Why Stanford for Undergraduate Engineering?

<p>Stanford is always named as a top school for engineering. However according to the 2007 "Stanford Facts" it seems that there are well over 3,000 graduate students in engineering but less than 1,000 undergrads.</p>

<p>With all the attention on research and the graduate level program emphasis will undergraduate engineering students find that they don't get much attention from the faculty? Do they often have to work under and attend classes taught by TA's that are at Stanford doing their graduate work?</p>

<p>Would a prospective engineering student be better off focusing their search at other engineering schools where the emphasis might be more on teaching? The ABET required course work is going to be similar for any undergraduate program so why go to Stanford for engineering if you are going to be the second string?</p>

<p>I've heard some engineering students complain about the undergrad focus. However, generally, I think you can find what you want (and get the attention you want) if you look for it, and it's generally not difficult to find. Stanford is often criticized for expending much more on grads than undergrads (considering it has more than 2x the # grad students as undergrad students). However, Stanford undergrad is still excellent, and engineering is one of Stanford's strongest areas. Graduating from the school with a degree in engineering will take you far.</p>

<p>what would "attention from faculty" be like....a preceptorial/
small group meeting with a senior faculty member.....?</p>

<p>I do not see any difference between any of the top 5 schools that support
engineering in terms of faculty interaction expectations for the first
3 years ...maybe my expectations are real low...</p>

<p>In engineering , you are going to do most of your own development
guided by the course structure and the TAs and faculty
lectures....for that matter most of grad school inttroductory
courses are probably like that until you get to some advanced classes
where a herd of students are not registered .....?</p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>In the last 5 years or so Stanford put a lot of emphasis on its undergraduate programs. Undergrads have tons of resources and opportunities, and there's plenty of emphasis on teaching.</p>