I am looking to go in as a mechanical engineer and have finally narrowed down my college search to Syracuse, Penn State, and Stevens. All three are within about $4,000 after aid. I know all these schools are VERY different and all have their own pros and cons, but does anyone have any advice, or some things I consider before I make my final decision? Things that worry me for each school include:
Syracuse - I’m not sure how great their mechanical engineering program is as it is combined with their aerospace
Penn State - How big is too big? Will this school be overwhelming with too much stuff, or I am just uncomfortable as I come from a smaller high school
Stevens - Is this school too small? I heard the social life isn’t that great, and people I have talked to completed their bachelors in 5 years.
Were you accepted to University Park at Penn State? My son was admitted for Aerospace but they admitted him to a Commonwealth Campus for 2 years despite his high stats - one of a few reasons why we did not go with Penn State. To your point, the campus is big. He ultimately committed to Syracuse. The aid was a huge factor and he loved the campus and engineering program (4+1). We didn’t bother with Stevens because of the limited majors they offered in case he switched out of Engineering.
@spqr70nj I was accepted to University Park, and I am not so worried about limited majors at a place like Stevens because I feel confident I would stick with engineering through the different courses I have taken at my local community college and prior work experience. Similarly aid and interest that Syracuse has given me has me leaning towards them at this point.
Have you visited UP? We just did the Accepted students program. I was overwhelmed by the facilities and yes it was a big campus but my son was sold by the engineering facilities (he will be attending the earth and minerals college Petroleum and natural gas engineering program…
Just an observation major state schools invest heavily in engineering facility and compared to the private’s schools we toured Penn State surprised me with what they offered (new chemical eng building and commitment of 250 million into new facilities)
@airway1 I have visited all three schools, with Penn State being the largest and most modernized, and Syracuse being the worst with only a couple of CNC machines and very small general shop space. The county college I am at now has much more to offer in terms of shop quality, and I have become fairly efficient with them. However, I have talked to some people about mechanical engineering, and they have told me that they have never really needed to be in the shop for classes. Is this something that may be important when looking for a job after college, and should it a bigger concern than other people regarded it to be?
It is true that you will probably never set foot again into a machine shop after you graduate and probably for most of your classes. Machinists and techs do that type of work at most companies and do it better than MEs for the most part. It’s what they do. The knowledge is useful though from a design perspective. If you know how the things you design will be made you won’t specify things that can’t be made the way you specify them. More interesting though is that a lot of startup companies that don’t have the luxury of a giant staff prize hands on ability. Someone needs to make the stuff. If they have a staff of 10 it’s going to be one of the engineers. Lots of job descriptions, particularly at young companies and companies that do contract design and are always prototyping, ask for “hand on” or overtly, machining experience. So, are the toys the be all end all? No. Having cool toys like good CNC machines, 3D printers that can print in metal or hollow silicone is cool. Lab equipment is also not the be all end all, but like a good shop, there’s no downside.
@spqr70nj I’m looking through posts about SU Engineering and found yours. My D liked the school very much and all the academic and career advising. She’s also deciding between UMD College Park and UConn.
Very different size departments, 400 SU vs. 4,000 and facilities.
Wondering if you could tell me more about your son’s experience with SU’s small programs and the opportunities he’s had.
I hear from people to study engineering at a larger public university for career resources and other things. Thanks!
Stevens is the smallest of the 3 schools. Its campus is located in Hoboken NJ which has the most active social scene in all of North Jersey. The city has undergone a transformation over the past 15 years with re-development ongoing. There are tons of restaurants, parks, bars, fields, bike paths, walking trails, supermarkets all within walking distance of the Stevens campus. The campus literally sits on top of a bluff overlooking New York City. The Path train into NYC is walking distance and takes under 5 minutes. The buses run into the NY Port Authority in under 20 minutes. New York is the capital of the world. Entertainment, Broadway, Concerts, Times Square, Museums, Giants, Jets, Yankees, Mets, Nets, Knicks, Rangers, Devils, Islanders, The Rock, The Meadowlands American Dream Mega Mall are all within 15 minutes away. NYC job market is best its been in years.
Good Luck with your decision
@Aeg203 My son starts Syracuse in the Fall. He only committed recently after being accepted at a variety of engineering schools ranging from large to small programs. What was paramount in his decision is the early hands-on experience opportunities instead of waiting until junior or senior year at some schools. We liked Syracuse because it checked most of the boxes we sought - but most importantly that he could picture himself there. For example, he was impressed with the UBuffalo (my alma mater) program but didn’t see it as a fit with him. I’m sure the other schools provide for great academic and career advising, but when we did our second visit tour last month to several schools, it stood out more at Syracuse. The mid-size setting also allows for more personal interaction and involvement with faculty.
@spqr70nj Thank you! My D felt the same way about Syracuse as your son. We were there two days last week going to various tours and dinner and meetings and such. I was impressed by the the talks, honesty about the work. She liked the people, the department and mostly the layers of advising support with both an academic and career advisor plus a freshman year success advisor. I’m finding the discussions of the investments and funding that public universities get confusing my thoughts about how that translate to the undergrad experience.
@eyemgh Your post about machine shops and how and when they are used was helpful and eye opening in terms of how they are utilized in school. It sounds like big and beautiful aren’t a necessity. My D is deciding between Syracuse, UConn, and UMD so your post ties in with her list. I’m trying to figure out how the money and investments made to public universities in engineering/stem translate to undergrad students other than nice buildings and machinery.
@Aeg203, it’s challenging. Toys are nice for sure, but whether they are housed in a new shiny building isn’t that important. My son went to a very lab heavy school. They have more than 80 labs in the college of engineering alone. For examle, they have a vibrations lab. At many schools vibrations is just a lecture. It’s useful though to see it in practice. That said, lots of engineers do good vibrations calcs having never set foot in a vibes lab. High end 3D printers, CNC machines, etc. give extra skills but aren’t deal breakers. Even at my son’s school, most do not get CNC certified.
Another thing to pay attention to is class size. I went to a big lecture hall school (I’m not an engineer). My son goes to a school where nearly all of the lectures have less than 50 students, even intro classes like physics and calculus are capped at 45 and 31 respectively.
I also look at entry to major. Is it competitive and if so, how competitive? When do they get to declare? After first year? Second? At my son’s school they compete by intended major at admission.
Retention rates and graduation rates are helpful.
I also find clubs to be a useful thing to judge schools by. Do they have concrete canoe, SAE, Cubesat, etc? These help students use the tools they are learning.
Lastly there are intangibles like weather, sports, support for one’s hobbies, etc. These are important and often overlooked.
In the end, it is a matter of style and preference. What my son and I deem import may not be to the next family. Suffice it to say, there are lots of good engineers out there educated in diverse ways. As long as she makes the best of her opportunities where ever she lands, she’ll be fine.
@eyemgh You give excellent advice that is helpful! Thank you for taking the time to write and share you and your son’s experience. There’s a lot of “noise” and it’s easy to get caught in that and not break it down like you did for me. I want “As long as she makes the best of her opportunities wherever she lands, she’ll be fine” embroidered on a pillow! It seems like she needs to focus on those things that will make her education and experience “home” (the class size, clubs, intangibles, etc) and I have to stop researching! I tend to go into spirals finding info. Thank you, again!
As a parent, I liked to look at the housing options after freshman year. All schools seemed to have reasonable dorm options. Sometimes after that most students have to look off campus - that can be a pro (often cheaper, more independence) or a con (logistic challenges) depending on preferences.
@Esilfies I am not sure if you have made your decision- if you have congratulations- now go and be great!
My daughter chose Penn State due to these reasons (and she was choosing between same schools plus Ohio State)
Her first requirement was she needed to feel comfortable where she was living for four years. All met this requirement- with Stevens having a different type of college life- Hoboken is a fun area
She needed to play with 3D printers etc. - it’s just how she likes to create- it makes her happy. This knocked Syracuse out ( and Ohio State although it’s available- it was not convenient)
2A. Internships and research - Penn State and Stevens won without question (Ohio State she wasn’t confident)
She wanted a pathway to leadership involvement in clubs
Now she will tell you Penn State Engineering is small but that is because she made it small. She lives at Ehouse (she wanted to be close to the library, her classes (she loves going to her dorm in the middle of the day), gym, and town. She joined a ton of clubs first semester of freshman year and applied for leadership roles immediately. She also likes that she is friends with non engineers and yes she spends time creating (although not as much as she thought she would). She has not done any research but has two internships as a sophomore- she’s hoping to step down from some of her clubs in Senior year so that she can do research. She loves the comedy shows, concerts (although Syracuse would have more), exhibits, game days (volleyball, hockey, field hockey, baseball and yes football too)
So my advice to you think of how you would like to be as a student, what you would need to be successful, whether you would like research and/or internships
Then look at each college and see if it answers your “what you want”
Finally pick where you feel the most comfortable living your college dream
@Esilfies I also suggest checking on student outcomes. Where do engineering students from these schools intern, get jobs, and attend grad school? Perhaps that can be an additional differentiator.
Your time to do a deep dive before May 1st may prevent you from engaging with a current or recent graduate from one of those schools, but I did a LinkedIn search last month for my son and we found students from two different schools he was considering. One was a second year student and the other was a master’s candidate graduating next month from Syracuse. The best thing we did. Had a frank conversation of the things they liked and disliked about their program and school. Also why they selected their school. It wasn’t a sanitized version which the schools could put out there. Definitely has my son comfortable with the school/program he chose. Also will come in handy when my middle son starts looking in three years. Good luck!
Awesome idea! Creative, I never heard of that idea before. We could probably squeeze that in if she follows through. I was reading the different college newspapers today I brought home from our visits. I felt like it showed the school and students in a way that I couldn’t see otherwise. Interesting to compare them to each other. I feel like my D is leaning toward SU because it’s a smaller program and honestly the girl has little “grit” so to speak and I think she feels the SU Engineering may be more accessible because of the size and therefore easier for her.
@Esilfies Thank you for taking the time to write. This is great advice which I shared with my D. Outlining your D’s reasons for choosing Penn State vs. SU makes sense and what was important to her. We’re going to sit down and she’s going to go through the thoughts you put out and make a list. Thanks again!
@colorado_mom Oh, yeah, the housing! I wish it would be guarantee for more than 2 years at some of her school choices. It’s a very important consideration, even if they don’t choose the dorm it’s nice to know the school has the means to accommodate their students and the infrastructure.