Syracuse, PITT or UML Engineering - Need Help Now

College Search & Selection
1

<p>My son has been accepted into several schools for Mechanical Engineering. He is also waitlisted at WPI and RIT (RIT waitlisted him for mechanical engineering - however they did accept him into their Computer Science program and have offered him spots in other engineering disciplines. Ironically they have also given him the largest merit scholarship of all schools. He is choosing to remain waitlisted for Mechanical Engineering as that is his desired major).</p>

<p>Of the schools he is accepted to, 3 seem to fit his school choice criteria of:
* A school where he sees himself comfortable and happy
* A good, quality education, with a strong Engineering study support system
* A sincere sense of strong Professor/Staff/Student relationships --- with student success being the #1 focus
* A strong, active extracurricular community, with multiple options for him to have social outlets outside of the engineering universe</p>

<p>The 3 schools remaining on his list: Syracuse University, University of Pittsburgh, UMASS Lowell. He really likes Syracuse and PITT, and even likes UML although I wouldn't say it is his first choice. But we both agree we were very impressed with UML facilities and the Engineering program seemed to be very strong. They actually appear to have more and better equipped labs than the other 2 schools, and a very hands on program. We still have some research to do to better understand the support system and the staff/student relationship, but right now we did like what we saw.</p>

<p>So now taking cost into consideration it makes the decision very difficult. UML is considerably cheaper as we are residents of Mass. So the questions are:</p>

<p>Would we be putting him at a disadvantage if he got his education at UML vs Syracuse or PITT? Or to say it another way - what would he get with a degree from SYR or PITT that he wouldn't get at UML? Would he be getting an inferior education at UML? How much, if any, weight does a college have when it comes to getting a job or overall perception in the Engineering industry? </p>

<p>Answers to these questions or any insights on these schools would be much appreciated, need to make a decision soon as time is running out!</p>

2

<p>As an engineering student at SU, I hope I can give you some insight into our university. First I think Syracuse matches all four of your main criteria, and very well at that. I can’t say for the other schools, I have no experience with them. As far as a student support system, Syracuse is very good with that. The college has implemented a number of programs to ensure success in the fundamental, introductory courses that are so important as the foundation of an engineering degree. </p>

<p>Extracurriculars: as a large university, we have a broad range of people here and there really is unlimited opportunities as far as extracurriculars go. The college of engineering is not huge, so it is easy to get very involved. </p>

<p>I really can’t speak on the comparisons of the three schools, I simply wanted to express my support for the college here. If you have any questions, the people in the PRIDE office are always friendly and willing to help; talk to Kathleen, who may be the nicest person on Earth.</p>