<p>If I go to, let's say, Hendrix and I take all of the 3-2 requirements and I maintain above a 3.00 GPA overall (and pre-engineering), am I guaranteed admission to one of Hendrix's three affiliated schools?</p>
<p>The engineering schools all use the word 'guaranteed'. Is it really guaranteed? As in, if you meet the requirements they list, they have no choice but to admit you?</p>
<p>Well idk about Hendrix, but in most 3-2 Programs I've seen you have to apply to the engineering school, so I guess it's not "guaranteed". I think you should just call/email them and ask.</p>
<p>I have this question in mind too, especially when I browse the website of Columbia U. The 3-2 Program there does say they have "guaranteed admission". But I doubt it to some extend...</p>
<p>I would ask, at both colleges, how many students from a particular liberal arts college in question have successfully completed the 3-2 program in recent years.</p>
<p>In most cases I'd bet the answer would be: not many.</p>
<p>Most LACs offer 3/2 programs, but interest tends to be extremely low -- at some LACs, years go by without any participants. </p>
<p>On the other hand, the few LAC students who do participate tend to do very well; they tend to be highly motivated, and to have excellent preparation in the fundamentals of math and physical science. </p>
<p>Since the quality is relatively high and the numbers are very low, the engineering schools aren't taking a big risk by guaranteeing admission to LAC students.</p>
<p>^ So it is a guarantee then? </p>
<p>I can't help but be skeptical because it just seems too good to be true. </p>
<p>Someone could conceivably go to Hendrix, for example, (and it takes absolutely nothing to get admitted to Hendrix, as its acceptance rate will be between 80-85% this year), and earn a 3.00 or better GPA, and they automatically get to go to one of the best schools in the country for graduate school?</p>
<p>...It doesn't make sense. But they say it's guaranteed and you say it's guaranteed, so I guess it is guaranteed.</p>
<p>Wait... for a 3-2 program, do you go to the same college for undergrad and grad? or different colleges?</p>
<p>"So it is a guarantee then? "</p>
<p>chea</p>
<p>Some arrangements feature guaranteed admissions to the engineering college if the student meets certain standards at the LAC. With others, admission to the engineering school isn't guaranteed, the student has to essentially apply as if they were a transfer student. But, if they are admitted, the degree program at the engineering school will conform to the 3-2 plan arrangement.</p>
<p>
[quote]
...they automatically get to go to one of the best schools in the country for graduate school?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, it's admission to a bachelor's program. You start at one school, then finish at another. </p>
<p>Some programs award two degrees, some just one. Some programs guarantee admission to the engineering school, some do not.</p>
<p>I wouldn't take anyone's word for it. Call Columbia ( maybe both schools, but definitely Columbia) and ask.</p>
<p>It's def guaranteed. I almost did this myself, then realized I didn't wanna pay $50k a year for two years at Columbia. and I mean too good to be true? What's three years of hendrix tuition plus $100k? Plus think of how expensive NYC is, etc. It might be a good deal but I mean, "That's a lot of money! If this Joker guy were so smart he'd of had us bring a bigger car." Plus that's an extra year of school which means an extra year of forfeited salary. It sounds like you wanna go to graduate school, so your starting salary with an MS in engineering is gonna probably be around $75-80000k. This is gonna cost you close to $300k, maybe more with interest. Can you afford that?</p>
<p>Most engineers now take 5 years for a degree, and those who don't usually use AP/IB credits to avoid that year, which could cut off a year in this case, as well.</p>
<p>Columbia is expensive, but will likely give you some form of scholarship or assistance. You would also be paying tuition to whatever other school you attended. If your argument is that you'd attend a public school in-state instead, then you have to consider the increased salary from Columbia vs. a SUNY over 40 years.</p>
<p>Well about the cost...I'm financial aid eligible. I'm pretty sure (I'll have to recheck this) that Hendrix's three affiliated schools at least attempt to meet the full need of its 3-2 program participants. So there's no way Columbia will cost me $50,000 a year. Hendrix is going to cost me around $17,000 a year, so I wouldn't expect Columbia to exceed $25,000 -- and $25,000 is a very conservative estimate. </p>
<p>"It sounds like you wanna go to graduate school, so your starting salary with an MS in engineering is gonna probably be around $75-80000k. This is gonna cost you close to $300k, maybe more with interest. Can you afford that?"</p>
<p>How would it cost 300K?</p>
<p>I thought, if you do the 3-2, you graduate with a BA from your first college, and then an MA from your second college. </p>
<p>The last two years of the program are essentially graduate school, right?</p>
<p>
[quote]
I thought, if you do the 3-2, you graduate with a BA from your first college, and then an MA from your second college.</p>
<p>The last two years of the program are essentially graduate school, right?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No, it's not graduate school. The first three years are freshman courses, sophomore courses, and electives. The last two years are major courses.</p>
<p>You graduate with a BS. </p>
<p>Some schools offer a 5 year BS/MS, but that's an entirely different program. You will not get an MS from Columbia in five years on a 3-2. Just a BS.</p>
<p>Oh...</p>
<p>Ok, well would graduate school even matter? Wouldn't a BS from Columbia be as equally appealing to employers as an MS from so-so schools (let's use Case Western as an example)?</p>
<p>If a BS from Columbia is as equally 'good' as an MS from Case Western, then I would actually save money by following the 3-2 program, correct?</p>
<p>Going to Hendrix for four years and then Case Western for two years equals six years total.</p>
<p>The 3-2 program obviously takes five years total.</p>
<p>If all of the above is true, this is further confirmation that the 3-2 program is too good to be true.</p>
<p>"If your argument is that you'd attend a public school in-state instead, then you have to consider the increased salary from Columbia vs. a SUNY over 40 years."</p>
<p>Also, I'm not from New York. I'm from Arkansas. I would very likely choose Vanderbilt or WashU (the two other schools affiliated with Hendrix) over Columbia, but I just felt like using Columbia as the example because not everyone here is familiar with Vanderbilt, and WashU has a higher GPA requirement (3.25) than Columbia and Vandy...I'm not entirely confident I'd maintain a 3.25 or better in pre-engineering courses.</p>
<p>"Most engineers now take 5 years for a degree, and those who don't usually use AP/IB credits to avoid that year, which could cut off a year in this case, as well."</p>
<p>What school are you coming from? I haven't seen one engineer who took 5 years.</p>
<p>"If your argument is that you'd attend a public school in-state instead, then you have to consider the increased salary from Columbia vs. a SUNY over 40 years."</p>
<p>Ummm its minimal at best. Especially with what interest rates on student loans are right now.</p>
<p>
[quote]
What school are you coming from? I haven't seen one engineer who took 5 years.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Then you didn't go to an engineering school. Most programs now run 130-145 credit hours. Now an engineering technology degree is a different story (and also not engineering). </p>
<p>I took four years, but did it with 15 AP credits. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Ummm its minimal at best. Especially with what interest rates on student loans are right now.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Seriously, are you joking?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Ok, well would graduate school even matter? Wouldn't a BS from Columbia be as equally appealing to employers as an MS from so-so schools (let's use Case Western as an example)?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>A BS and an MS are different degrees, that will attract somewhat different companies for different positions. You can't really compare them directly.</p>
<p>"Then you didn't go to an engineering school. Most programs now run 130-145 credit hours. Now an engineering technology degree is a different story (and also not engineering)."</p>
<p>Yes you're right, being a current chemical engineering major at SUNY Buffalo, I clearly am not an engineering major at an engineering school. There is NO ONE here taking 5 years. You take 17-19 credits each semester, but you don't take 5 years. Most people can't afford another year of school.</p>
<p>"You have absolutely no idea what you're talking about. Seriously, are you joking? "</p>
<p>Seriously, no. My Dad graduated witha Ph D. in chemistry from Ohio State. He does the same job and earns the same pay (if not more) as physicists and chemical engineers who graduated from MIT, CalTech, Cal Berkeley, Wisconsin, and lesser schools. Nobody is going to pay significantly more for an ivy league degree unless you're in finance. If you're talking about paying $40-50k for Columbia or $10-15k for UB or Stony Brook (and if you can get money from Columbia you can probably get significant money from a SUNY), the only way you will make up that much money in the long run is if you get into finance. And that is looking less and less lucrative all the time.</p>