<p>I need to decide tonight if I'm going to go to u of minnesota- twin cities (25k per year), colorado school of mines (28k ), or u of colorado boulder (20k) I want to major in chemical engineering. I've done my research thoroughly (probably too much so) but I still can't decide. I'm stressed out of my mind right now. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated.</p>
<p>go to the Colorado School of Mines. It has a stellar academic reputation.
Many graduates are accepted at top PhD programs from CSM. The same can’t be said for the other U’s. </p>
<p>Menloparkmom: Are you serious ? Minnesota is tops for ChemE!!!</p>
<p>In my opinion, the real choice is between UMN and CSM, but UMN is better priced.
OP: What’s your parents’ budget?</p>
<p>Can you at least eliminate one? (You said on your other thread that you just bumped that CSM was more expensive and you were concerned about the fit). I agree it has a great academic reputation but fit is also important. Not sure if you are even interested in a PhD program as you did not mention that in this thread? I’m sure there are good opportunities at Minnesota and UC Boulder as well for a motivated student. Good luck with your decision. They are all good choices depending on what you’re looking for.</p>
<p>All are affordable and I’m not 100% sure if I want to go to grad school or into industry after undergrad. I kinda brought csm back into the picture after reading more about minnesota’s extreme size and cu’s party rep. I’m not sure if it’s a great fit (worried about girl:guy ratio and lack of nonengineers) but the starting salaries for cheme are higher than umn and cu even though it is ranked much lower for that major.</p>
<p>If Chem E is your 1st choice, Minnesota is the better option since the department is well known for Chem E. Also one can take courses in bio technology & material science within the Chem E dept. When we visited UMn Chem E dept. a few years ago, we came away impressed- The choice if undergraduate courses was extensive, and seemed quite well structured. The professors & the facilities were top notch. In addition, UMn also has bio medical engineering, with an overlap in tissue engineering.<br>
Although we heard many good things about CSM, don’t have first hand knowledge about its Chem E department. </p>
<p>I would focus more on fit than the salaries . Any chemical engineer from any of the 3 programs is going to end up with a decent salary. Only you can decide what is the best fit for you. Both of my sons are engineers. They wanted big time sports and a good male/female ratio. They had plenty of non -engineer friends. Some kids don’t care about those kinds of things. Some kids prefer to be primarily around other STEM kids. What do you prefer? </p>
<p>Anyone who knows anything about ChemE, knows of out of those choices, Minnesota is by far the top school.</p>
<p>Agree that Minnesota has the highest ranked program for chemical engineering. Not sure that means it’s a given he should go there if it does not seem like the best school in terms of other factors, Would he be happy there if he ended up not pursuing chemical engineering, for instance. Maybe, maybe not. </p>
<p>It doesn’t matter where you go for chemE. You’re going to make the same amount of money when you graduate. I would want to know which school has the most tutorial and review resources because chemE is one of the toughest majors. I’d suggest you go where it’s least expensive because prestige has nothing to do with employment; jobs are about skill sets–either you have the experience in those skillsets or they hire someone else. I am a Boulder grad.</p>
<p>^I agree. You’ll get roughly the same salary from each school (any difference will be negligible and mostly come from what internships you did, etc) So what matters now is FIT.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input everyone. I’ve decided to attend cu boulder. It wasn’t my initial first choice, but after rejections from top private schools and visits to my remaining options, I feel it is the best fit for me. I think that, being a highly motivated student, I will have plenty of opportunities to be successful at cu and in my career as an engineer. Thanks again for everyone’s help!</p>
<p>Congratulations! That sounds like a wonderful choice for you. Thanks for letting us know. Have a great time at cu Boulder!</p>
<p>Congratulations! Go Buffs!</p>