<p>I would stay away from UCB. Read sakky's post from the below link.</p>
<p>Yeah I don't think that UCB is a good option for me... I used to say that I wanted to go there because of its reputation but I must admit that even if I got accepted, I would not be able to enjoy my life at cal. I'm one of those people that need to socialize as much as I study so I don't go crazy, my stress levels can rise scarily high! I don't know if UCLA is much like UCB (academics wise), because I was considering UCLA... what do you think?</p>
<p>check out franklin olin
its a pure engineering college</p>
<p>I'm very surprised Swarthmore hasn't been mentioned.</p>
<p>well Harvey Mudd and Rose-Hulman aren't exactly LAC's but they do put more importance on liberal arts courses (making them a requirement to graduate) than other engineering colleges</p>
<p>Bucknell is good, also look at Villanova, Swarthmore, Lafayette and Union College</p>
<p>Harvey Mudd only offers a general engineering degree. The school does not have Civil, ChemE, ME, or Comp/EE.</p>
<p>And this is why HM has exactly one ABET cert. </p>
<p>[url=<a href="http://www.abet.org%5DABET%5B/url">http://www.abet.org]ABET[/url</a>]</p>
<p>
[quote]
I don't know if UCLA is much like UCB (academics wise), because I was considering UCLA... what do you think?
[/quote]
Seeing as the stats of the incoming students are nearly identical, I think the academics would be about the same. So is UCSD.</p>
<p>Regarding the engineering majors, it used to be UCB was tougher to get into than UCLA (back in the early-90s.) But those years have since passed, and both are now neck to neck in terms of academic selectivity of the admitted class. A lot of kids who are practically Stanford/MIT/Caltech material attend UCB (or UCLA) instead, due to cost.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, public universities with large entering classes going into the engineering programs will use the first/second year courses are graded like 'weeder' courses. The grade-curve for those lowerdiv-courses is just BRUTAL...(as in the final grade-distribution loks like this: 30-40% C, 20% B, 5-10% of the class an A, and the rest D/F.)</p>
<p>Lots of large public universities (which are easier to get in) will run the same curve -- but at UCB/UCLA, you're basically competing against the top 5-10% of the top California high-schools.</p>
<p>Another factor to consider -- At a smaller ilberal arts college, you have a better chance of getting one-on-one attention from faculty/staff. That's something that can really make a difference to a struggling student. I can guarantee you, you won't get that sort of attention from a UCB/UCLA professor, who for the most part, wouldn't want to spend their precious moments speaking to the undergrad ilk. (Not to badmouth all of them: there are some fine faculty who genuinely love to teach, just not enough of them ...) On the other hand, if you can get into a student study-group, that'll offer similar benefit.</p>
<p>Interesting article that showed up elsewhere on CC today:
Small</a> Engineering Schools Harvey Mudd, Olin, Rose-Hulman Offer Big Results - 2008-03-17 00:00:00 - Design News</p>
<p>As someone who went to a small engineering school (Cooper Union) for undergrad and a large research university (Columbia) for grad, I noticed the differences are pretty significant. At Cooper, professors were always willing to sit down with you one-on-one for anything. They heavily encouraged visits during office hours. They worked with us even outside of office hours sometimes when they were around. Everybody wanted you to succeed even though classes were still tough. It's just a good learning environment.</p>
<p>In grad school, professors were heavily focused on their research. Research is the reason that they're there and classes are just a side job. Sometimes professors would miss some classes due to research trips they have to take. It's obvious what the priorities are. You can't blame the professors though; that's just how the system is set up.</p>
<p>By the way, a small school doesn't necessarily mean it's a liberal arts school.</p>
<p>I go to a small engineering school (Milwaukee School of Engineering) and I must agree with you ken. Many of my professors are very passionate about their job. It's very obvious they enjoy teaching and want to see their student succeed. For example, a few weeks ago my friends and I were working on a computer engineering lab and it was about 8pm. Our professor was still on campus even though he had no classes at night. He was simply there to help students working on labs and checking them off. </p>
<p>At a large university I doubt you would see professor sticking around late at night when they have no classes.</p>
<p>hey thanks that link CaliforniaDancer, it is really detailed and helpful... I might choose to go to a smaller school, probably liberal arts... it seems to be a better deal for undergrad education. Does any of you, the ones who went to a small college, know about the job opportunities after graduation? who are the recruiting opportunities?
Also, how is the student body at cooper union or rose hulman? Can you guys guide me with some details? are people competitive or friendly and supportive?</p>
<p>At the Cooper Union, students aren't competitive with each other at all. Everybody supports each other and studies together before exams. People work with each other on assignments. Everything is just easier when you have help; things can seem impossible if you're working by yourself sometimes. With such a small student body, everybody pretty much knows everybody. In my major during my year, we only had 18 students. That can be a good or bad thing, depending on your personality. </p>
<p>In terms of job opportunities, everybody I knew didn't have a problem getting a job or getting into a grad school. It's very well respected in academia and in the NY area engineering community. Many students, especially those in civil engineering, worked as interns during the academic year because of its proximity to so many firms.</p>
<p>i visited bucknell and i thought that it wasnt that preppy. there were people dressed nice but i had two tour guides 1 of which was very artsy and the other dressed in jeans and a tshirt. there is definitely a mix of people there</p>
<p>I understand your concerns about the competition, environment, etc.... but there's more to engineering education than just solving through problems in books. So I think you will get much more out of the program if you go to a strong engineering schools because they will have better access to tools and equipment, and there will be so much more opportunity for you career wise.</p>
<p>... and don't worry about being a girl in engineering. The boys are very nice to the girls :) You'll have a good time.</p>
<p>JoeJoe.. I beg to differ. I go to a large research based university and most of the professors are very passionate about their work. They are extremely dedicated teachers and researchers. And yes, they stick around during nights and weekends because they are genuinely interested.</p>
<p>"well Harvey Mudd and Rose-Hulman aren't exactly LAC's but they do put more importance on liberal arts courses (making them a requirement to graduate) than other engineering colleges"</p>
<p>No. Trust me. Harvey Mudd is a LAC. I'm a senior here.</p>
<p>Always keep retention as one of your key selection metrics. </p>
<p>post #28 is right on target.
"Keep in mind, public universities with large entering classes going into the engineering programs will use the first/second year courses are graded like 'weeder' courses."</p>
<p>Retention numbers are available under "class" in the ASEE web database.</p>
<p>Why would anyone work so hard to get into a college, only to have a 30% chance of crashing. It will crush your soul.</p>