I received a brochure in the mail from Tulane and became intrigued. But then when I went online to learn more about Tulane’s engineering program it seemed rather small and not highly regarded. Can any current students or alumni give me feedback on this.
First of all, the “not highly regarded” part doesn’t make a lot of sense. Tulane in general is highly regarded, and the engineering programs the school retained after Hurricane Katrina (Biomedical, Chemical, and Engineering Physics) are thriving quite nicely. I can promise you that the courses taught, the information they contain, and their rigor are virtually the same as any other ABET accredited program. Engineering Physics, in case you are not familiar with it, has become increasingly popular as it gives students a very strong, fundamental background in the knowledge base that leads to careers in materials design and nano-particle engineering, for examples. You have to realize that a lot of these rankings, even if they purport to be undergraduate only, are really based on graduate school size and reputations. Tulane is much more undergraduate focused, but has the resources and vision to be a very high level research institution. It is one of only 62 or so universities that has been accepted as and remains a member of the American Association of Universities, which recognizes research prowess and dedication.
I know many graduates from all areas of these engineering programs, and they have gone on to high paying jobs or top grad schools in virtually every case. So I think the first real question for you is if one of these engineering areas is what you are interested in pursuing. If not, if you are looking at Civil, Electrical or Mechanical engineering, then Tulane is probably not for you. Yes, you can spend 3 years at Tulane and pursue the Engineering Physics degree and then transfer to Johns Hopkins or Vanderbilt for 2 years to obtain a second degree in one of those areas Tulane doesn’t offer, as long as you have a certain GPA (3.5 I think, at least for JHU). And that might be an attractive possibility for you as well. 2 degrees in 5 years, one from Tulane and the other from Vandy or JHU is pretty strong.
But let’s assume you are interesting in BME, ChemE or Engineering Physics. Then I think what you have to do is look past the engineering program itself and look at whether Tulane is the kind of school that you find attractive overall. Obviously there are thousands of us that think Tulane is one of the finest places on earth to get your college education, for many reasons that certainly include the classrooms and labs, but go well beyond that as well. If this post has succeeded in further intriguing you, I would strongly encourage a visit to the school if you can do it. Preferably in the fall while classes are in session, you can sit in on a couple of them and possibly even meet with a prof or two in the area of your interest. Then you can start to get an idea for yourself if you think Tulane’s program is credible or not.
The data on 3/2 engineering programs (all of them not just Tulane) say that very few kids who start out with that plan wind up following through on it. So I wouldn’t pick Tulane if that choice is strongly focused on the 3/2 option. That’s just not the smart move based on the odds. Plus, it requires an expensive fifth year.
Tulane would be fine if you are interested in biomed or chem engineering. For mechanical, electrical or computer science, probably not the best place.
Tulane can be a great choice if (like my kid) you’d like to try engineering but are not 100% sure that you will stick with it (my kid did not). Tulane was specifically on the list of schools because it would still be a good college fit without engineering. My kid didn’t want to have to switch schools if engineering didn’t work out.
FYI, the average college kid switches majors three times. Also, there’s a high attrition rate for engineers in college. So you should pick a school that will work for your engineering plans, but that will also work if those engineering plans flame out. Which statistically is pretty likely. A common mistake kids make is putting too much emphasis on the major.
Good luck.