Comment on Personality of Engineering Schools?

College Majors Engineering Majors
1

<p>Son is a HS sophomore, and already looking for engineering schools that will be a good fit for him. When you look at sites like Princeton Rxxx, Rensselaer looks like a place with unhappy students, while Olin students are very happy, and Georgia Tech comes across as cut-throat and unfriendly. It’s not how smart the students are, or how hard the classes. It’s something about the culture. </p>

<p>Some engineering schools seems to use giant lecture-based intro courses to weed out students. Other schools seem to integrate projects from the beginning and engage students more.</p>

<p>Anybody want to comment on their school’s culture, or personality?</p>

2

<p>University of Alaska Fairbanks: School of Engineering and Mines has students that are very lighthearted. Students at UAF do not party for fun but instead prefer to do outdoor activities such as hunting and hiking. Students are also very adventurous and enthusiastic. Negative qualities are that people can get kinda edgy when it’s -40 degrees and it’s night for 20 hrs of the day.</p>

3

<p>Virginia Tech is a lady in the street but a freak in the bed.</p>

4

<p>^^^^</p>

<p>Yeah… Yeah… Yeah…</p>

5

<p>If you’re looking into schools with personality, I think you should check up on Lehigh University in Pennsylvania. I’ll be attending next year as a freshman so I don’t know it as much as someone who’s been there for a while, but from what I’ve read and experienced, it’s got a great engineering program and culture. It does have a reputation as a party school but I’d take that with a grain of salt. It has a very lively campus life (the campus is gorgeous by the way!) and all the students I’ve talked to love it there.</p>

<p>I was looking for engineering schools with a little more culture and personality and Lehigh’s where I wound up.</p>

6

<p>If you go to a public school, usually chances are that there are people there that are more social, laid-back and less competitive. I think Georgia Tech isn’t as unfriendly as you think it is but that’s just my opinion. However, large public schools will weed you out but if you do your work and not flunk out from too much partying, your best effort will definitely prevent you from getting weeded out.</p>

7

<p>The following thread might be pertinent.
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/911511-engineering-schools-so-hard-its-no-fun.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/engineering-majors/911511-engineering-schools-so-hard-its-no-fun.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

8

<p>I think Pierre sums it up pretty well.
Publics seem to get a nice group of kids no matter what the major.</p>

9

<p>I’ll vouch for being able to have fun at Georgia Tech (i’m in france with a tech program right now!):)</p>

10

<p>Thanks everybody. We will take a look at Lehigh. And Pierre’s comment about large public schools- more chance to find people you can click with. Anybody else?</p>

11

<p>Purdue seemed rather laid back. Students enjoyed having fun and if there was an atmosphere of competition I completely missed it. There were occasional “I destroyed you on that test” kind of comments but they were amongst friends and not serious.</p>

12

<p>Rice U has a really nice cohesive and friendly student body, with first-class academics and great campus.</p>