theunforgiven

I had always thought that Swarthmore was the perfect place for a prospective engineer who wanted small classes with a hands-on approach to engineering.(perhaps this is why engineering is one of the most popular majors put on the application) Hence, it was near the top of my college list.

Swarthmore College :: Career Services :: Post-graduate Statistics

However, this does not really show show engineering as a profession that graduates really shine in.

Let me write down some parts of the link, in case it does not work for you, or you decide not to open it for some reason.
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The top career fields of all alumni are:

business (20%)
healthcare (11%)
law (11%)
teaching at the elementary and secondary school levels (9%)
teaching at the college level (9%)

The top graduate fields include:

Humanities (32%)
Math and Physical Sciences (35%)
Life Sciences (21%)
Social Sciences (13%)
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I'm not completely sure if Engineering is included in the math and physical sciences, although, it would be incredibly weird if it is, and my understanding with be seriously skewed.

What I'm trying to decide is whether Swarthmore is the right place for someone who is dead set on getting into the engineering field globally. Being an international with good grades, it would be exponentially easier for me to get into UofT or McGill, which have very transparent admissions systems (based purely on grades and SATs), and well established engineering departments, with much larger classes (one of the cons). So..would the easier route be the correct one, in this case?

Would Swarthmore be a bad choice for me?

PS I know most people change their majors during college, but for the sake of argument, let's assume I won't.

ArtsyGirl13

I think Haverford would be better for you based on your desire to be an engineering major (also they have a 4-1 program). Here is the link to the program Haverford College: Departments of Physics and Astronomy : Welcome

coase

OP, this link gives a better sense of what engineering graduates are doing. http://www.swarthmore.edu/Documents/...02004-2011.pdf

Since Swarthmore has an engineering major but Haverford does not, it is hard to see how Haverford could be a better choice. Haverford's 4+1 program is simply an entree into Penn's graduate program. As the link above indicates, Swarthmore grads get into many of the top engineering grad schools on their own.

xraymancs

You might also look into small engineering schools where you can get the same kind of feel as in an LAC and a top notch engineering education. The graduates from these schools overwhelmingly go into the engineering field.

Association of Independent Technological Universities: AITU

fhimas88888888

Indeed, Swat engineering doesn't allow you to specialize, which may not fit your interests. On the other hand, despite what these admissions reps tell you, the LAC and intense environment at Swarthmore is unique to Swat –– you will not find it at Haverford (where libraries close at 12am –– lol) or UIT. This generalist approach doesn't appeal to everyone, but the intensity of the curricula seems to be exceeded by "small margin" only by MIT, CalTech, or Harvey Mudd.

Remember, when you're looking at these admissions stats, you commit a logical fallacy when you infer that low numbers mean low interest or bad program. They are not sufficient for such a conclusion (and probably not even necessary!!). Engineering, perhaps along with math, physics, and chemistry, are probably the "hardest" majors at the college, so while many first years proclaim interest in the program, only a few have the "industriousness" to complete it.

murmillo

My advice would be to look at the Swarthmore Engineering website and from there, try to formulate specific questions. Then try to get in touch with one or two engineering professors and try to get your questions answered. Of course, be courteous and try to limit the number of questions you ask. Also, I think it would be a good idea to ask if they could suggest some current engineering majors to e-mail. There's a chance that nobody (professors or students) will respond, but it's worth a shot. It's the best way to learn about what the engineering department is like. I wouldn't rely on where graduates end up. Although it's useful data, if you know you want to do engineering, it's important to get a deeper sense of what engineering will be like at Swat. The reason I'm suggesting this is, if you have a definite idea of the kind of academics you want to do at Swat, you don't want to have only a fuzzy, vague idea of what the engineering major/minor will entail. The same goes for the other colleges and universities you're considering. From what you've written, it's kind of impossible to give even a good guess of whether you'd enjoy Swat.

Laura'sDad

I think that Swarthmore is an outstanding place to be if you want to learn engineering but also want to learn to think clearly and write well. You will not be surrounded by other engineers -- that is both their strength and their weakness. In the long run, Swat engineers are prepared for anything, but many employers are not aware of the school. Certainly you'd be a strong candidate for any grad school.

If you're definitely sold on engineering, also have a look at CMU, Harvey Mudd, and Olin.

Dad2

And if you're really masochistic, you can double major in Engineering and something else, thus obtaining both a Swarthmore B.S. and B.A.
But seriously, Swat has an outstanding Engineering program ensconced in a liberal arts environment that is peerless.