<p>Hey, for those of you who are princeton engineers, I was wondering if you could answer a couple of my questions...</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Are there any unique things about Princeton engineering that you think you would not be able to find at other institutions?</p></li>
<li><p>Is the curriculum very liberal artsy or more hard core science?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>My son just finished his first year of BSE at Princeton. I am not sure what is available at other institutions but here are a couple things he noted:</p>
<p>1) Area of concentration within the BSE department is not declared until after first year. Most first year courses are not engineering per se but rather covering the math, physics, chemistry and computer science requirements for later years. There is one course taught in the spring semester of the freshman year that is a general engineering course which touches on most types of engineering. It is offered on a pass/D/fail basis. There is no required reading, outside homework or problem sets and no exams. Class attendance, however, is mandatory. But it’s a great way to narrow down which types of engineering you find most interesting. </p>
<p>2) Princeton also offers integrated engineering courses (engineering/math/physics together essentially) as well as other integrated sciences. These are advanced and more demanding courses but provide a different perspective on how they work together. Here is a link to one of the courses: [Princeton’s</a> Keller Center: An Integrated Introduction to Engineering, Mathematics, Physics (EMP)](<a href=“McGraw Commons – Online Platform for Course Blogs, Course Websites, and Course Projects”>McGraw Commons – Online Platform for Course Blogs, Course Websites, and Course Projects)</p>
<p>3) To answer question #2 above, there is some flexibility as to how artsy or hard core science you go. There is an option to do engineering which is not ABET accredited where you could consider more arts courses. The ABET route necessarily involves a lot of science but there is still room for arts courses. For example my son is taking several courses in a second language as he considers a certificate in addition to his area of concentration. For more information on how undergraduate engineering works at Princeton, see this link:
[Undergraduates ? Princeton</a> Engineering](<a href=“http://www.princeton.edu/engineering/undergraduate/]Undergraduates ? Princeton”>http://www.princeton.edu/engineering/undergraduate/)</p>