Hi CD,
I was wondering from current engineers how important school ranking is for engineering programs when looking for jobs after college. I’m trying to narrow down my list of schools to apply to in the fall and wondered if it would be worth it to go somewhere “top 10” and pay more money than to go somewhere lower ranked but still a school with a good engineering program and pay less.
I know rank is not the only factor in choosing a school, but I was just wondering how much weight it should hold in deciding.
Schools with good co-op programs are at the top of my list since I would really love to get (paid) work experience while still in school.
A school I’m looking at in particular is Florida Tech since my parents are moving to FL after I graduate and I’d like to be close to home. I haven’t heard much about it in terms of reputation but they seem to have a good co-op program with companies like NASA and Pratt & Whitney among others. If you have an knowledge of their program that would be great as well!
My main issue with schools is that I’m looking for schools that have decent mechanical engineering programs as well as graphic design (as a minor) since I’d really like to pursue it in college. Most tech schools don’t have programs for graphics so it’s really hard to find smaller schools that have both. Carnegie Mellon is at the top of my list since they have very high ranked programs for both fields, but it’s very expensive and since it’s so competitive I don’t think I’d get a good enough financial aid package.
School reputation certainly does not hurt, but it should only be one factor in your decision.
Engineering, especially for undergrad, is pretty rigidly defined. Arguably you are going to get the same fundamental knowledge in any engineering program. Where things start to vary is once you start getting into specialization (things like nanotechnology, etc). Any school with an engineering curriculum that is ABET accredited is going to get you a strong base of engineering fundamentals.
Where things start to get a little fuzzy is the soft skills. How is the school preparing you for a career in the real world? How are your people skills going to improve? Are there a lot of team based projects/assignments (most likely) or is it highly individualized? Are the classes all theory based or is there a nice mix of theory and real-world hands on project based classes?
Another consideration to make is the ease of access to companies. It already sounds like you are considering this factor. Co-op programs are great but not for everyone. Are there job fairs that bring companies to YOU wanting to hire YOU? As an example, Purdue has the Industrial Roundtable which attracts 300+ companies all looking to hire engineers and other related positions. Such a large job fair can be intimidating at first but once you realize these companies are there wanting to talk to you it gets easier. This event is how I got my current position.
Most importantly is what you get out of college. This is the “fit” that people look at when looking at colleges even if they don’t realize it. Will you be happy there? If so you are more likely to apply yourself and be involved and get more out of college. Are there relevant student organizations in which you can gain experience and leadership? What you are involved in and what you do outside of class are what differentiate you from all the other students graduating with the same degree. You got a 4.0 but weren’t that involved outside of class? Great, you really understand and have mastered the fundamental knowledge! You got a 3.2, were the president of Formula SAE (an example) and co-op’d with XYZ company? Awesome! You’ve demonstrated that you have a solid grasp of engineering fundamentals, have applied this knowledge (Formula SAE), have leadership experience, and have shown that you can work in a real world engineering environment through your co-op. You automatically have a leg up (in my opinion) on the 4.0 student that didn’t have the same experience.
Money, especially today, is also an important factor but should not be the be-all, end-all decider. It is also a much more personal factor and as such I won’t go any further into this.
Also - Visit the school if you seriously are considering going there! I distinctly remember one college visit I went on that while it was a great school I quickly realized I had NO interest in attending.
I hope this helps! If you have any other questions feel free to ask either in this thread or in a private message. I gave tours to potential engineering students all the time in college so I have answered a lot of these type of questions.
I think the most important factor for you to consider is the “fit” of the school to what you are interested in and looking for. This includes academics, but also extracurricular activities, other opportunities provided, and the general personality of the school and its students. If you end up at a school that is a good fit for you, that will put you in the best position to be able to succeed and to grow, and that’s what will ultimately benefit you the most in the long run.
I wouldn’t worry too much about the school rank, because as I said you’re setting yourself up for success as long as you select a school that’s a good fit for you. With the exception of a very small number of companies, most companies are happy to recruit engineers from any accredited program.
Four years ago, when I was in the process of deciding where to go to college, I loved everything about my current school but was nervous about matriculating because I thought it would be too difficult. It turns out that going a little bit outside of my comfort zone and challenging myself was really good for me and helped me to develop as a student, a leader, and a person in general. Occasionally I think it would have been nice to go to an easier school where I could have gotten a perfect GPA and didn’t have to work as hard, but I don’t think I would have been as happy or gotten as much out of my college experience.
I agree that you should try to visit the schools that you are interested in; that will help to give you an idea of whether it “feels” right. I know that sounds wishy-washy and hard to quantify, and as a future engineer you probably want to make decisions based on numbers and data, but I really think that the fit of the school is the number one thing to consider.
Along with the fit of the college, you should look at what you are planning on doing in college. If you join the robotics club, it looks pretty good if you’re going into robotics. It also matters what kind of degree you get. A Masters in a state school is better than a bachelors at a private university.
tl;dr: The way to become successful during/after college is to find a college that you like, involve yourself in the college, and go for higher degrees. Achievements > School rep.
I have visited about 5 or 6 schools so far and have a few more I’d like to visit this spring. The problem is there are many schools that I really like and that have pros/cons but I’m trying to decide between them. It always seems like there’s one thing missing from each one. I wish you could design your own school
I’m also horribly indecisive so its going to be tough once I have to decide where to go for sure (or even just to apply to).
Deetman, that is all very good advice. I will second the one part in particular: visiting the school. The two schools that were at the top of my list when I was in high school dropped off the list when I visited them. And my eventual choice became my choice after a visit. The feel of place, more precisely how comfortable you feel there, is very important. If you enjoy a place you will perform better there than at a place you don’t like. I will also give you a piece of advice I give to many of my students. (I may even have said this to Deetman at one point.) It is advice my dad (a college professor) gave me: There are most likely many schools you will enjoy attending and at which you could have a great experience. Don’t put too much stress on yourself. Most likely your last few choices will all be good ones. And if you end up making a wrong choice and have to transfer, it is not the end of the world. In short, don’t make the process harder by thinking that there is one perfect choice that you have to find.
Although it is totally reasonable to analyze costs vs. benefits in this manner, remember that to do so properly, you need to also monetize the intangible value of a school with a good reputation (to others) and a good fit (for you). It might be the case that CMU costs more, provides less aid, and yet still provides more overall benefit because of better job prospects and a better experience.
Also, at the application stage, don’t let the application fees or the multitude of essays throw you off. The fees are a pittance compared to the benefits a good school will provide, and if you have a financial hardship that would make $75 (or whatever it is) difficult, contact the school’s admissions office in advance and they’ll most likely waive it. You can start drafting the essays now and over the summer—chances are, there won’t be too much variation in what they asked of last years applicants, and what they ask you to submit.
I went to a school that was pretty well unknown - I was one seventy-fifth of the second class to ever be admitted, and it wasn’t accredited until a few months before I graduated. Best decision I’ve made in my life.
While I may not have received this advice from mathking, (there was plenty of others) from a high level of the whole college decision process, this is perfect advice. A lot of choices are thrust on unsuspecting 16, 17 and 18 year old students and many of them don’t know exactly what they want or what they are signing up for. This can even apply to the choice of one’s major. I’m going to pick engineering here for the sake of example but it can apply to any major. I know many people who started their freshman year in engineering but quickly found that they did not enjoy engineering or did not truly understand what engineering was. Switching majors is not the end of the world, it is not a huge deal! I doubt that this will apply to most FIRST students since they already know a lot about engineering (or other STEM field) before they start, but for others they have no idea! Find your passion and it will take you places, even if it isn’t what you originally thought it was.
I’ve found that the more competitive a school is the more likely they are to give very good financial aid packages to any student who needs them, so don’t let a high cost stop you from applying. After you are accepted, you can factor in whatever financial aid you get to find the schools true cost to you.
