<p>My top choices for schools are WPI and Northeastern, but the price seems too high and it's probably more realistic that I'll have to go to a public university. </p>
<p>I want to be a Mechanical Engineer, and I want to know which Umass has the best program. The go-to-answer is Amherst, the reason being "because i said so". I went to a tour of Umass Dartmouth yesterday and was really impressed. First of all, one of the professors there actually wrote the textbook in machining, which is used nationally and is the goto book in South Korea. In addition the professors mentioned how tons of Japanese students come because accreditation services there rate the engineering programs there as "excellent". They have a wide variety of cnc machines, and they utilize the 3d printers in the biomedical department. Finally they mentioned that they've always placed 2nd in baja racing competitions, and are designing a formula 1 car now. </p>
<p>So, what I'm asking is for FACTS about Amherst's engineering departments tbat prove they are better than Umass Dartmouth. </p>
<p>Also can somebody point me to some foreign reviews of engineering programs in the northeast? I'm tired of reading the bull rankings in Newsweek.</p>
<p>You’ll find that the more competitive students go to UMASS. It has a larger base for funding research and thus draws more world-class faculty. It also draws every recruiter in New England. </p>
<p>UMASS-Dartmouth has some fine professors, but it doesn’t have those other things (more competitive students, world-class faculty, etc). Recruiting tends to be very regional. </p>
<p>The benefit of more competitive students is that the classes can be taught at a faster pace. If classes are taught at a faster pace, at the end of 4 years, you will have had the opportunity to learn more. Do the classes actually run at a faster pace? I don’t really know. </p>
<p>If you want to leave the option of going to a top graduate school, then I think UMASS-Amherst has the advantage there too. </p>
<p>Amherst is viewed as better by recruiters, and thus you will likely have a chance to earn more coming out of school because there will be more recruiters competing for your talent.</p>
<p>These are questions you should ask, and these are my opinions. Facts require your own research. Do some and report back if my thinking is in error.</p>
<p>I’m a current sophomore at UMass Amherst studying Computer Systems Engineering. I was in a similar situation to yours (acceptances to WPI, RPI, UMD, Illinois, GaTech) and ended up going to UMass for financial reasons. </p>
<p>At first I was a little bitter, but after being here, I realize what a steal I’m getting for the money I’m paying. The faculty (at least within EE and CSE) are top notch and extremely accessible. If research is interesting to you, labs at UMass are always looking for undergraduate help. I’ve had numerous friends (including myself!) who simply sent an email to a professor and received great undergraduate research opportunities.</p>
<p>Also, with the ABET requirements for engineering programs, the differences between schools is much less significant than if you were considering another major. I would have been in mountains of debt had I gone to GaTech, but at UMass I’m not burdening my family and I’m still learning a TON from an extremely underrated engineering program.</p>
<p>The opportunities, research funding, and professor quality at a flagship public university like UMass Amherst compared to its satellite campuses creates a measurable difference in terms of the quality of the programs. I have many friends in engineering who’ve transferred from UMass Lowell and UMass Dartmouth after their first year to attend school here, and I can only think of one friend who transferred his to UMass Lowell his second semester, and he’s already back at Amherst this semester.</p>
<p>You don’t have to take my opinion as fact, but from my experience, UMass Amherst > Lowell, Dartmouth, etc.</p>
<p>See if you can find the graduate placement report for Amherst versus Dartmouth campus. Compare the companies that recruit to see if there are any actual differences.</p>