<p>I'm going to be applying for class of 2012, and I'm wondering if it is possible to go to a lac and major in like physics or math and transfer to a large university after two years and major in engineering?</p>
<p>It’s possible to do that but you may find a “3-2 program” at a LAC more appealing. With a 3-2 you go three years to the LAC then transfer for 2 years to an engineering school. At the end of 5 years you receive a BA or BS from the LAC and a BS (or equivalent) from the engineering school. </p>
<p>Your 3 years at the LAC would likely be heavily math and physics based. The appeal of a 3-2 program is that if you are attracted to the smaller, more intimate environment of a LAC, you can get that and still pursue an engineering degree.</p>
<p>Or go to a LAC that offers engineering. Harvey Mudd is a tech LAC and top notch. Swarthmore has a general engineering major. There are others (Bucknell?) that offer engineering.</p>
<p>Re the 3-2 programs: Many (perhaps most) LACs have agreements with schools that offer engineering that enable students to be sure that the courses they take during their 3 years at the LAC will adequately prepare them for the engineering curriculum. In some (but not all) cases, the agreements provide that as long as the student meets defined academic standards at the LAC, admittance to the engineering school is guaranteed.</p>
<p>One note of caution: from what I’ve heard, relatively few students actually complete the 3:2 programs. You’ve been at a school for 3 years and have made some good friends, know your way around, its a nice small LAC community. Stick it out 1 more year and you get a degree; or pull up stakes and head off to a new University where you have 2 more years of college ahead of you, don’t know the campus or the people, etc. Its not surprising to me that many people change their minds. And even for those enrolled in engineering from the start at a U offering the degree, dropout rates range from 1/2 to 2/3rds at most schools.</p>
<p>Of course there are LAC’s, like Lafayette, Union, and Trinity (Hartford), that offer engineering degrees.</p>
<p>
I posted the same question at the Columbia forum a while back and they had the same observation. Columbia engineering has only 75 people per class from the 3:2 programs despite having agreements with over 100 LACs. Columbia is probably the “easiest” program (relatively speaking) for 3:2 applicants to get into and have a reasonable chance to graduate in 2 years … but still not that many takers.</p>
<p>If you want to go to an LAC and do engineering, Grinnell would be a great choice. They have one of the largest endowments in the nation and have put a large amount of resources into math and science facilities. They also have 3+2 programs with Columbia and Caltech.</p>