S23 is planning to pursue his degree in materials science and engineering. He’s a well rounded student and wants to continue pursuing his love of music (vocal and piano performance) in college. He also wants to learn new things outside of the engineering world, so a broad-based liberal arts type education would suit him rather than scripted general education requirements. I know he can get an excellent engineering education at any of his options, and he’s going to be in touch with each of the MSE departments to understand nuances that differentiate the programs (he has met with faculty at both CWRU and Pitt). But I’m interested in first hand feedback from people with experiences at any of these universities, including student life, as well as the cities where they are located. I’m also interested in thoughts from others also considering these universities.
Out of 8 acceptances, he’s narrowed down to a top 3: CWRU, Pitt, and Purdue. VA Tech decision is still outstanding and would round out a top 4 if accepted. His in-state option is Texas A&M but he’s ready to go OOS and we have the resources to support that.
If he wants city life, Va Tech won’t have it, but VT is super loved in Blacksburg (mountains of VA) and there’s plenty to do around there (my Alma mater). I’d be biased since H has his engineering degree from there, but it’d be a top choice since we both loved our time there and trips back since have showed us how much it’s improved since then. It’s a great place to go to college IMO.
Purdue I know by name and know it’s great, but I can’t give personal comments good or bad. I know others can.
CW and Pitt are both loved by students who go there and both are in cities if he’s looking for that.
I’m not in the music field, so will have to leave those comments to others as well.
Congratulations to your son on his acceptances. Unfortunately, engineering will not leave him tons of opportunity to pursue lots of "liberal arts " courses but every program will have some room for courses that appeal to him outside of engineering.
CWRU , of the 4, seems like the outlier. Purdue, Pitt, and VT are biĝger and have big sports programs.
Pittsburgh is a great city. I grew up there so am biased. A son went to VT for engineering. Blacksburg is a great college town. Check how easy it would be to get there from Texas if that is a concern.
Purdue and CWRU also great choices. Good luck with the decision!
My daughter is a CWRU and loves it. She is a first year and chose the school because of the ease of in her case majoring in mechanical engineering and theatre. She also wanted experience in the social sciences. CWRU makes it easy to do just that and is the norm not the exception to do so. University circle is home to most of the museums and the botanical gardens. The cleveland orchestra finds it main home there too. The Maltz Performing Arts Center showcases campus performances and traveling groups. Little Italy is walking distance and a lot of other great restaurants. The sports teams and rock and roll hall of fame are right near by as is Playhouse Square - the largest US theatre district outside of NY. My daughter can always find something to do either on campus or right near by. The trains and buses are free to students and they really use them.
Congratulations on his acceptances. Thanks for including me in the thread. I am still in the process of collecting information so I can compare, as I find information will sure to share in this thread. Right now Pitt is the most affordable for us for Bio engineering. Still waiting for University of Washington results.
As others have said, ABET engineering leaves some room for arts, humanities and social sciences, but not much. Most classes will be technical in nature no matter where he goes.
The interesting outlier for me is Case, not because of CWRU per se, but it’s proximity to CIM. Many of their instructors teach privately. My son strongly considered that combination.
My son goes to CWRU. I have been impressed with the responsiveness of various departments over the years (academic, housing, etc) as well as accommodating professors. CWRU is much smaller than the other schools you mention. The campus feel at Pitt and CWRU is urban.
Just had to pipe in to say I am an civil engineering alum from VT who studied piano all 4 years at school. My teacher was fabulous, but unfortunately has retired since I was there 30 years ago.
Edit - I also won the VA collegiate concerto competition as a junior, so I wasn’t just learning simple things for fun. Good luck to your student!
CWRU and Pitt are non-competitive to declare engineering majors. Purdue requires a 3.2 college GPA, VT requires a 3.0, and Texas A&M requires a 3.75 to declare an engineering major non-competitively – otherwise, admission to majors is competitive. However, materials engineering is likely to be less competitive or non-competitive (unlike computer science / engineering, mechanical engineering, or whatever else is popular), though you want to find out from the schools or students at the schools.
It does require that accredited programs have general education requirements, although the amount of such varies from one school to another. Checking the general education requirements at each school would be advisable if the student is concerned about the volume and how specified they are. Typical required volume of humanities and social sciences seems to be between 12% and 25% depending on the school.
Fwiw, my daughter was accepted to all of the above. She ended up at Purdue, with a somewhat difficult choice between it and VT. Pitt was mid-pack and CW was at the bottom of her 8 acceptances. But everyone is different, so I wouldn’t put too much weight on others’ choices.
She graduated MechE last year, is very happy with her choice, and has a job she enjoys. Her younger sister followed her and is a Freshman this year.
Purdue admitted 96.7% of FYE students into their first choice major last year, and MSE is not on the list of “majors that are near or above capacity limitations”.
CWRU was by far our best campus visit. The MSE department had their own session at open house and the professors spent an extra hour after the session talking with him. They were extremely approachable and talked in depth about their current research grants and the program in general. We also met for an hour with the another MSE professor who is the director of Think[Box], which is a unique resource compared to any university we visited. CWRU is definitely his first choice, it’s also the most expensive and he’s struggling with whether it’s worth the extra cost. We can pay for it, but he knows he’s the middle of 3 kids and it will be a financial sacrifice. It’s also one we are willing to make. The area around the university seemed great, he likes the urban environment, as well as the cultural aspects of the area (Cleveland Orchestra and other museums in the area).
My daughter’s visit last year is the reason she went ED2. She loved the navigators and having one has really been wonderful for her. She is heading back to campus tomorrow but I am sure she would be willing to chat. I know she was answering questions recently on another platform for an admitted student considering CWRU for mech e and theatre. She knows a bit less about music since it isn’t her major but she has friends that are part of the marching band and has certainly crossed paths with some music majors. I know there are also music minors and that even those not majoring can take music classes. Her theatre major is going to be declared as a secondary major and the department really is working with her to make sure she gets her mech e through as a primary. The theatre department is also designing the program she wants. She wants dramaturgy and that major isn’t there. So the department is helping her design it.
Affordability is key especially with other children coming up. My daughter didn’t go to her #1 because of it and it actually worked out better for many reasons.
All his choices will lead to jobs. Campuses /cultures are different. Pick the most affordable with the greatest fit for him. But the other schools are excellent also. Nice to not have any wrong choices.
But I just looked. I didn’t realize Case price these days. If Purdue is almost half (if I am looking correctly) of Case western. Then from a purely economic stance Purdue/Pitt are your better choices unless you have some great scholarship. If I am reading correctly there is no reason (unless you want to /can easily afford it), to pay almost $40,000 extra a year ×4=$160,000 more for any school in engineering.
I didn’t see the financial piece when I first responded. If money is an issue, your child can build their electives around their interest in music and liberal arts at Purdue and Pitt as well. The more incoming AP/DE credits, the easier that will be.
Purdue has the “Foundry” which is similar to ThinkBox.
The MSE program is non competitive for entry but well funded and with great profs.
What Purdue doesn’t have is an urban environment. But, the area is home to hundreds of companies and the music and theater offerings on campus are strong.
If urban is a key factor for your child, Pitt may get the edge.
It will not. We are still able to save aggressively and the other kids are staggered enough that we’ll have no more than 2 in college at a time. With his scholarships, the delta in cost between CWRU and Purdue is about $16K. Delta between CWRU and Pitt is about $22K. He has a healthy 529 balance that will contribute $30K per year. The sacrifice is in lifestyle. Maybe continuing our vacations at national parks rather than traveling internationally. Maybe postponing new furniture or not relocating once we are empty nesters. I don’t want to go into more detail on finances but I have reason to believe we will be able to pay his tuition bill, and his brother’s, and still do the lifestyle things listed above. At the same time I’m willing to live without them.