Obviously. But it’s also obvious that they have read the entire thread, including your previous nine comments in which you made all of the same points.
If someone who dominates discussions all over this platform feels “demeaned” by the slightest pushback, imagine how off-putting it must feel to have the whole premise of one’s very first question instantly challenged. It has the potential to feel less than welcoming, and that concern was why I responded as I did. I’m glad to see that the OP has provided helpful feedback as requested, and it’s great to hear that their son is doing so well.
I hope Limide will tell us more about their search (perhaps on a new thread). There are definitely pros and cons to 3:2 programs, and there are many options - both small/supportive/inclusive engineering schools, and LAC’s with in-house engineering… plus there are the LAC’s that offer Dartmouth’s alternative to 3:2, in which students spend years 3 and 5 at Dartmouth but return to their LAC for year 4 and graduate with their class. Much depends on what kind of engineering the student is interested in, and also on what kind of accommodations they need… and also on what kinds of schools they’re competitive for, in terms of transcript, test scores, EC’s, etc.
Regardless, great to hear a positive report on the OP’s son!
Smaller engineering focused colleges may be preferable to those who want a smaller college for engineering. But 3+2 programs seem to have a low transfer rate for whatever reasons, perhaps including financial and that the “2” school is not the small college preferred environment.
Is that more of a function of college size, or the general attitudes among the college students, faculty, and administration, as well as any applicable state laws on the subject?
My son attends a 3/2 program with a 100% transfer rate to its partner colleges. That said, their 3/2 program has a small number of participants. The school also has an in-house, traditional 4-year engineering program (Engineering, General/Civil; students wishing to do things like ChemE or MatSci or BioEng are encouraged to do 3/2).
I’m a graduate of a large public university (undergrad) and I can tell you based on that experience and my recent college tours, these large schools’ ENG program are often 80-90% male students, and heavily biased against women/LGBTQIA as well as persons with disabilities. While the larger uni might not be, the ENG programs/STEM professors are. (Often, it’s also the students themselves that make the experiences terrible for women and LGBTQIA in these programs). My son attended a hypercompetitive high school that was highly STEM/Eng focused, and the cutthroat pressure and competition against him from his so-called male “friends” as a mix-race minority with a disability gave him a nervous breakdown despite a lot of faculty support. He thought UIUC was even worse in that regard. He considered attending University of Dayton for ENG, he was given huge scholarships there, but he would have been attending college with a bunch of former high school classmates who tormented him (plus their Disability Services sucked). He decided not to even apply to Purdue (he would have been easily accepted based on grades and a 34 ACT) because their Disability Services sucked and their professors openly bragged about giving students nervous breakdowns and refusing to adhere to IEPs.
Instead of attacking my statements, just accept that my son made the right choice for him. That might not look the same to other people.
I’ll add, my son really wanted to attend Columbia University Engineering. When he was not admitted there directly, he chose the 3/2 program with a 100% acceptance rate from that college’s transfers. We verified this. Columbia promoted Earlham as its preferred 3/2 partner. This is still my son’s plan….to go to Columbia. It was the pathway that interested him the most. He isn’t very social at Earlham and is just focused on his grades and getting to Columbia (and Waseda in Japan for year abroad). Earlham gives him these opportunities.
If your child is considering a 3/2 instead of a traditional ENG program (especially if they are admitted to a bunch of traditional ENG programs), make sure you plan through the pathway and make sure it’s what your kid really wants. It adds an extra year or two to the process and costs. I told my son that he has to make sure his Waseda credits will transfer to Columbia so he isn’t stuck extending beyond 5 years for the bachelor’s. A year studying abroad in Japan with a guaranteed MatSci internship at a Japanese company is super-cool, but not if the coursework doesn’t transfer. So we’re doing our due diligence there. Keep doing yours.
Earlham announced upcoming budget cuts today. Unclear if it will impact their 3/2 or traditional Engineering program but seems unlikely as these programs are growing. Keep an eye on it.