriculum in two years without taking the first couple intro courses in your sophomore year. Scheduling may also be a problem.</p>
<p>Way back in the early 90s I was one of those who entered as a 3/2 and then dropped the program. In my 4 years at the LAC, no one I know stayed in the enginnering track.</p>
<p>For me, I was more comfortable in the LAC setting, enjoyed humanities courses and really couldn’t envision myself transferring. I dropped the 3/2 early on in favor of a double major in non-science fields (Econ/English)</p>
<p>IMO – most folks who apply to 3/2 progams do so because they are not 100% certain of the engineering track. Many teachers/parents push “smart” kids into sciences. Those students who go to a LAC 3/2 may be like I was – more interested in humanities, but felt pressured to choose a “good” major as a high schooler.</p>
<p>My son will be graduating from a 3-2 program next May with majors in physics and aerospace engineering and a minor in astrophysics. He’ll have done it in five years. I don’t want to go into all of the details, let’s just say his situation is as idiosyncratic as he is : ). If, along the way, he had decided that he was switching his major to theology or military history or dropping out of school to become an itinerant musician, we would not have been surprised, and, at one point, he said that if he could pick up another major, it would be philosophy. Part of the reason that it has worked for him may be that he attended public schools-AP credits counted and as a NMF, he had substantial merit aid at his first school. He is currently, heavily and happily involved in Nanosat. Wow, I’ve gone into a lot of details, anyway.</p>