<p>Have a look at Swarthmore. It’s engineering program is quite unique. Although admission is highly competitive the atmosphere of the college is extremely collaberative. That is the aspect that got my son very excited about the school. There is a great deal of interest on the campus on helping in other countries. The department is very small but don’t let that throw you. Look at the quality. Swat has an incrediably high rate of admission to top notch grad schools. Swarthmore is located in a suburb of Philadelphia. The campus is gorgeous! but it is only a short train ride to downtown.</p>
<p>rjkofnovi, you’re absolutely right. my stats had me in contention for top engineering schools as well (maybe not MIT, Stanford, Princeton but I did get in Carnegie), however I chose based on fit, cost, strength in all programs (because switching majors is so common), and a bunch of other factors. I just wanted to show the OP that UVa met all her requirements despite it not being a top 10 engineering school. Do you think all the world’s best engineers came from only the top 10 engineerng schools?</p>
<p>And I know you won’t be able to argue that UVa is a spectacular, beautiful school. I know I’m plugging my school hard but I think it’s a great option for you. Every other school mentioned is spectacular as well</p>
<p>re post #8
Civil is not Cornell engineering’s strongest major but it is certainly a very strong major at Cornell. The only engineering major that is not a “top 10” engineering major at Cornell is biomedical.</p>
<p>The academic atmosphere at Cornell is exciting and intense. Engineering is hard work, no doubt about it. But, the workload is managable and almost all students succeed. Work ethic is part of the “hidden curriculum” at Cornell. The pressures are good pressures because they make you learn a lot and achieve more than you thought you could. The faculty are also hard working and very supportive. Students are really into their studies.</p>
<p>If you go to Cornell, I would suggest that you make time to enjoy the cultural opportunities and to appreciate the beauty of the campus and surrounding countryside. I wish I had made more time to do that. Absorb the whole experience, not just the labs and libraries.</p>
<p>List update:
Stanford, Swarthmore, Johns Hopkins, Lehigh, Tufts, Northwestern</p>
<p>UW Madison, UVa and UMich sound great (especially UMich), but I would like smaller schools. Sorry I didn’t mention that earlier/in my original message!</p>
<p>Northwestern: do you guys think this school would be a match or more of a reach?</p>
<p>I really need more safeties. Smaller schools would be great 
Thanks for all the awesome feedback.</p>
<ul>
<li>additional info:
I went college touring recently in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic. I loved Philly and DC, and my campus favorites would be Brown, Yale, and UPenn. How are the engineering programs at the former two? I asked a recent graduate from Brown about science & engineering and she said that it was better than most people expected and that you could get research opportunities fairly easily. Our tour guide at Brown also said that Brown has the most lab space of any university; no lab partners and no shared sets or anything, you get your own space. But then again, that’s probably because Brown has a small engineering department. Can anyone offer their opinions on doing engineering at these schools? nursekay, you mentioned Swarthmore’s engineering program; what are the benefits of the smaller engineering departments? I’m guessing that would mean getting know everyone in your major and getting more attention from the faculty/more research opportunities?
I’m aware that Brown/Yale are super reaches for me but I fell in love with both campuses (especially Brown) and I can’t get them out of my mind! By the time applications are due, I will definitely narrow down my reaches to 2-3, maybe 4, but I would like to keep my options open for now, keep exploring, and see what’s out there before focusing on just two or three.</li>
</ul>
<p>Once again, thanks for the suggestions. :)</p>
<p>Personally, I wouldn’t say Brown and Yale are Engineering schools… However, they have a strong Humanities department…</p>
<p>trueblue, UVa is actually not that big.</p>
<p>UW and UMich are significantly larger than UVa, but UVa is larger than the schools the OP is looking at</p>
<p>Lehigh - 4,809 Undergrads
Northwestern - 8,637
Hopkins - 4,998
Tufts - 5,164
Stanford - 6,602</p>
<p>UVa - 15,464</p>
<p>UW - 30,343
UMich - 26,208</p>
<p>However, every school is as small as you want it to be, many people don’t seem to understand this. Student:Faculty ratios are very misleading. The difference between a 100 person lecture at Swarthmore and a 400 person lecture at UMich is very little, but they skew the averages because when you really get into the classes you need for your major that ratios across the country are roughly equal.</p>
<p>Also no need to trim your reach list to 2-4, if you actually like the schools you’re applying to its ok to have a large list, you never know what could happen. I’m actually glad you’re picking a list of schools based on how you liked them during your visit rather than purely prestige.</p>
<p>Also, generally Northwestern is a reach for everybody. Maybe a low reach, but certainly not a match</p>
<p>Check out the Swarthmore Engineering program web page [Swarthmore</a> College - Department of Engineering Why Swarthmore Engineering?](<a href=“http://engin.swarthmore.edu/whyswat.php]Swarthmore”>http://engin.swarthmore.edu/whyswat.php) . It’s not just the smaller classes, it is an entirely different approach to the discipline. If you truely want liberal arts and engineering there is no other program like swarthmore. As far as safety schools, have you looked at Lafayette or University of Rochester? You haven’t mentioned if you need any financial aid either. Make sure you are taking the money into account as well.</p>
<p>To be honest, Yale really isn’t known for its engineering department. I think only about ~60 people in a class of ~1500 are engineers at Yale. However, there are certain advantages to this. The faculty:student ratio in engineering is 1:1, which means small class sizes, more personal attention, and easier access to research. Yale has also been throwing a lot of money at science and engineering lately, building new facilities and whatnot. Also, Yale engineering has a lot of flexibility. There’s a BA for those who just want a bit of background engineering knowledge; BS for those serious about engineering but still want to actively engage in other areas; and the ABET-accredited track which, at least from my understanding, means that the engineering curriculum is standardized with other ABET-accredited programs at other schools (such as Stanford).</p>
<p>I suppose I sound like I’m promoting my school, but yeah. You need to make sure the kind of engineering you want is available at Yale though; they only have electrical, biomedical, chemical, environmental, and mechanical? I think. Regardless, Yale would be an amazing experience :)</p>
<p>OP,
Definitely explore the following at Northwestern:
- Engineering First: [Engineering</a> First ® Program: McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern](<a href=“Undergraduate Study | Academics | Northwestern Engineering”>Undergraduate Study | Academics | Northwestern Engineering)
- CO-OP: [McCormick</a> Office of Career Development - Northwestern University](<a href=“http://co-op.mccormick.northwestern.edu/]McCormick”>http://co-op.mccormick.northwestern.edu/)
- Research Opportunities for Undergrads: <a href=“Undergraduate | Students | Northwestern Engineering”>Undergraduate | Students | Northwestern Engineering;
- Other enrichment opportunities: [Opportunities</a> For Enrichment: McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern](<a href=“Undergraduate Study | Academics | Northwestern Engineering”>Undergraduate Study | Academics | Northwestern Engineering)</p>
<p>RJK:</p>
<p>Agreed. Good point. UMich > UW. Madison = Ann Arbor.</p>
<p>nursekay: I did a ton of research on Swarthmore and its unique engineering program and I’ve decided that Im definitely applying there! You also seem very knowledgeable about Swarthmore; do you know someone who goes there.
Also, since I am an international applicant, I realize that there really aren’t that many opportunities for getting financial aid. My parents realize this, too. We are not going to apply for financial aid at need aware institutions. Also, I asked about Yale’s engineering program because Yale is need blind for international students as well. Were also considering Olin, where I’ve read that you can get A general engineering degree with a selfdesigned concentration, which I really like.</p>
<p>My son just finished his first year at Swarthmore. He is planning to major in math and or physics (more and more it is looking like he’ll double major). Like you he wanted a liberal arts school, not a technical college. He had a wonderful first year. He took math and physics class but he also took Philosophy and economics classes. He is a nerd, no doublt about it, but a well rounded one. Have you visited Swat? It was a reach for my son but I think his essays made it clear that Swat was a good 'fit" for him. If you have more specific questions about the Engineering program I would suggest you post on the Swarthmore forum or email the chair of the department. University of Rochester and Lafayette were also on his list and are less selective. If you have any more questions about swat I would be glad to answer them.</p>
<p>Another good choice for you is Harvey Mudd. If Mudd doesn’t offer the humanities classes you want, you will find them at Claremont-McKenna or Pomona which are both part of the same consortium and located very close to each other.</p>
<p>ricegal, how true on the Harvey Mudd stuff you just posted. A parent just posted that his son was able to easily take all the humanities courses that he wanted in the other schools.</p>
<p>Yes, that’s also what ricegal said. Classes at the 5 Claremont colleges are available to all students of the Consortium, except for some basic core-level classes. How many off-campus classes you can take depends on your requirements and major.</p>
<p>Decided to revive this thread because I’ve more or less finalized my college list So here it is, and let me know if it’s too reach heavy or if you guys have any other suggestions.</p>
<p>Stanford (SCEA or Regular?)
Brown
Rice
Harvey Mudd
Carnegie Mellon
University of Rochester</p>
<p>Oh & a few more questions;
How is the engineering program at Tufts? What’s the student body like? Is the atmosphere competitive/collaborative?
Also, how is Vanderbilt for engineering? How’s the social life? What do students do on weekends? Does student life revolve around campus? How is Nashville as a city?</p>
<p>Would these two schools be low reaches/matches for me? Or am I overestimating myself…</p>