Tech School Engineering vs Small Elite Private Engineering

College Search & Selection
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<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I am a high school student thinking about maybe engineering as a major.</p>

<p>My question is how different are engineering programs at tech schools like RPI, Stevens, or Drexel to those of schools like elite private schools not necessarily known for engineering like vanderbilt, Wash U and notre dame.</p>

<p>I know notre dame and vandy are more prestigious than stevens or drexel overall, but is that true in the engineering world ? Do people actually pick schools such as stevens over elite privates ?</p>

<p>Money will probably not be an issue.</p>

<p>Thanks !</p>

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<p>any one that can help ?</p>

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<p>post in the engineering major forum…</p>

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<p>Never go to Tech school. You will regret it if you change your major. (excludes MIT and Georgia Tech because they are pretty well-rounded)</p>

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Yes, absolutely. If they get better aid, or want to be the big fish, or it’s closer to home… That’s why there are thousands of colleges!</p>

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<p>Some elite privates have stronger engineering programs than the “tech schools” you mentioned: Cornell, Northwestern, JHU, Stanford, and Princeton.</p>

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<p>What’s so great about georgia tech in comparison to other state tech schools?</p>

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<p>I think the OP is asking whether the subjects taught are different at engineering specialty schools compared to larger universities. The answer is no. Engineering programs are accredited by a group called ABET and they specify the curriculum. They specify it in such detail that over the four years you’ll study almost the exact same engineering subjects no matter where you go. </p>

<p>Because of accreditation the view of engineering schools by future employers is much flatter than for other majors. There are a few elite schools such as MIT or Caltech. Most fall in a broad middle. Schools that accept just about any applicant have to soften up the curriculum a bit so they don’t flunk everybody out. </p>

<p>From the point of view of a student, there is a fair amount of difference between colleges where you can study engineering. To start with they have different feels. A place where everybody is hard-core engineering is going to be different than a place where many of the people are in other majors. In the boy – girl ratio if nothing else! Some colleges have a greater emphasis on getting internships and co-ops positions. There is class size to consider. There is the advising system. </p>

<p>I wouldn’t be as dogmatic as the earlier poster that said never go to a engineering college. But it is true that half or more of those that start in engineering and of switching. At an engineering school that means you need to transfer. Unless you are strongly committed to becoming an engineer, have spoken to students to understand what the coursework is like, have spoken to working engineers to understand what the career is going to be, and you still want to do it – if not, I would suggest steering away.</p>

<p>A lot of HS students think the college name on their diploma is going to be a major factor in their future. Perhaps true if you want to work on Wall Street. But for engineering it’s really going to boil down to you. Future employers are going to care a lot about your GPA and internship experience. The name of the college is a far less important consideration, if it is even one at all.</p>

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<p>They cannot soften up the curriculum that much due to ABET accreditation requirements; the result is that, at less selective schools, engineering has a high attrition rate out (i.e. students changing to other majors).</p>

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<p>UCB is correct. ABET accrediation has very strict rules on curriculm depth, testing structure (i.e. how many exams/quizes are offered during semester, what material is covered on exams/quizes, and what the type of grades students are getting on them), as well as attrition rate. </p>

<p>In actuality those students attending more selective schools would be further ahead than those attending less selective schools primarily because of the advanced classes they took while in high school… These students would “cash in” on their AP credits and start taking the more advanced college classes right away (i.e. starting at Calc 2 or 3 instead of 1). Once they took the necessary classes required to graduate, they usually end up graduating early, taking additional elective classes, or continuing on with graduate level classes while still an undergrad student.</p>

<p>The bottom line here is that the curriculm depth will be virtually the same between any undergraduate engineering program, whether it’s Georgia Tech or Arizona State University.</p>

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<p>mikemac,
Just stumbled on this thread. Very well said!</p>

<p>ucbalumnus & fractalmstr,
I think mikemac stated… very clearly… ABET was a strict certification. It seems he was suggesting some “catch all” school can’t be ABET certified, unless they want to fail a large percentage of the students, which is good for no one… not the school, not the students. I don’t think he meant the “catch all” schools water down ABET… which of course they can’t by definition of ABET.</p>

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<p>There are plenty of schools with relatively low baseline selectivity with ABET-accredited engineering degree programs, such as Arizona State University (which is pretty close to being a “catch all” school in Arizona, taking in students ranging from the top students in Arizona to those who would barely make it into any four year school).</p>

<p>It is true that attrition rate out of engineering overall is very high (40% of engineering frosh leave engineering by sophomore year), though attrition is much lower at more selective schools.</p>

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<p>@tigerwings - you posed a specific question, are Notre Dame and Vanderbilt more prestigious than Drexel and Stevens in the engineering world? No, they are not.</p>

<p>Now, expand that list to include Sam Lee’s: Northwestern, Stanford, Cornell, JHU, Princeton. In engineering terms, only Stanford would be a clear “yes”. The others don’t have stronger engineering programs than Drexel or Stevens, certainly not for undergraduates, but they do have enough carry-over prestige in other areas to make the answer “probably yes”.</p>

<p>As to what you should decide? Only a selection of campus visits could make that clear. The “tech schools” are going to offer a more intense STEM environment, with more like-minded students, than most of the “elite privates” you listed. All of them have strong coop programs. Other majors are available at “tech schools”, but those majors typically still have a STEM connection, which can be a plus in today’s economy. The “tech schools” can also provide good preparation for law school or medical school. But if something happened that completely soured you on STEM, a transfer might be the only practical option. You don’t see as many students transfer out of a “tech school” as you see dropping out of engineering at other schools, because the pool of students is self-selecting.</p>

<p>The really significant drawback is a lopsided gender ratio at most of these “tech schools”, and I think it’s a drawback for both male and female students.</p>

<p>Making the case for “elite private” schools, you will encounter more students who are strong in other fields. If you are not sure of STEM, there are more options to choose from. Everyone will have heard of your “elite private” school. Drexel, Stevens, RPI and WPI are not so well known, except in technical fields.</p>

<p>In terms of curriculum, the ABET requirements level things out. However, the ability of the students definitely influences what can be covered, and to what depth. There is an advantage in attending the most selective school possible, whether “elite private” or “tech school”.</p>

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<p>The ABET requirements outline what topics/areas should be covered. But the profs have the flexibility to make things harder or easier, depending on their demand and expectation from the students. For example, the profs can present the materials with more rigorous math; they can also assign primarily harder problems from the book instead of easier ones even though they are under the same topics. From my experience the most difficult ones can easily take you a lot longer time than easy ones and could mean the difference between couple hours and an all-nighter for a given problem set!</p>

<p>I imagine ABET requirements probably are meant to prepare you enough to take the EIT and PE but EIT exam is a piece of cake (for preparation, it took me a little over a week at a coffee shop where I often got distracted from people watching…lol) comapred to what you’d probably encounter at, say, MIT.</p>

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<p>Yes… so…
“It seems he (mikemac) was suggesting some “catch all” school can’t be ABET certified, unless they want to fail a large percentage of the students, which is good for no one… not the school, not the students.”</p>

<p>I was simply stating what I thought mikemac’s actual message was. You guys thought he was suggesting some ABET schools deliver less than the ABET minimums… which, IMHO, was misreading what mikemac wrote.</p>

<p>I agree with most of what’s written here.</p>

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<p>I do think that the bigger difference will be found in the student body rather than the curriculum. Will you be happier/more comfortable in a school with a more homogenous student body in terms of interests and majors? Or would you prefer to hang out with philosophy and English majors after class? The answer to this question will be different for different people. Be honest with yourself and pick the type of school that suits you the best.</p>

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<p>@whydoicare</p>

<p>I am pretty sure Northwestern, Stanford, Cornell, JHU, Princeton, Notre Dame, and Vanderbilt are more prestigious than drexel and stevens even in the engineering world.</p>

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<p>[Drexel</a> University | Overall Rankings | Best College | US News](<a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/drexel-university-212054/overall-rankings]Drexel”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/drexel-university-212054/overall-rankings)</p>

<p><a href=“http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/stevens-institute-of-technology-186867/overall-rankings[/url]”>http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/stevens-institute-of-technology-186867/overall-rankings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Those engineering rankings are not even close to Northwestern, Hopkins, or Cornell. As someone who has a P.E. license and worked in engineering industry, I’d echo the same sentiments as well with regards to engineering reputation.</p>

<p>The OP’s question is more applicable for Vandy, ND, and Washu (schools with relatively worse engineering programs compared to the above 3 elite privates)</p>

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<p>What makes a school a “tech” school other than “Tech” in the name?</p>

<p>MIT is about 2/3 undergrad engineering majors, 1/3 something else…and it’s almost half women…is it still a tech school?</p>

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<p>Generally, a Tech school has a preponderance of STEM majors and not much in the way of humanities, social sciences, fine arts for student to major in. This is not always true, Georgia Tech is a large state school with many other majors. MIT has a pretty wide variety too but it is larger in student body than most of the small Tech schools.</p>