<p>Actually, Albert should start his own thread instead of high jacking other threads. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>Any comments on the employability of engineering grads from schools like York (PA), Messiah or Western New England – places that are generally at the lower end of the academic totem pole, but do offer ABET-accredited engineering majors?</p>
<p>@LakeWashington - okay, I’ll quit. I am pretty certain it is good, I’m was just hoping someone on here would say they’d gone there or knew someone that did, etc. Sorry to be a pest.</p>
<p>You’re not a pest…just a bit…er…determined. Which is not a bad thing when properly focused. Good luck.</p>
<p>I went to a small engineering school (Embry-Riddle Prescott). It was a fantastic experience… Intro and core classes typically taken during the Freshman and Sophomore years had around 25-30 students (max!). My largest class was a film appreciation class and that had around 40 students. Most engineering classes had 8-20 students. Classes were very student-friendly… you weren’t afraid to ask questions.</p>
<p>Other perks: </p>
<ul>
<li>Professors had open door policies for office hours and were often readily available before and after classes, and in many cases even after hours!</li>
<li>Only 1,800 students made for a very tight-knit community</li>
<li>No graduate engineering students meant labs were freed up and available to undergrads, including undergraduate research.</li>
</ul>
<p>I was very apprehensive about attending E-R initially, but it turned out to be far better than I could have asked for. I ended up going to USC for my engineering graduate degree a few years later, so going to a small engineering school didn’t affect my opportunities.</p>
<p>@PurpleTitan mentioned Olin and Cooper. These are good examples of why you shouldn’t just compare big vs. small, but look at the program details and culture of your candidate schools. We looked at both… My son ended up eliminating Olin completely and falling in love with Cooper. Olin is more of a generalist program while Cooper has some very intense tracks… A lot of depth. He didn’t feel he’d get the same depth in his area of interest at Olin. The two cultures are also very different… One is suburban Boston and the other is in the heart of NYC. Very different vibes. Having said that, you’d think the location dominated his thinking but he didn’t even want to apply to NYU which is virtually the same location as Cooper. Bottom line, study their offerings and go visit your top choices. </p>
<p>DS is at Olin, and it is ideal for him. But it’s indeed teeny/limited(340 students) and unique (very project oriented)… really in a category of its own… a “niche fit”. I still encourage all students to take a look because they may learn about preferences to seek out elsewhere. </p>
<p>"Can someone please list advantages/disadvantages of an engineering degree from a large research institution(Georgia Tech, U of Michigan, Purdue) vs. a smaller school that specializes in engineering(RHIT)? "
IIRC engineering is still a male-heavy major choice. For those who care, large research institution is likely to have more girls. Including girls who aren’t negatively disposed to engineers.(meaning artists and theater types at CMU and Cooper don’t count).</p>
<p>Case closed, let’s move on…</p>
<p>@fractalmstr, that is awesome that you went to Embry Riddle. Might I ask how you afforded that school? </p>
<p>My son has applied to ERAU Daytona as well. If he is not certain if he is interested in aero engineering would you still recommend that school? As far as industry goes, is ERAU well known outside of aero? </p>
<p>If you want a 50/50 ratio in the Engineering school apparently George Washington has it. (They boasted about it on the tour.) I believe their offerings are somewhat limited - I was surprised they had engineering at all. Tufts is another place with a small engineering department within a medium size school.</p>
<p>Olin balances each class with a 50/50 ratio.</p>
<p>Yep, and I believe that Mudd is close to 50/50.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I would estimate about half with a combination of scholarships + housing grant + merit aid, and the other half with very generous family members. :lol: </p>
<p>Also, when I went ('02-'06), college tuition costs were much lower. I think full tuition cost at that time was $21k. It is now ~$31k I believe. Even that, though, is relatively affordable compared to other private colleges.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Great questions. Well, as you may or may not know, their core strengths are in Aerospace Engineering and Aeronautical Science. These programs, I believe, are excellent. Their other programs (especially meteorology, physics, and mathematics) are also quite good, but the diversity of majors available is somewhat limited due to the school’s specialized nature. In other words, you will not be able to major in African Music History, or anything along those lines… </p>
<p>The school’s reputation in engineering is excellent. They rank in the USNWR top 10 for undergraduate engineering schools (non-phd). Schools in this category include: Harvey Mudd, Cal Poly SLO, Rose Hulman, Air Force Academy, etc. </p>
<p>Outside of engineering and aviation, the school is not as well known, but still respected. I would say that if broad name recognition is important, Embry-Riddle may not be the best choice. Students who attend are usually passionate about engineering, aviation, and/or space and want a school that will offer the best possible experience given these passions. </p>
<p>I would also encourage him to check out the Prescott campus. The location is much nicer IMO, and they offer a couple programs that the Daytona campus does not, including Astronomy. In fact, i would almost bet that if your son visited the campus he would be hooked, lol… it’s a pretty incredible place.</p>
<p>Feel free to message me if you have any other questions. I would be more than happy to help out!</p>
<p>If you are interested in aerospace engineering, my nephew was in state and attended U Col.- Boulder, a large aerospace company snapped him right up, they actually had him recruiting on college campuses at first.
A friend of my Ds was hired right out of his directional U by SpaceX.
Just trying to encourage you that you can still have good job opportunities without attending a private school.</p>
<p>Shhh! No one is supposed to know about the aerospace program at CU. Everyone thinks of it as a party school, but it ranks very high in the number of astronauts who have gone to CU. In Boulder there is Ball Aerospace, and Martin-Marietta is in Denver.</p>
<p>Emery-Riddle Daytona and Florida Institute of Technology are both on the Space Coast and NASA and the manufacturers recruit heavily, plus there are co-ops and internships.</p>
<p>He was hired by a much larger company, that used to be headquartered in Seattle.
My brother also works there, his engineering degree is also from UColorado, but Co Springs.
The college friend who attended the directional U and is now working for SpaceX, may have had an astronaut as a physics prof.
<a href=“Former astronaut turned WWU professor elected to state science academy | BBJ Today”>http://bbjtoday.com/blog/former-astronaut-turned-wwu-professor-elected-to-state-science-academy/17359</a></p>
<p>Too late Twoinanddone, it’s no secret that U Colorado-Boulder has a fine AE department. I think they’ve produced a U.S. astronaut or two.</p>
<p>50/50 in the engineering school is not important. What is more important is 50/50 in and around the campus, and in the dorms.</p>
<p>And if the school is teeny , so 50/50 still means only 20 people. well frankly for some engineering types the pool simply needs to be larger. Much larger. Ideally it would also consist of many non-engineers who won’t be in your classes to know that you really aren’t all that smart, after all. Since in some cases that’s what you’re selling.basically. To counteract some other things…</p>