Hi - trying to find some recommendations for small (under 5,000 students) and project-based colleges that offer mechanical engineering? Learning model is super important to me - I can do the lecture thing but really prefer to learn in smaller groups working on relevant and hands-on work. I am also an avid outdoors person (rock climbing, hiking, backpacking), and would love to find a school that would feed both my academic and non-academic desires! I live in CA, but I am willing to go anywhereā¦ donāt love big cities but would consider it if they had an outdoor adventure program that was decent. Right now, thinking WPI, Olin (although they seem to look for very unique qualities in their applicants), and maybe Harvey Mudd (but I have heard from current students they are not as hands-on as they claim). Thanks for any ideas you might have!
Not sure to the extent they are project based (honestly Olin and WPI came to mind first) but some other LACs with engineering I know of include Lafayette, Bucknell and Union so if you havenāt already you may want to research those.
Look at āmines schoolsā. These are small state universities in the west or midwest, originally established to serve the mining industry, but now oriented towards engineering and technology generally. They have a reputation for practical, āhands-onā engineering education, and tend to be located in mountainous outdoorsy areas.
Colorado School of Mines
New Mexico Tech
South Dakota Mines
Montana Tech
Missouri S&T
Michigan Tech
Colorado Mines is the best-known and most selective, but would likely be the most expensive; they charge high out-of-state tuition and arenāt known for out-of-state financial aid. The NM, SD, and MT schools are in the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) program, which provides discounts on out-of-state tuition to residents of other western states, including CA. If you have strong stats, they might provide good merit aid as well.
Rose-Hulman is an very good small private engineering school with an applied orientation, but its location in the city of Terre Haute, IN may not excite you. Clarkson is another small private engineering-oriented school; it is in a remote corner of northern NY, near the Canadian border and the Adirondacks.
The in-state cost for Cal Poly SLO would be hard for any private or out-of-state school to beat. Cal Poly seems like a potential fit for you in all respects, except size.
Clarkson, Rose Hulman, Bucknell.
Definitely check out Clarkson with your outdoorsy interests. Their outdoor club is active and fantastic. And its setting is rural. Seconding WPI. Maybe Stevens Institute?
People who apply to WPI commonly apply to RPI and Stevens as well.
The OP wanted a school with less than 5,000 students. RPI has ~6,300 undergrads, so may be too large. Location in the Greater Albany area may not be particularly appealing, but it looks like they have an active Outing Club, which probably organizes trips to the Adirondacks, Shawangunks, etc.
Stevens has only ~3,000 undergrads, which seems like the right size. However, it is located on the west bank of the Hudson in NJ, on the opposite side of the river from Lower Manhattan. Stevens is great for access to the Big City, but maybe not so much the outdoors.
Olin leapt to mind as well -such an interecting place! Kids I know here love it!. Maybe RIT if northern NY is appealing?
WPI is really a perfect choice for you. Right size, 3 classes at a time, very project oriented and hands on, nice campus, nice area of the city, feels like a nice old suburban area just adjacent to more urban on one side, lots to do in immediate vicinity (Mt. Wachusett, rails to trails, etc.) Recent classes have been pretty gender balanced too, if that has any weight. Good luck with that.
Rochester Institute of Technology might also work, though it is bigger, probably too big given your criteria. Itās more of a modern campus developed in more recent decades. It is outside the city. I had the impression curriculum is very hands on.
I agree tight the list of Mines Schools, especially Colorado, if that works financially. And Rose Hulman and Olin. Clarkson seems like a real possibility, though Iāve never been to that one. It is way up there.
Good luck!
One thing to be aware of when considering small, engineering-oriented schools: they often (not always) enroll more men than women. The ratio can be as high as 2:1 or even 3:1. This may or may not be appealing.
The acceptance rates at such schools are often (not always) higher for female applicants. At WPI, for example, College Navigator shows acceptance rates of 43% for men and 64% for women.
These are great suggestions - one of my concerns about the āmines schoolsā are their low graduation ratesā¦ they look really interesting but I want to make sure I can graduate in 4 years and I am supported in my program to do so. Even CO School of the Mines has below a 50% 4-year graduation rate, which I was really surprised by. Clarkson is definitely interestingā¦ I am not interested in any liberal arts classes - so the more technical the school the better. I expected the gender ratio to be an issue with all of these schools, which is unfortunate but unavoidable. I have been to Cal Poly a couple of timesā¦ I wish I could get into the big school feelā¦ I will probably apply and see. If you have any other thoughts, would love the help.
You will find that most engineering-oriented schools have relatively low 4-year graduation rates. Even at Caltech, which is one of the most elite engineering schools in the world, the current 4-year rate is only 79%, which is not impressive compared to traditional āarts & sciencesā universities. Virginia Tech is 64%. RPI is 61%. Georgia Tech is 39%.
There are a couple reasons for this. First, traditional (ABET-accredited) engineering programs are much more demanding than most bachelorās programs in terms of coursework requirements. To graduate in four years, you have to hit the ground running as a freshman, and then stay on track. Itās easy to get off track if you switch majors, or have to retake a class or two. Second, the engineering students at many schools are encouraged to take time off for internships (at some schools, internships may even be required). You probably arenāt going to graduate in four calendar years if internships are part of your degree program.
The most recent 4-year graduation rate for CO Mines in the US Dept. of Educationās āCollege Navigatorā database is 55% (for students starting in Fall 2011).
My daughter just graduated in 4 years from a school with a low 4 year grad rate. She didnāt do an internship or a co-op but many students do. I donāt think those taking 5 or 6 years are hurt in the job market or that they didnāt make the right choice to get more experience.
My nephew āgraduatedā in 4 years in engineering from CU, but he technically didnāt graduate so that he can continue as an undergrad in the graduate program because he pays the lower undergrad tuition and gets a state grant for at least 15 more credits. When the school reports graduation rates, theyāll have to report that he took longer than 4 years to graduate, but he really didnāt.
You want a smaller school, but many of the larger schools run the engineering departments separate from the rest of the university. Colorado State University is large, but the engineering school is its own world and it may seem like you are at a smaller school - until a football Saturday. Plenty of outdoor activities and it is a WUE school so you might get cheaper tuition. If thatās still too big, look at Wyoming which is 10,000, but the engineering school is much smaller. I think youād find it feels smaller than going to a smaller school like WPI because WPI is in a bigger city. And really, the outdoor life in Laramie is far superior than Worcester.
Son wanted ME program with project based classes to start freshman year and flexible ME curriculum with space for CS and EE electives. Top choices were Penn and WPI. Philly and Worcester have different vibes and student populations are not very similar.
ME is a diverse field, so dig a bit deeper into the labs you have interest in at your top schools.
I believe WPI is 56% male in the incoming class, and similar number the year before. It had been up near 65-70% just a few years ago. School has a female president and seems very committed to having a relative gender balance.
Consider Fort Lewis in Durango as a safety school that is small, hands-on and would meet your outdoor adventure needs.
Project-based programs are pretty new and thus rare. MIT is not even there yet, they have pilot project based program called NEET. I think if it the pilot works out, there are plans for the entire school to move that direction.
But check out these links:
Another to consider is Western Washington U, with around 7k students in Bellingham
near the Canadian border. Lotās of outdoor activities, as well as overlooking a beautiful bay.
They have a large number of majors to select from within the Science and Engineering school,
with practical lab and an experiential focus. ABET accredited.
https://cse.wwu.edu/engd
Itās also a WUE school, with out of state merit scholarship.
Without stats and a budget, this is premature but, Iād take a good look at Or Inst of Techā¦ a little over 5k students, not super selective and the are WUE participant.
i think Ft Lewis only offers a general engineering - rather than mechanical. BEAUTIFUL place and WUE makes it cost competitive with a CSU. They have a really strong cycling program and a ski hill adjacent campus. (my son is a sophomore exercise science major, rides for the Mtn bike team and LOVES it)
You can find colleges that provide more projects but thereās no getting away from the fact that any ABET acredited program is going to be based around classroom instruction. Look at any engineering program and the classes you take 1st 2 years. Youāll find physics, calculus, etc.
Taking as an example one of the schools recommended above, read thru the list at https://catalog.mines.edu/undergraduate/programs/engcompsci/mechanicalengineering/#majortext and see if Iām exaggerating. If in your mind you see yourself primarily working in small groups while getting an engineering degree then you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.
Dont know if youāre female, but Smith College has an engineering program and is in a gorgeously outdoor location.