Hey there, I am currently a UCSB freshman that in a transferring season. And among all the schools that accepted me so far(NYU Tandon EE, Gatech EE, and Vanderbilt EE)(still waiting for USC and Cornell), I am deciding between Vandy and Gatech for electrical engineering. I know Gatech is known for its engineering program, but Vandy seems more elite with a higher ranking?
I want to do research, and get into great graduate schools (or MS&phD) like Standford or MIT. My focus points are Hardware&software combined. Keywords could be Machine Learning, Brain-Computer interface. No short-term plan for a job yet.
Vandy
Pros:
Private with more chances to have a professor to work with
Higher ranking
Good undergrad program
prEstiGioUs
Cons:
Relatively less developed city compare to Altlanta
Lower Engineering ranking
Gatech
Pros:
Great Engineering program and vibe
Good location
Cons:
Lower rank
less prestigious
Too job focusing?
Could you help me decide? And tuition isn’t a problem.
I would choose Vanderbilt, especially if you’re looking to go to a top grad school. I think you would have an easier time at getting into a Stanford or MIT with an undergraduate degree from a prEstiGioUs school like Vanderbilt lol.
GATech is undoubtedly very good, too. I just feel like Vanderbilt will allow you to reach that next level easier.
A few comments:
-I don’t think Vandy is more prestigious than GATech particularly for engineering.
-I know engineers from both schools who had great experiences and great outcomes.
-I’d go with an affordable school that you prefer.
Second, you don’t vet PhD programs by the school name. You choose professors doing research that interests you, ideally that aligns somehow with something you’ve already done in undergrad. Depending on what that interest is, Stanford and/or MIT could very well be bad choices.
You’re only a first year with limited knowledge. Once that base broadens and deepens, you can start putting thought into what really interests you. Things change once your understanding does.
Good luck!
There’s no truth whatsoever to this statement. Grad schools care about your grades, you letters and your research. They could give a tip about the prestige of your UG institution. If they did, GT is more widely regarded, by a significant margin, in engineering.
Nashville is a great city - I wouldn’t call it less developed than Atlanta. It is smaller but would be a cool place to live for 3 years, or more.
GT overall has a lower ranking but its engineering programs are ranked much higher. Vanderbilt is more prestigious overall but not for engineering.
Don’t get the “too job focusing” con. That is presumably why you are there - to get a job or to get into graduate school. That would be a plus to me.
Why are you transferring from UCSB? I would think staying there and doing well you would have just as good of a chance at a top tier graduate program.
I agree and would argue that UC Santa Barbara is more widely regarded in engineering also. In my specific field of study Santa Barbara is excellent and Vanderbilt an unknown. But as for you OP, whatever floats your boat. Your chances at getting to MIT or Stanford will not dramatically increase or decrease by changing schools. Good luck!
My direct experience (with a PhD, having been on PhD application review panels, taught engineering, and with 2 current gradschoolkids) contradicts your opinion as a HS senior.
GaTech >>> Vandy for engineering, for research and for grad school.
@eyemgh’s point is important: why are you leaving UCSD? As @teleia noted it is also stronger than Vanderbilt for engineering. Knowing* what makes you unhappy enough at UCSD can help give better advice.
To the extent that undergraduate prestige matters for PhD program admissions, it would be prestige in major and of the faculty writing the recommendations.
Thank you for your reply, there are two main reasons I want to leave UCSB.
I feel UCSB doesn’t really have new and fancy fields of focus, for example, brain-machine interfaces and stuff, and the ECE department seems more focused on traditional hardware.
It might sound naive, but I would like to go to schools with a big name as an undergrad. especially having UCB and UCLA on the top.
It seems as though everyone on here is contradicting my claim, which is fine. Though, if I were in your position, I would choose Vanderbilt. It’s fine if you don’t agree, and “collegemom3717” can discredit my argument with her unparalleled knowledge in the field. At the end of the day it is your decision, and I don’t think you can go wrong with either one.
I was ranked no.1 in my high school and have a 4.0 GPA in the freshman year here at UCSB. And won some Kaggle data science competitions with an AI paper under review. And I will have 101 credits after the freshman year, and I just got into a lab as a paid intern. I believe I would be fine at UCSB. I know staying at SB could be a “mature” choice, but I do want to be in a big-name school like my past friends, it might be a little ego, but…
In addition, everyone on here is also arguing that GATech has a better engineering program than Vanderbilt. Now let me ask you all this- If you had the option between Purdue Engineering (#4 USNews) or Columbia Engineering (#15 USNews) which school would you choose? I think it’d be a hard argument to rationalize choosing the “better engineering school” lol.
Actually, it may not be depending on your goals. If you actually want to be an engineer (as opposed to entering finance or consulting), PU may make a lot more sense than Columbia, especially if PU is a lot cheaper. From the data on College Scorecard, MechE majors from PU actually outearn MechE majors from Columbia on average out of college. This despite the fact that PU is in the much cheaper (and lower-paying) Midwest compared to Columbia.
#2:#15 in engineering in the whole country is still pretty darn good. Vandy isn’t close to #15 in engineering.
Look, I get it (having been in HS before), being a high schooler, you think US News rankings are everything, but those of us in the real world understand that that isn’t necessarily the case.
