<p>For example, for aerospace engineering, would it be better to attend a small school like Embry Riddle, where you would have small classes but not so great research than say Georgia Tech, where you would have large classes but great research?</p>
<p>Both schools are excellent for aerospace.</p>
<p>Embry Riddle has a vastly superior campus while perhaps a less diverse student body.</p>
<p>Georgia Tech is a doctorate-granting institution, and that comes with certain benefits, but I don’t think it necessarily has the “wow” factor of Embry Riddle.</p>
<p>Do you like big classes? Do you want to do research? Do you like city life?
Do you like small classes? Do you want to be a pilot? Do you like the beach?</p>
<p>I think GT has plenty of the wow factor. It is the #2-4 (depending on year) ranked Aero program in the country among doctoral granting institutions. That is like saying that Stanford MechE doesn’t have the wow factor of Rose Hulman. It is just goofy.</p>
<p>What it really comes down to is personal preference.</p>
<p>If you value research/brand name over intimacy, GT is a better bet. At big schools you can still get close with your profs, but you have to work harder to do it.</p>
<p>If you value close relationships with all of your profs and intimacy over high end research, Embry-Riddle is a great choice, and has quite the brand name itself.</p>
<p>Visit both of them and pick the one you feel most comfortable with. You will have great career paths either way.</p>
<p>I’ll be sure to visit both of them. I’d prefer smaller classes, close relationships with professors, great research. Hard to get all of them, eh? What are the class sizes for engineering classes (lower division and upper division) for schools like Georgia Tech, UMich, Purdue? (though not sure if I’d like to go to UMich or Purdue; it snows!) And I’m planning to get either a MS or PhD. If I decide to get the MS, it would probably be Embry Riddle’s or Georgia Tech’s 5 year accelerated program (are those hard to get in?). Would there be a disadvantage in getting a MS at Embry Riddle over at Georgia Tech, since GT has much better research going on?</p>
<p>In graduate work I would urge you to do GT over Embry-Riddle, but for undergrad it is basically a wash IMO. Really though, you shouldn’t jump the gun on grad school until you at least start undergrad.</p>
<p>Choose whichever school you feel comfortable with. If it will give you what you want, go for it. I agree with most of these posters.</p>
<p>True, just thinking ahead. Hope a visit sometime in the future will clear things up for me.</p>
<p>And I’m wondering, out of these schools, are there anything that sets them apart from the others?
UMich
Georgia Tech
Embry Riddle
Purdue
University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign</p>
<p>UIUC and UMich are all around good schools. They both rank high in engineering. I might be going to UIUC (mostly cause my sisters a grad student there). It’s a wonderful school with a great campus. Expect a real social life there. I can’t speak for UMich though or the others.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input!</p>