CMU vs. UMich vs. UIUC vs. TAMU for Chemical Engineering

College Search & Lists
1

I have been accepted for chemical engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and accepted into engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and Texas A & M. I am waiting to hear from University of Michigan. Which do you think would be the best school for chemical engineering?

Considerations:

I am a Texas high school student, so will have in-state tuition for TAMU. However, my citizenship is not American, so I am an international student at CMU and UIUC and am nonresident for UMich. I do not have enough financial need and will be paying full price at any of these schools.

Cost is not a deal-breaker for me but obviously still a major consideration. I plan on doing further studies, so investing too much at undergrad level might not be smart.

I also want a school that is well-rounded rather than only good at engineering in case I change my major.

TAMU: Texas is the place to be a chemical engineer, I have been offered engineering honors, close to home, and it would be the cheapest but it’s not as prestigious as the others and the conservative environment and lower percentage of non-white students concerns me.

CMU: Highly prestigious and benefits of private school, but not the best in chemical engineering, far from home, cold weather, expensive, and very competitive. I fear being at the bottom of my class here.

UMich: Also highly prestigious, strong in engineering and science, but again, far, cold, and very expensive for me while still being a state school.

UIUC: Similar to UMich, but admitted into a major instead of general first year engineering, which could be a pro or con. Great campus.

Sorry for the long post, but I’m just looking for some insight considering my specific situation.

2

In terms of major, TAMU, CMU, and UMich admit to a first year pre-engineering program, but it looks like TAMU requires competitive admission to get into engineering majors (though 3.5 college GPA auto-admits) while CMU and UMich allow declaring engineering majors after passing the prerequisites (2.0 college GPA and/or C grades, or higher). UIUC direct admission to major is a good thing, unless you want to change to a different major that is also “full” (and hence very competitive to change into).

3

Thanks for the input! Do you consider the price difference between TAMU and the others to be worth it in undergrad?

4

What the cost differential?

5

“UMich: Also highly prestigious, strong in engineering and science, but again, far, cold, and very expensive for me while still being a state school.”

Don’t go to Michigan. You shouldn’t attend a “state school” that is just as good as CMU. Obviously that bothers you.

6

I had that reasoning for a while but also imagine that since CMU is private, it will be a more elite crowd, so a state school is better in that sense. On the other hand, private schools do have great resources and less students vying for them, so it’s difficult to say which is better.

7

“since CMU is private, it will be a more elite crowd, so a state school is better in that sense.”

I am not sure what you mean by “elite crowd”. Michigan’s student body, whether intellectually or socioeconomically, is fairly elite, and as you point out, that is not necessarily a good thing.

“On the other hand, private schools do have great resources and less students vying for them, so it’s difficult to say which is better.”

Very few universities can match Michigan where resources are concerned, even on a per student basis. Michigan’s endowment per student is roughly $220,000. CMU’s is $131,000. And that is not including Michigan’s annual funding from the state, which runs in the hundreds of millions. Michigan’s facilities and research opportunities are also hard to match.

That being said, I would go for TAMU. As you said, Texas is a great place for Chemical Engineers, and TAMU is extremely well regarded in Texas.

8

I recommend TAMU. I went and visited it and was borderline on picking it. I was accepted to UTCS which swayed me over with Austin and all, but A&M had soooo much to offer. Their alumni network is very strong. They are very well respected in engineering, and Texas really is a great place to work as one.

A degree in state at A&M will cost 90k~. CMU will be in the 280k range, UMich 240k, and UIUC 180k~.

9

Great points. Another concern I have with TAMU, though, is that it’s excellent if you plan on working in Texas, which is where I know the most jobs are for this industry. But as far as living in the Northeast or Midwest one day, TAMU is not as recognized throughout U.S. as Michigan is. Still, the price difference may not be worth that national appeal in the end.

10

TAMU is the way to go. Use the $140K savings for graduate school.

11

TAMU doesn’t have as much recognition in the Northeast to the average joe, but they aren’t the ones who pay your bills.

A&M has been doin really well in football which has given them a lot of national coverage. Any employer will know of TAMU as being a fantastic engineering school, and having over 400k grads alive, you’re bound to run into some anywhere you go. They have a great alumni network.

12

Texas A&M at in-state price is obviously a much better deal. However, its main drawback is that you may not actually get into your desired major. See https://engineering.tamu.edu/academics/advisors-procedures/entry-to-a-major . A recent admission cycle for chemical engineering is shown at https://engineering.tamu.edu/academics/advisors-procedures/entry-to-a-major/resources/analysis-spring-2016-admission-cycle/chen . It may be less of an issue if you are willing to do some other major if you do not get into your first choice major.