<p>I toured the school, did the research, etc and I love the mechanical engineering program NU has. I'm just wondering, how much "clout" would a NU Mechanical Eng. degree hold on the job? Like how a Harvard degree can get you places with just the name, that sort of thing... I know it's probably a really naive question but I can't seem to find an answer =</p>
<p>Not to self bump >.< But I have an additional question that wasn’t clarified during the engineering tour. They put a lot of emphasis on their “Engineering First” program, which is certainly an amazing program, but how do the following three years compare to other engineering programs?</p>
<p>I can’t say much about the “clout” of the degree, but the MechE recruiting is very strong. Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Ford and GM all recruit at Northwestern, to name a few.</p>
<p>If you’re looking to get into the engineering world, it won’t be a problem.</p>
<p>That said, your undergrad degree only matters with regards to your job placement in the first couple of years. After that, your job experience and what you do with it, counts for much more.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about the “clout” either but over 200 firms participate in NU’s co-op program.</p>
<p>how does the ME pgm (or ENG in general) at NU compare to UIUC’s 3 hrs down south of NU? this might be another thread, but it also might provide some relief or perspective on the OP question. Sort of quality compared to …what?</p>
<p>^NU ME was ranked in the top-10 before and now I think is just outside of that. So there shouldn’t be any doubt that NU faculty are experts in the field. But I think what really makes NU different from most others (not sure about UIUC) is its unique Engineering First curriculum, the focus on design and “whole-brain” engineering, and CO-OP. These differences matter more to undergraduates than the few spots of separation in graduate ranking.</p>
<p>I just want to pitch in to say that UIUC’s engineering program is among the best in the nation. It has an excellent reputation and some of my quite impressive friends turned down much more selective schools for UIUC (in-state tuition) - although there is a saying that it’s easy to get in but hard to stay in. However, keep in mind that when selecting a school, you are choosing it for the overall undergraduate experience rather than the only the strength of a department. If only for that, I would personally pick NU any day.</p>