<p>So I just finished my sophomore year at the University of Redlands as a Biochemistry B.S. major. However recently I've considered the possibility of participating in my school's 3-2 Engineering program with Columbia or Washington. Getting into either program shouldn't be a problem but essentially I was wondering if an extra year of undergrad for a chemical engineering major would be worth it, or should I just finish out my two years at Redlands and get a master's in Engineering? </p>
<p>It will be difficult to get a Masters in Engineering because you’ll have many undergrad courses you’ll need to make up. If you are determined to go the 3-2 route then go ahead. Realize that next year when your friends are anticipating their senior year and graduation you will be heading off to another college. Many people do not finish out 3-2 programs because of that.</p>
<p>I don’t know how I feel about that. I’ve had many friends do the Emory/Georgia Tech one and end up pretty happy despite that fact. However, the different w/Georgia Tech is that they have time to integrate and enjoy that environment. Many of their students end up with a 5th or 6th year (perhaps because of co-ops) so it’s not like all friends on the new campus (Tech) will just disappear.</p>
<p>if you want to be an engineer, and you can afford it, transferring that far up is a no-brainer. While a fine school, Redlands is far from WashU or Columbia in the job prospects category.</p>
<p>What’s your money situation?</p>
<p>I assume that you are talking about doing another year at Redlands and then doing the engineering in 2 years. You should check on what kind of course load that would entail. I would think that it’s hard to finish a Chemical Engineering degree in 2 years because the prerequisite tree is too deep. </p>
<p>Another option, would be to transfer now or in the spring to a school strong in Chemical Engineering and also Biochemistry. This might enable you to start the ChemE courses sooner. </p>
<p>One of my Ds is studying ChemE, so I’m a little familiar with this. I had noticed that the University of Wisconsin seems to offer most of the classes both Fall and Spring, and actually offers a fair amount in the summer. If you registered this summer and took the first ChemE class, it would most likely transfer to where you end up and might enable the 3-2 to work as intended. There may be other schools with similar setups. </p>
<p>Otherwise, I would transfer sooner and get started on ChemE so that it’s not as crazy intense. It’s a very rigorous major. </p>
<p>I would also think that getting a Master’s in ChemE would cost you an extra year, like a 4-2 program, and you still might not have learned as much as the 2-3 or 2.5-2.5 program that I’m suggesting. </p>
<p>Redlands has been a great school to me, just the caliber of students doesn’t compare to other schools and I went there because of scholarships. But my parents and I would be willing to pay for two years at Columbia or Washington since they basically only paid for housing at Redlands. </p>
<p>And I don’t think that transferring is really an option as mentioned by ClassicRockerDad, but would I be able to take some classes at a CC this summer and have those be applicable to the 3-2 program?</p>
<p>So overall the general consensus I’m getting is that doing the program would be worth it if I can afford it? </p>
<p>Also, as a back up is there any other recommendations for other fields of engineering if I wasn’t to do ChemE. Biomedical possibly? Since I already have taken Organic and other chem and bio classes.</p>
<p>And I just looked into the CC classes, and they should count if its approved by the school. </p>
<p>Emory/GaTech is an exception that confirms the rule; those schools are in the same town and thus it is easier for a local 3/2 student to manage the program logistically. Most times, 3/2 participants decide to abandon their original plan, usually for a good reason.</p>
<p>By the way, you should get confirmation FIRST, before you count on receiving credit for community college classes applied to your intended degree from a senior college or university.</p>
<p>I have yet to see anyone provide any evidence for the claim that most of the time students do not finish 3/2 programs. Yes, <em>some</em> - perhaps even <em>many</em> - students choose not to finish 3/2 programs - but some students also complete them successfully. My undergrad college had a 3/2 program and some of my friends completed engineering degrees through it (both at the in-town option of Georgia Tech and some at further away options like RPI and Columbia). Some also decided, instead, to complete a physics or math major at our school instead of transferring. I would think that these colleges that run 3/2 programs would dismantle them if nobody, or very few, students ever completed them successfully.</p>
<p>If you were a HS senior deciding between a 3/2 program and a straight engineering program, I would advise the regular engineering program. But you’re a sophomore in college already. So here are the considerations.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Usually in 3/2 programs, in the last 2 years you have to pay the receiving school. Transfer students in 3/2 programs often do not get financial aid - or as much financial aid - because they are considered transfers. So if you go to Columbia or Wash U, you may not get very much aid. Can you afford the program?</p></li>
<li><p>How long would it take you to get a master’s in chemical engineering vs. the 3/2 program? Include in this estimate how long it will take you to get the prerequisites for a master’s in engineering, if you can’t take them at Redlands. Theoretically speaking a master’s would only take 1 extra year, but in practice it may take two or more if you need to catch up on prereqs.</p></li>
<li><p>Do you want to go straight to graduate school or did you want to take some time off to work first? IF you wanted to work in-between, then the 3/2 program might be a better idea.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
Now you’ll never be able to use that sentence again 
17</a> out of 20 not following all the way thru is 85%. </p>
<p>You can also infer the low xfer rate by looking at the few schools that publish relevant statistics. Take a look at Columbia’s program <a href=“Combined Plan Applicants | Columbia Undergraduate Admissions”>http://undergrad.admissions.columbia.edu/learn/academiclife/engineering/combined-plan-program</a> Meet the conditions and you get into an Ivy! Wow! But click on the link of participating colleges and there are over 100 schools listed. The Columbia website says it has admitted on average about 150 transfers total to Columbia. That’s the total for Columbia College and Columbia Engineering, BTW, although they don’t give the breakdown between the two (nor is it the case that you have to come from a 3:2 program to xfer into Columbia engineering). So it seems obvious that the numbers actually completing the Columbia Engineering pathway from these 100+ colleges is small.
And I would think it is a wonderful marketing tool for the sender colleges to keep such a program in place so that kids that are on the fence about engineering think they are “keeping the door open”. Close the program and those kids won’t consider your school. And if few use the pathway the destination engineering schools pay little price for making it available; why close it?</p>
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<p><a href=“http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/physics/for_students/department_links/engineering/questions/”>http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/physics/for_students/department_links/engineering/questions/</a> indicates that about 50 to 60 students are interested (i.e. 16 to 20 students per year), but only 0 to 3 actually transfer to Columbia or WUStL to finish the 3+2 program.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus, care to make a friendly wager about whether juillet will change her opinion about how many kids complete the 3-2 programs?</p>