<p>Hey, just wondering what type of different engineering experiences would someone get different types of schools. I was mainly looking for the distinctions between large publics (i.e. Berkley, Michigan), large privates (Cornell, Northwestern), and small privates (Rice, Harvey Mudd). I understand that the larger colleges are going to have more research opportunities, but not necessarily better experiences with the faculty. Do more recruiters and employers tend to lean towards someone with decent grades at a really tough school or someone who is at the top of the class of an easier school (Do employers grade on a curve for engineering lol)? JW what any current students or recent grads had to say about how they felt about programs in general in these 3 types of schools.</p>
<p>From what I've heard, recruiters tend to lean towards someone who is at the top of the class of an easier school.</p>
<p>When I interned in the Oil industry, our recruiter told us that they did actually rank schools/students. </p>
<p>Tier 1 had UTexas, A&M, OU, Tulsa, Colorado and Stanford. Tier 2 had MIT, Purdue and etc. This was probably due to geographics (Oil is centered around Houston) and programs (MIT doesn't have a petroleum engineering program).</p>
<p>However, overall a recruiter will want a top student regardless of their school--engineering is engineering and if you are at the top of your class, it says a lot.</p>
<p>What is considered to be top of your class? Top 25%? And does class include other majors or just engineering majors?</p>
<p>Zoom,</p>
<p>Aibarr will have better info when/if she responds to your post. If I recall correctly, she is Rice grad, UofI grad school, and her brother just graduated from Mudd; thus, she has great perspective on this question. </p>
<p>From our family's limited perspective (S1 to be eng'g soph at Mudd, S2 to be Mech E <or econ=""> frosh at Rice), it is difficult to generalize as to the engineering experiences within your category of "small privates." For example, Rice (3000ish UGs with full scale engineering specialties and a grad school) is very different than Mudd (700 UGs with a general engineering degree)--and both are going to be quite different than CalTech (900 UGs), MIT (4000 UGs), or Olin (300 UGs). It is probably safe to guess that the variation within this category is nearly as great as that between categories.</or></p>
<p>I was more interested in the undergraduate experience, but these comments have been helpful. When I mentioned small schools, I just meant one with a lot of faculty interaction and close knit community.</p>
<p>The first-year curriculum at Northwestern is VERY different from most others:
Coursework</a> Overview - Northwestern University: McCormick School of Engineering</p>
<p>Engineering</a> First</p>
<p>It would seem that my light veil of anonymity is waning if someone can recite my resume and the resumes of my family members. ;)</p>
<p>I went to Rice for my undergrad, and my brother went to Harvey Mudd for his. I think that the faculty-student interaction at smaller private schools like these are absolutely second-to-none. I would frequently grab a burger with my professors at Rice, and my brother would routinely be whomped at beer pong by his profs at Mudd. That sort of camaraderie and respect and <em>like</em> of the students by the profs is fantastic, and would be something you'd grow to really appreciate. Not only that, but more importantly, the profs would get in your face and push you to become what you might not realize you have the capacity to become. My college advisor strong-armed me into joining his Structures II grad-level course my fall semester of my senior year (I insisted upon auditing it). Halfway through the semester, he called me in and told me that he wanted me to take it for credit, that I was getting an A so I couldn't really say no, and furthermore, he wanted me to switch my concentration to structural engineering rather than engineering management. It would mean a hugely overwhelming courseload my last semester, since I'd already finished all my management concentration requirements. He pushed me further than I thought I'd be able to go, and that's the direct reason why I am where I am today.</p>
<p>I went to UIUC for grad school. Their facilities, may I say, are AMAZING. True, the building is typical 1970's engineering-orange nuclear-bunker-style, and I don't think they've changed the carpet since the Carter administration, but WOW do they have a whole bunch of really cool (and huge) toys. Undergrads can and often do get involved in research. I knew only a handful of my classmates, though, and there were two VERY distinct planes of being. On the upper plane were the professors ("I'm up here, you're down there" mentality was strongly present with them), and on the lower plane were all of the students, who it seemed the professors graciously allowed to hang around… It was very easy to get lost in the shuffle there. If you like to blend in and not be bothered, it's probably a good place to be. It wasn't really my schtick.</p>
<p>I'd say that the larger private schools share more of the same sort of experience as I had at Rice, but maybe on a slightly larger scale. A little easier to fall through the cracks, but the classes are still usually a little smaller.</p>
<p>I think that when it comes to employers, they mainly look at program quality. If you're from a program that they consider to be worth it, they'll take a look at you. After that, grades come into play. You have to have a pretty decent GPA, or a really good excuse. Beyond that, it's mostly about fit. If they like you and think that you won't be too exhausting to be around all day every day and think you can do the work after asking you a few questions, then they'll probably hire you. It's more gut instinct and less mathematical calculation of your worth than most college students think it is.</p>
<p>Thanks for that post it was exactly what I was looking for. It's hard for prospective engineering students to cut through the clutter of rankings and such, which are quite biased.</p>