<p>How good is the Santa Clara engineering, specifically the bioengineering, compared to say UCI or Cal Poly San Luis Obispo?</p>
<p>Santa Clara has bioengineering as a concentration…with a general engineering major. DD is in the program and LOVES it. I don’t know whether the other schools you have listed have bioengineering as a major or not. DD finds the program very interesting and challenging. The school of engineering, in general, is quite good.</p>
<p>The engineering school is excellent. So many opportunities to get involved beyond classes, option for a 5 year BS/MS (take grad classes for undergrad tuition cost? Yes please.), internships and co-ops almost anywhere you could wish, and an option to study abroad. In addition, the eng. school is highly ranked among schools with a master’s program. If beautiful weather focuses you rather than distracts you (as it does me), then it’s absolutely perfect.</p>
<p>Any new freshman out there? how is it going so far?</p>
<p>An update…bioengineering is now an official major. It was “upgraded” from a concentration. Current students received notification of this a week before classes started.</p>
<p>Anybody in Comp Engnr?</p>
<p>Anyone know about the Computer Science faculty? I looked at rate my p******* and a lot of them got poor marks 
</p>
<p>Thumper. did your DD say that Engineering is good across the board? That would include, Comp Engineering.</p>
<p>The engineering program at SCU is regarded very well and consistently is rated highly for schools offering the masters as the top degree. </p>
<p>Remember…on Rate my P…most folks post criticisms. The ones who are happy neglect to post that information. It’s just human nature. My daughter peruses those sites and has found the information to be very slanted. She has HAD a number of the professors and has expressed that perhaps these are folks who, for some reason or another, didn’t click with the prof or do well. Don’t take the opinions of that site as the gospel.</p>
<p>I don’t know anything about Computer Engineering. Is it listed as a major within the engineering department? </p>
<p>Go and visit if you can. They admissions office runs special tours of the engineering school…and you can also arrange to shadow a student and sit in on some classes (the program is called Shadow SCU…my kid runs it).</p>
<p>Thumper1, I was watching some videos on youtube and SCU kids look happy. Some said that there is nothing to do on weekends though. Maybe the town around the school does not have much going on. </p>
<p>I think my son will be fine with that - he likes his down time because he has his own web design and iPhone app business and he likes to spend time on that. Even at home he is content working on his own and not bothered that his friends are out every Fri-Sat. He does go out occasionally but likes to take a break from that too. His part-time work always comes first to him (even above studying before an exam!).</p>
<p>I just want to make sure that SCU provides enough for kids to be occupied on campus over the weekend(music, talks,events).</p>
<p>.</p>
<p>Pixel…I can’t tell you whether YOUR kiddo will be happy at SCU or not. I can tell you that my kid IS happy there and has never whined about not having anything to do on the weekends. She has a very nice close group of friends and has since her freshman year. They have always managed to find things to fill their time when they don’t have classes. Sometimes it was just popping popcorn and watching movies in their room…or going out to a local place for pizza. Santa Clara/San Jose is NOT Boston or New York or L.A. or San Francisco. The area does not have the same plentiful supplies of “off campus” entertainment that these urban schools have. BUT my kid has never been bored. There are always weekend things at the Bronco (which is the student center “club”), plus sports events (SCU soccer and basketball are always well attended). There are HUNDREDS of clubs and if you can’t find one you like, well…you can get a group together and start your own. My kid is the statistician for the club hockey and lacrosse teams…and they also have many weekend games. There are orchestra concerts, lecture series (Janet Napolitano who is an SCU alum is speaking on the 15th), the art museum on campus, plays, etc and there is something every weekend. Is there something my kid loves EVERY weekend…well…no. BUT she manages to fill her time. </p>
<p>I think most of the clubs are listed somewhere on the SCU website. Have your son take a look see at those. See if something interests him. </p>
<p>My daughter’s main activities are working in the admissions office and giving tours, lacrosse and hockey statistician, playing in the school orchestra, being a member of Rough Riders (the student sports supporters), and being a member of the school’s chapter of Global Medical Brigades. Last year, she also volunteered at an HIV recreation center (there are tons of volunteer opportunities as community service is a huge part of the Jesuit tradition).</p>