<p>Hey guys, just wondering, how hard is Stanford engineering. I want to major either in computer systems engineering or mechanical engineering. Do you think it is to difficult to get a double major in both and still study art. I know engineering is very tough, and that Stanford engineering is excelent, how hard is it. How does it compare with caltech or mit engineering.</p>
<p>"One needs an internal chaos to give birth to a dancing star"
Nietzche</p>
<p>Uh, you want to double in 2 engineering majors, and still study something else on the side? Yeah, I would say that that would be extremely difficult.</p>
<p>you could maybe coterm in one of the engineering fields you listed but double major in engineering especially two very different fields like compsci and ME would be hard, you'd be looking at 6 years at Stanford with significant AP placements. ME is very serious as is CSE. go to the school of engineering website for more details. if you did ME, doing art wouldn't be too bad and some of the classes could count toward the major.</p>
<p>Stanford has a coterminal option for undergrads. Basically, you pursue BS and MS concurrently, and they can be from two completely different fields. I'm not sure about the acceptance rate though. All i know is that you apply during your junior year.</p>
<p>I may be the one that is misinformed here, but since you complete your BS and MS degrees concurrently in coterm rather than sequentially, the MS would be for advanced studies in the same major as the BS not "from two completely different fields". The only exception to this would be if you had completed enough coursework in the "other" field to qualify for graduate courses leading to a masters in that field. Basically you would practically have to double major as an undergrad and then continue with graduate work in one (or both!) of the two majors. Double majoring and coterm are not the same thing. Maybe I have misunderstood your post.</p>
<p>However, from what I understand, coterm can buy you a little extra wiggle room. And as an engineering major, you needs all the wiggle room you can get! To answer the OP, the engineering major really is "that hard". The courses are conceptually difficult and time consuming, which is compounded by the fact that the requirements are many! This does not leave much time in your schedule for a lot of other classes if you also want to have a life and do something extra-curricular. Two demanding majors (engineering and computer science) would be a killer and a whole different subject area (art) would put you over the top unless you were just dabbling in a few electives that might fill GED requirements, IMHO.</p>
<p>I'm sorry for exaggerating a bit about "completely different majors." I was referring to different majors within the school of engineering, for example a BS in mechanical engineering and an MS in electrical engineering, or maybe BS in electrical and MS in bioengineering. I'm not sure how the schedules work out, but I think that a BS/MS is easier to do than a double major (again, for engineers). You get an extra year, most importantly.</p>
<p>Ofcourse, it will be much easier if you do BS and MS in the same fields, but that is not a requirement, and i don't think it would be as hard as double majoring.</p>
<p>some people, particularly people who are not students themselves, that have posted above are misinformed.</p>
<p>paul has it right. the double major has too many rigid requirements to meet whereas the coterm is much more flexible as long as you have your engineering fundamentals and a couple of other classes completed. I suggest you consider this option instead but I also want you to know that Stanford does an excellent job of not making us feel pressured / pigeon-holing ourselves into majors, so come to your freshman year with an open mind. You have a lot of Math/Science and IHUM and PWR to do first year.</p>
<p>Yes I attended Stanford a long time ago, but my D is an engineering major there now. I don't think I said anything that disagrees with you. We are both saying double majoring is much more difficult and coterm gives you more flexibility. My issue was not specific to the OP's situtation. If you are coterming in two areas that overlap (for example 2 different engineering majors) that is one thing, but I didn't think you could coterm in two completely different areas such as engineering and art. Wouldn't you have to double major in those?</p>