My daughter’s got accepted to University of Illinois-Urbana, University of Michigan, and University of Wisconsin. We are so happy, but so confused. She loves indie bands, is liberal, likes to write, but also loves engineering. She will be majoring in systems or industrial engineering at these colleges. Wants to have some liberal arts mixed in with all that engineering. Help!
Can she visit and talk to the specific departments she is interested in? Talk to current students about things she is curious about?
It looks like you should look at the course catalogs for each school and see how much leeway is allowed in course selection. Some may require more engineering courses (leaving fewer open slots).
Has she been accepted to engineering programs already or will she have to apply to get in later on? If she’s general admit, it could be tough to get accepted in an engineering major later.
They are all great schools overall, congrats!
Are you in state for any of them?
I believe that UW requires a certain GPA in core engineering courses (e.g., Math, Chem) through sophomore year to get into specific engineering majors. Some majors require higher GPAs than others.
Are they all affordable?
Based on her interests, she might like UW or UMich better than UIUC.
Which one will cost less? Which has the best connections for internships and jobs? Which one has the campus and town she loves the most? All have good academic reps so she might want to look at other factors
If cost is comparable or not an issue, I would pick Mich - very strong in engineering, plus has everything else. But as someone mentioned, she should look at the course catalog for engineering for all three schools and see which one appeals more to her or allows more flexibility for her other interests.
She has been accepted into all three university engineering programs. We looked at the courses she would have to take and they seem similar. She loves engineering, but math and physics have not come easily to her. Is it better to be the “dumb” one of the group or the “smart” one of the group? Which college would she be the “dumb” or the “smart” one?
Engineering is hard at any school, requiring advanced math and physics.
She could start out in engineering and then switch out if it is too difficult, might be easier than trying to get into engineering.
Before making a decision she should visit all three schools.