Bucknell vs. CMU engineering

Colleges & Universities Bucknell University
1

<p>I know these schools are quite different, but they seem to have similar strengths in engineering and similar classes/curriculum.</p>

<p>I’m mainly interested in civil/environmental engineering. Bucknell is considered among the best liberal arts schools for civil engineering and CMU is ranked in the top 15 among universities in both civil and environmental engineering.</p>

<p>Does anyone have any knowledge of these two schools’ programs? Such as labs, internship opportunities, job placement, etc.?</p>

<p>I wouldn’t think there would be any significant difference in a degree from Bucknell vs. CMU in the workplace, but CMU seems to be generally more prestigious (not sure about engineering).</p>

2

<p>This is a link to the Bucknell civil engineering department fact-sheet/data sheet:</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/Admissions/Fact%20Sheets/Civil_Engineering.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/Admissions/Fact%20Sheets/Civil_Engineering.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Take a look at the document (its 4 pages) and it’ll tell you about the engineering program, courses available, faculty, labs and facilities, research opportunities, and grad. school placement. that should help you out. </p>

<p>This link is for the Bucknell class of 2005 graduate survey report. Its very highly detailed (79 pages) but if you go to page 73 onwards in the pdf, you’ll read some of the engineering statistics for bucknell, including civil and environmental. this report tells you everything about what the 2005 graduate class of bucknell are doing. Again, its very detailed. </p>

<p><a href=“http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/CDC/Class%20of%202005%20full%20report.pdf[/url]”>http://www.bucknell.edu/Documents/CDC/Class%20of%202005%20full%20report.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Bucknell is a very good engineering school, but CMU is just as every bit as good and probably better for engineering. it is very rigorous, but a CMU graduate will have an advantage over a bucknell graduate probably when applying for a job. Since i go to bucknell, i can give you data on bucknell, but not too much on CMU. CMU is very-well regarded and recognized for engineering and is a top engineering school, no doubt. </p>

<p>I like the atmosphere at bucknell; engineering is challenging but not excruciatingly hard but you will have more work to do than others. CMU will be tougher, more competitive. Look at the quality of living when you decide as well.</p>

3

<p>the great thing about engineering is that it is not a prestige-driven industry. engineers from penn state or pitt make nearly as much money upon graduation as engineers from bucknell, who make nearly as much as engineers from mit.</p>

<p>what this means to me is that you can get a quality engineering education at a lot of schools. do some provide better educations? undoubtedly. and bucknell and carnegie mellon are probably pretty high on that list. but more importantly, the relative parity of educational opportunities allows a prospective student to have substantial flexibility in choosing the the non-academic environment in which he wants to study.</p>

<p>want a bucolic liberal arts college? a tech school near the heart of a city? a huge state school? as i see it, youre free to take your pick.</p>

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<p>Truthfully, I have been starting to realize that their would be little difference in a degree from Bucknell as opposed to CMU (although CMU may have a slight edge, the difficulty and competitiveness of CMU may counter that advantage). Your comments enforce that idea, so I guess it comes down to the type of environment that I want.</p>

<p>I live in a rural area about an hour south of Bucknell. When I visited Lewisburg, it seemed to be very similar to my surroundings except with a beautiful, well regarded university in the middle. I’m planning on visiting again when students are on campus, so I can get a better feel for the atmosphere. </p>

<p>CMU is practically in the city although it does seemed to be in its own section (the campus is compact). It is also surrounded by some nice neighborhoods and parks. A big positive for me at CMU is participating in D3 track and soccer and a lot of my family lives in Pittsburgh. I visit there usually once a year. I like the city, but I’m not sure if I would enjoy living there. I’m also going to revisit CMU for a overnight stay to see if the atmosphere is different from my current connotations.</p>

<p>These final visits might be the deciding factor for me, but at the moment, I’m leaning towards Bucknell.</p>

5

<p>There is a huge perceptual gap between CMU, Bucknell engineering. I’d prefer Lewisburg to Oakland, but if one’s big-time serious of engineering, no contest.</p>