We just attended the admitted students weekend. My son admitted to honors college and business school - but he is also interested in engineering…so we spent some time talking with the engineering staff at our session as well as attended the engineering info session to see if we could marry the two programs or if he could switch to engineering…we were underwhelmed with the COE to say the least -especially after touring the new Darla school of business building…they were very upfront with us as well about the limitations of their engineering program. This ultimately will be taking USC off the table for my son and he will more than likely end up at Purdue with no merit because we believe it is a better opportunity for him. We have toured several schools with engineering in mind and USC is not for engineers. Again, they were refreshingly honest with us about this. If my son was just about business _ Darla here we come, but he is not ready to decide so we have to make sure he has two strong paths where he goes.
@PopUpZone1921 , I would appreciate hearing more about your visit and impressions. Could you describe the limitations of the engineering program that UofSC mentioned to you? How is UofSC “not for engineers”? Thanks.
@lookingahead2023 we talked to one engineer professor at the honors reception and he basically told as much as he hated to admit it that our son would have more opportunities to combine business and engineering. My son lost interest during the engineer presentation. The buildings were in the back and clearly not updated. It was tough to go from the beautiful Darla building that was packed with hundreds of students to the engineer session that probably had about 100 or less people in it. They just did not offer the full package for engineers that we have seen at other schools. Otherwise he liked the campus…the honors dorms…and the overall feel of the school. Its a great choice to have for consideration!!
thanks for sharing your insight, @PopUpZone1921 ! Good luck with your son’s decisions ahead!
For what it’s worth, my husband has his BS in mechanical from USC. He was offered merit money at a variety of universities for his masters and eventually went to NC State. He had great co-op opportunities through USC and has a very well paying job in defense contracting. He regularly hires engineers in his DC office and says that in no way would the school keep him from choosing a candidate. As long as the program is ABET acreddited he will look at their resume. Once you have your first job it doesn’t matter as much anyway. We’re also going through this with our daughter who is also interested in engineering. She loved our Clemson tour but if offered Honors college at USC my husband would have no problem letting her choose engineering at his alma mater.
@sandlappermom…thanks so much for the feedback. It is a riddle with no answers to figure out what to do. Ultimately my son is the decider and has to find a home where he fits in. I would have expected Clemson HC to be a clear choice but the $$ and HC at SC have him taking a third look. NCSU is still on his list but VT is out. Appreciate the context and candid assessment… of course, you are not making it easier.
It’s great to hear your husband’s perspective as an alum and employer, @sandlappermom ! Does your husband have any input on job recruiting at USC? Particularly for computer engineering but possibly aerospace? I wish to stay in the southeast. You mentioned co-ops. Are these in Columbia or elsewhere? Also you mentioned that being in Honors college at USC would matter in the choice for your daughter’s engineering program. Could you tell me more about the particular benefits an engineering student might have through the Honors? Or how the Honors experience is viewed by engineering employers (does it seem to make much difference in hiring)? Thanks for your helpfulness.
@lookingahead2023 my husband was able to do his co-ops nearby in Augusta. They were great experiences but are unrelated to his current position. I don’t have any specific info on job recruiting at USC unfortunately. He went on to get his masters in acoustics/vibrations at NCSU and was recruited from there to work with submarines. My daughter has friends who are in the Honors College who love it. DD thinks she would enjoy the experience for the networking and social aspects honestly. It’s more of a smaller college within a larger university and she would like the experience of collaborating with like minded students. As far as how it looks on a resume, I’m sure it looks nice to have the honors college distinction. Any engineering graduate who has survived the rigor of a university program is likely to be intelligent and motivated however.
thanks very much @sandlappermom !