Which do YOU think is best?

<p>Well, I have applied to these following school and have gotten into 3 of them so far for Engineering:</p>

<p>University of Massachusetts - Amherst (Accepted)
University of Connecticut (Accepted)
Penn State University (Accepted)
Purdue University (Still Waiting)
University of Wisconsin (Still Waiting)
Virginia Tech (Still Waiting)
University of Delaware (Still Waiting)</p>

<p>As for what I am interested in, I am interested in either Biomedical Engineering or Mechanical Engineering (my grandfather was a Mechanical Engineer); However, I am not stuck on those two just yet. I know for a fact, though, that computer engineering and chemical engineering are not going to happen haha. Anyways, I was wondering what school, that you think, has the strongest engineering program. I have visited most of the schools on that list and, if I got into all the schools on that list, I am debating between UConn (instate), Penn State, Virginia Tech, and Purdue. It is hard distinguishing which program is better, between PSU, VT, and Purdue. What are your thoughts?</p>

<p>Best Undergraduate Engineering Programs (Where highest degree is a doctorate)
Ranked in 2010
</p>

<p>1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA 4.8
2 Stanford University Stanford, CA 4.7
3 University of California–Berkeley Berkeley, CA 4.6
4 California Institute of Technology Pasadena, CA 4.5
Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, GA 4.5
6 University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 4.4
7 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 4.3
8 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 4.2
Cornell University Ithaca, NY 4.2
Purdue University–West Lafayette West Lafayette, IN 4.2
11 Princeton University Princeton, NJ 4.1
University of Texas–Austin Austin, TX 4.1
13 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD 3.9
Northwestern University Evanston, IL 3.9
University of Wisconsin–Madison Madison, WI 3.9
Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA 3.9
17 Pennsylvania State University–University Park University Park, PA 3.8

Texas A&M University–College Station College Station, TX 3.8
19 Rice University Houston, TX 3.7
University of California–Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 3.7
University of Maryland–College Park College Park, MD 3.7
22 Duke University Durham, NC 3.6
University of California–San Diego La Jolla, CA 3.6
University of Minnesota–Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 3.6
University of Washington Seattle, WA 3.6
26 Columbia University New York, NY 3.5
Harvard University Cambridge, MA 3.5
North Carolina State University–Raleigh Raleigh, NC 3.5
Ohio State University–Columbus Columbus, OH 3.5
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 3.5
University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 3.5
32 University of California–Davis Davis, CA 3.4
University of Colorado–Boulder Boulder, CO 3.4
University of Florida Gainesville, FL 3.4
University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA 3.4
36 Lehigh University Bethlehem, PA 3.3
University of California–Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 3.3
University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA 3.3
Vanderbilt University Nashville, TN 3.3
40 Brown University Providence, RI 3.2
Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH 3.2
Iowa State University Ames, IA 3.2
Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 3.2
Yale University New Haven, CT 3.2
45 Arizona State University Tempe, AZ 3.1
Dartmouth College Hanover, NH 3.1
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey–New Brunswick Piscataway, NJ 3.1
University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 3.1
University of California–Irvine Irvine, CA 3.1
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN 3.1
Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, MO 3.1
52 Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO 3.0
Drexel University Philadelphia, PA 3.0
University of Delaware Newark, DE 3.0
University of Massachusetts–Amherst Amherst, MA 3.0

56 Auburn University Auburn University, AL 2.9
Boston University Boston, MA 2.9
Clemson University Clemson, SC 2.9
Colorado State University Fort Collins, CO 2.9
Northeastern University Boston, MA 2.9
Tufts University Medford, MA 2.9
University of Iowa Iowa City, IA 2.9
University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA 2.9
Worcester Polytechnic Institute Worcester, MA 2.9
65 Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago, IL 2.8
Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY 2.8
SUNY–Stony Brook Stony Brook, NY 2.8
Syracuse University Syracuse, NY 2.8
University at Buffalo–SUNY Buffalo, NY 2.8
University of Illinois–Chicago Chicago, IL 2.8
University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 2.8
University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT 2.8
Washington State University Pullman, WA 2.8
74 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 2.7
Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI 2.7
Missouri University of Science & Technology Rolla, MO 2.7
University of Rochester Rochester, NY 2.7
78 Brigham Young University–Provo Provo, UT 2.6
Clarkson University Potsdam, NY 2.6
New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ 2.6
Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK 2.6
Oregon State University Corvallis, OR 2.6
Polytechnic Institute of New York University Brooklyn, NY 2.6
Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ 2.6
Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX 2.6
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 2.6
University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 2.6
University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 2.6
University of Missouri Columbia, MO 2.6
University of Nebraska–Lincoln Lincoln, NE 2.6
University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM 2.6
University of North Carolina–Charlotte Charlotte, NC 2.6
University of Oklahoma Norman, OK 2.6
94 George Washington University Washington, DC 2.5
Louisiana State University–Baton Rouge Baton Rouge, LA 2.5
University of California–Riverside Riverside, CA 2.5
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 2.5
98 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS 2.4
San Diego State University San Diego, CA 2.4
Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 2.4
University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 2.4
University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR 2.4
University of Houston Houston, TX 2.4
University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 2.4
University of Miami Coral Gables, FL 2.4
University of Texas–Arlington Arlington, TX 2.4
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI 2.4
Utah State University Logan, UT 2.4
West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 2.4</p>

<p>I would just go in-state for UConn. Going to say, Purdue, and paying all that extra money just isn’t worth it.</p>

<p>If one has a co-op program, that would be worth it. You get good connections in industry and also see how much you like that branch of engineering. Virginia Tech might have one.</p>

<p>As a high schooler, there is only so much you can do - the “best” school is going to be based on factors you cannot yet evaluate, such as the speciality or industry that you will want to enter in 4 years. Rankings are a good starting point, but you should base your final decision on your experience visiting the schools - meet the people (including students if possible), see the campus, etc. Purdue is a great school, but VT, PSU, and Wisconsin are great too - it really depends on what you are looking for! I do not think that any of those would be any kind of professional hindrance to you, and all have great recruiting and networking opportunities, as well as co-op programs (for those interested).</p>

<p>I know that VT does NOT have a co-op program, which was a big letdown… but Penn State had a great co-op program and just seems to have more oppurtunies than UConn or some of my other schools. Luckily, I am fortunate enough to be able to afford any of the schools that I applied to, but deciding is the hard part. I visited Penn State a few weeks ago, going on an Accepted Engineering Student tour, so I got to see all of the engineering building and got to learn a lot about PSU. Also, one of our good family friends attends there and is an engineering student, so she also gave us more information about their programs. I am not 100% decided yet, but I am leaning towards becoming a Nittany Lion.</p>

<p>The best college may not be the highest rank one for you. For me it was Colorado state (#56) even though I believe I had the grades to get in a top 20 maybe even top 10. I choose CSU because it was in state, in a good town, I have connections in the co-op program, I got a nice scholarship package, and it was my favorite out of my top 5. So I say go with whatever fits you best not necessarily the highest rank.</p>

<p>but wait, I think VT does have an optional coop program.
[Cooperative</a> Education / Internship Program](<a href=“http://www.career.vt.edu/COOP/COOP1.html]Cooperative”>http://www.career.vt.edu/COOP/COOP1.html)</p>

<p>umm…go wherever you want. doesnt really matter since they all seem to be ranked pretty good</p>

<p>OP - I am a PSU engineering alum, if you have any questions or concerns, let me know either here or on PM.</p>