Though S is still awaiting to hear from two schools, they are both reaches, so he will most likely be attending one of the following schools. Would love any input/information (especially from current/past students and parents) on them, specifically with regards to civil engineering. Want to hear about quality of classes and professors, class size (especially intro classes) support services, career services, internship and job placement, as well as any pros/cons of the schools in general. All are affordable to us, though they vary in cost from about $20-$40k. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide!
Central CT State Uni
Univ of Hartford
Univ of Maine
Manhattan College
UMass Dartmouth
Quinnipiac
Wentworth Institute
If you don’t get any feedback, don’t take it personally. None of those schools have widely known engineering programs, so it’s just unlikely you’ll run across anyone out here with any direct knowledge of them. That’s not to say that a student couldn’t get a suitable education at one of them.
That’s great - Honors Programs can add some extra perks. Has your S visited any of the schools yet ? Engineering studies are a tough gig anywhere, so I feel like having a good “fit” with the campus / peers is especially important,
He has visited all of them and kind of had a front runner but was denied admission there. There are pluses and minuses to each, so he’s having a hard time culling it down, which is why he was hoping to get more information.
I have the general impression that a “directional” state school (ie Central CT ) would not have a strong a program as a state flagship university. But I see it is ABET accredited, so that is helpful.
Although this is not relevant to your original question, I’ll point out that there are a variety of sites (which possibly you’ve already used) to compare things like typical stats of attending students. Note that most are just a sampling, self-reported data. Example - https://www.parchment.com/u/college/230-Central-Connecticut-State-University/fit
The sites will be of limited value, but sometimes it can be fun to slice/dice things in different ways to keep busy waiting on April 1 accept/reject info.
You can find what degree’s are offered (Mechanical, Electrical, etc.), how large is the program, does it have a graduate program, how large is the engineering facility, etc.
For example, the University of Maine awards about 240 BS degrees in engineering, each year, with 2/3 of them being in Civil or Mechanical engineering.
@knowsstuff it may just come down to a coin flip! He did lay out all the schools in a spreadsheet, adding pros and cons of each and things that make each school or program unique. Re: the major change. Seems like each school has something interesting and positive going for it. I have asked him many times what his backup plan is, what he would major in if he ends up not liking engineering (or if it ends up being too difficult for him). He thinks possibly construction management, but that is about the only other thing he can see himself doing. Two schools do have that, but they are the schools that he probably won’t end up attending. He has applied for full tuition scholarships at two schools, and if he somehow were able to get one of those, he would likely choose that. Because the odds of that happening are slim, he feels it’s important to get input from current students. This is proving more difficult than he thought. If he can narrow down his choices to 3 or 4, he will do accepted students days at those to see how he fits in each environment.
If it makes you feel any better, my son waited until 2 days before the deadline to make his final decision. Then, during Parents’ Weekend, I asked him if he felt he’d made the right choice. His response was enlightening. He said “I like it here a lot, but honestly, I would have been fine at any of the schools I applied to.”
It will work out and he will be fine. It really boils down to making the best of the opportunities that are presented him. A student from Podunk U with great grades and extra curricular activities like clubs and/or research will be better off than an un-involved C student from MIT.
He got into Clarkson today, and also applied for an Ignite Scholarship there. Depending on how much aid they give him (or if he is lucky enough to receive one of those ten scholarships) I think it would rise to top choice. We know several grads and current students and have yet to hear anything negative about the school. I’m a little nervous about the size of their intro level classes, though.
Yay! Great news. I now actually do know A LOT about one of the schools on your list
I graduated from Clarkson in 1980s with Mech Eng BS (and concentration in Technical Communications). It’s a great school… as long as the student is ok with cold weather and remote rural setting . I really did loved it for college (even though it’s not a location I’d ever consider for permanent living). With today’s campus now consolidated “on the hill” (not split), it would be even more appealing.
If you have concerns about size of intro level classes, you should be aware that they have weekly recitation sessions in small group (led by Teaching Assistants). Also when I was there it was easy to get help from professor office hours if needed.
As a civil engineer, I can tell you that U Maine has a good reputation for its program. I didn’t attend there but I work with a lot of engineers who did. I would not hesitate to send my child there, especially to the honors program.
I love downhill skiing, but to be honest I didn’t do much while at Clarkson. However I do think that being a skier says a lot about tolerance for the cold. There is snow, but not as much as locations with “lake effect” snow.
I think “interdisciplinary engineering & management” has also been called ID (Industrial Distribution) and today Supply Chain management. I’ve known some people that started in the program and others that switched to if when the more technical engineering programs were not their cup of tea.
I didn’t attend there but I work with a lot of engineers who did. I would not hesitate to send my child there, especially to the honors program.