I have been admitted to both penn state and Delaware for chemical engineering. Still waiting to hear back from va tech. In state for penn state but got enough money to cover difference of out of state for Delaware. Assuming I get into va tech, which is the best option?
If you like all 3 them Which will get you the best job after college ???
Yooo if you have any specific questions about ChemE at Penn State, let me know. I’m a junior.
How are the class sizes once you get into your core classes at penn state?
Large. There are ~170 students in the junior class, and most ChemE-specific major classes are only offered at one time per semester.
Would you say that hinders your ability to get any individual attention? Or is it that the majority of large colleges are kind of similar?
Personally I don’t mind it much. If I’m just going to sit there and listen to information be presented, I don’t really care whether I sit there with three other people or three hundred, y’know? Professors still take questions during lecture, and smaller, more personal office hours are always held, whether with the professor or the teaching assistants. (And I’ve never had a problem with a TA – they’re usually quite knowledgeable and helpful.) Most large schools will probably have the same sort of system.
Labs are exceptions to the above – those are limited to 20 - 30 students. Right now I’m taking a seminar, heat transfer, pchem, pchem lab, biomolecular engineering, and an elective about fuels. The lab is small, as is the elective. Everything else is in a large lecture hall.
I think UDel has a great chemical engineering program due to the Dupont connection.
However large class sizes are the norm at big universities - to see how that affects you, you should really do an overnight and attend two classes (one first-year class in your major, and one freshman English class.) Do this at each university, take notes, including impressions but also anything else you’ve noticed.
Have you visited them? If not, why not?
What are your parents saying about pay for these OOS schools? Are they ok with paying $45k-50k+ per year?
Yes I’ve visited them and they all seem to have some pros and cons. As I said, I got enough money to cover oos costs for Delaware, and Virginia tech is only around 8k more than Delaware and penn state.
That’s an extra 32k. Whichever one you decide to go to (which, you should visit all of 'em, if money isn’t an issue apparently), is it worth the extra accrued cost?
What are the cons of each school in your mind?
Virginia tech: distance, extra oos costs (32k)
Delaware: lack of school spirit (football is not big and I like big football team and spirit at other two), smaller alumni network than other two?
Penn State: size
You are…Penn State!
Even though I had a kid that went to VT and loved it, I would eliminate that one because of the extra cost. It does sound like Penn State could be a good fit for you, from what you’ve described. All three have nice campuses. Good luck with the decision.
I have pretty much ruled out Penn State at this point. I am having an extremely difficult time deciding between UDel and Virginia tech. I am in their honor’s programs which is a huge plus for me and partly why I ruled out state. Money aside, can you give any more insight on making this decision.
VT! Be a hokie!
Pay attention to whether you are directly admitted to the major or not at each school. If not, check the criteria to enter the major. Remember that a 3.0 or 3.2 GPA in college is more difficult to earn than a 3.0 or 3.2 GPA in high school.
http://www1.udel.edu/registrar/students/restmajorsinfo.html
http://www.enge.vt.edu/undergraduate-changing-majors.html
https://advising.psu.edu/entrance-major-requirements-college-engineering