<p>I have to ask, why would you want to go to a small engineering school?</p>
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<p>I’m not the OP but I have a daughter who graduated from Santa Clara University with a degree in engineering. Their program is well regarded. She wanted to go to a smaller school because she wanted to be at a place where undergrads are the focus. She did not want to attend a larger university where grad students were the focus. In addition, she wanted to attend a college where she would not be taught by teaching assistants…at all. The smaller schools had this…the large research universities had teaching assistants in various roles. And lastly…she didn’t want to be a number in a sea of undergrads. Her whole freshman class at Santa Clara was about 1000 students…and that meant that she knew a LOT of the people which would not have been the case at a place where the student body was 20,000 or more. AND the engineering department was smaller too which netted her some outstanding personal attention.</p>
<p>I’m not saying that some of these things can’t be achieved at a larger university…but for a kid like mine who was coming from a high school graduation class of 190 or so…a school with 5000 or less undergrads was more her cup of tea.</p>
<p>I have to agree. My husband and son went to see Penn state. Very highly regarded Engineering program. There are over 50,000 students there. Too big for my son but many love Penn state. </p>
<p>I think it is not a question of whether to go to a smaller engineering school but why go to a smaller school in general.</p>
<p>Momof3, I see you’re in the midwest. What about a smallish university (about 6,000) in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan? Michigan Technological University is in the heart of God’s country. MTU even has its own ski hill! The outdoor activities abound, and there are many sports opportunities. Check out their website at mtu.edu</p>
<p>(Proud Tech alum and parent!)</p>
<p>Second vote for Michigan Tech. My sister is an alum and my nephew will be a freshman there next year. I understand they have pretty good FA for a state school. And yes, the winters are terrific…especially if you like an average of 200" of snow ;)</p>
<p>So you are basically trading off prestige, quality, program diversity, exposure and recruiting for a more personalized experience?</p>
<p>I mean, outside of a few extreme cases like Cal Tech and Harvey Mudd</p>
<p>I think the quote what do they call the doctor who graduates at the bottom of his class?
Doctor </p>
<p>is appropriate to reply.</p>
<p>Not everyone can get into those programs you describe, nor does everyone want to feel the pressure and competition of those top programs. </p>
<p>Many of these schools have no problem with recruitment especially the ones that have co-ops.</p>
<p>Others, like University of Rochester are grooming you for research and grad school as I believe the UC’s do so then it doesn’t even matter where you did your undergrad.</p>
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<p>I don’t think my kid traded of anything…expect maybe the prestige factor which we did not care about at all. </p>
<p>My husband did not graduate from a “prestige” engineering program either. Reality check…his school was ABET accredited and very well known regionally. He had no trouble getting his first job (or any since). He has had a very successful career in the field. His coursework at Tier 4 school (or whatever it was) still prepared him well for his PE exam and work in the field.</p>
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Take a look at the list in post #36 again. I see plenty of prestige and quality on that list. Program diversity - well, how many types of engineering can one person major in? As for recruiting, well-regarded smaller schools still get many recruiting visits from employers in their region. People who are hiring engineers KNOW what the good engineering schools are - names like Rennselear, Lehigh, etc WILL get their attention. My dad was a Mechanical Engineer who had hiring responsibilities. He said when HR sent him a stack of resumes there were certain schools that would always warrant him pulling out the application and giving it a second look, because he knew their engineers were well trained. Rennselear, Univ of Lowell (now UMass Lowell), Lafayette and Lehigh were among the colleges on his “good” list when he was working in NJ.</p>
<p>I don’t think bigger always equals better. If you want professors seeking undergrads for help with research (instead of relying on TAs and grad students), if you want a chance to be mentored by a professor, if you want a chance to be published - why wouldn’t you go to a college where you don’t have to compete with grad students for resources, lab time and attention?</p>
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<p>This sums up my daughter’s decision making when she was considering colleges for her engineering degree. Like I said…I’m not saying that it’s impossible for an undergrad to achieve this in a large research university…but I DO think it’s harder because the grad students are there.</p>
<p>I agree with janesmith about Union. My D loved it and it was one of her top choices for a while. She realized that they only had 3 engineering majors. She was worried that if she didn’t like maechanical engineering, she would have limited options, since she definitely did not wantstraight science or liberal arts. She ended up at WPI, and is considering changing her major to a different engineering discipline.</p>
<p>Yooper I like the UP. I like it much. All the kids went and looked at Northern and Mich. Tech but just couldn’t get used to the idea of crossing the bridge even though I loved the instate prices and the size. My last company,Fortune 50, recruited at Tech, it’s a very good engineering school as is Kettering and UofM and a dozen others in the midwest.</p>
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<p>Perhaps, but then prestige and quality are in the eyes of the beholder. There are positives and negatives to a gigantic place like UofM or Illinois or any big 10 school. Kids have to balance and figure out where they will get the best experience for themselves which in turn will garner it’s own rewards. Bigger doesn’t always mean better. Some of those smaller programs have very nice interdisciplinary programs. I turned down UofM a million years ago and have never regretted that decision for myself and I would like to take my kids on visits to both large and small programs so they can decide for themselves where they will get the best holistic education. Setting admittance possibilities aside, 3 could very well end up at UofM…I simply don’t know and neither does he…right now.</p>
<p>When I went off to engineering school my father (also an EE) told me that the material I learned in my intro courses was what he learned in graduate school. He warned me that for most of what I learned in school would be obsolete by the I graduated. His view is that an engineering education is about learning how to solve problems, and how to figure out, look up and teach yourself what you need to know. It proved true in my career, and although that was in the dark ages, I don’t think it is different for engineering students today. I also don’t think you have to go to a big school with a million different types of engineering disciplines to learn to be a good engineer and have a very successful career.</p>
<p>^^ I agree. Especially now that engineering isn’t all slide rules or calculations or even being a CAD jockey. There are many paths that engineering adds value as a degree but isn’t “classic” engineering. My sibs haven’t “engineered” in decades. Industrial design, manufacturing, supply chain, finance, real estate development, project managemen, marketing…and the list goes on…are all viable paths for someone with a background in engineering.</p>
<p>In my view the bigger the better… One never knows what obscure area of engineering within their major they’ll fall in love with… And as engineering toys and labs cost serious $$$, bigger schools have the economy of scale to work with. </p>
<p>Another interesting engineering school in the suburban Detroit area is Lawrence Tech. They do a lot of stuff with the auto industry (and of course Kettering U). Also Michigan Tech as others mentioned, Milwaukee School of Engineering, and Rose Hulman, all excellent schools with different personalities. </p>
<p>Our high school has 4700 students 
so our idea of ‘big’ is Ohio or Penn State or bigger :-)</p>
<p>I don’t want to generalize or anything, but I have a friend who moved here from Detroit that told me to stay away from Michigan. It is called the Rust Belt for a reason. All the industry was built upon the auto industry and now, cities like Detroit and Flint are in really bad shape.</p>
<p>One other:</p>
<p>[Embry-Riddle</a>](<a href=“http://www.erau.edu/degrees/bachelor-degrees.html]Embry-Riddle”>http://www.erau.edu/degrees/bachelor-degrees.html)</p>
<p>David…we’re talking about places with good college programs in engineering. Michigan has some wonderful schools despite having some industries that have experienced financial difficulty. Please do not confuse going to college in Michigan with other aspects of the state’s financial issues. The auto industry has had issues for sure, but there are still some EXCELLENT…very excellent colleges/universities in the state of Michigan.</p>
<p>… Detroit has been in bad shape</p>
<p>Bigger schools have more money to spend, more money to spend equals newer, better equipment. Many different programs and multiple degrees. A bunch of guest lecture opportunities and seminars.</p>
<p>I wasn’t looking to get stuck in a lab doing research, and I am not that interested in grad school. </p>
<p>My goal in college is to get my degree and get the best job I can. My school just had a career fair with over 300 companies from all over the world. Every week, almost every day, companies have information sessions on campus. Rolls Royce, Microsoft, Samsung, GE, etc. </p>
<p>I mean, not to sound like an ass, but choosing a small school environment over a better, larger school seems like the student still needs hand holding. The only things taught by TAs at my school are disc. sections and maybe a lab here and there, and they are called “graduate student instructor.” Using “TAs teach classes at big schools” as a reason not to go to a big school is a poor excuse. Its also pretty easy to get in contact with a prof. if you really need it. I mean, they won’t sit by you for 3 hours while you do your HW and check in on you and hold your hand all semester, but that won’t happen in the “real world” either.</p>
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<p>I would say this is a SMALL school but arguably one that offers excellent engineering programs. </p>
<p>My daughter’s private small university has outstanding facilities and is not beholden to the budget crunches of state universities. They have been able to update and keep up with their facilities. They are smaller…but that does not mean they are not excellent. </p>
<p>Big CAN be better but it’s not always better.</p>
<p>And it has NOTHING to do with handholding.</p>