S25 accepted into Engineering Mechanics and intends to pursue the Aerospace option.
Thoughts on the Engineering Mechanics department?
Comparing to the other engineering departments at Wisconsin?
Faculty
Curriculum?
Research opportunities?
Job prospects (planns to pursue an advanced degree and go into the space industry / NASA)?
He loves the theoretical and the practical, which is why this major seemed like a good fit since Wisconsin doesn’t have Aerospace. He’s a current NASA intern and love research and projects.
You can go to any ABET accredited school and end up at NASA or other aero companies. UAH, as an example, and Florida Tech are surrounded by them. Florida Tech has many at Cape Canaveral and Huntsville is NASA’s second city.
Wisconsin is fine and perhaps the student won’t go to grad school. He’s 17/18. Engineering has a 50% drop out/change major rate.
Wisconsin is fine. It will give you similar benefit as many other schools. Rank in this area is to sell magazines, short of a few schools. They’ll work with kids from schools like Michigan to W Michigan. Purdue to Akron etc.
But Wisconsin, if you can afford it, is a very good choice.
Actually, from our research it looks like Engineering Mechanics sets him up well for research and graduate programs. He’s a thinker and loves theorizing, as much as building.
Every engineering student is set up well for research and grad school. I think you’re over thinking this.
Wisconsin is a solid school, one of many - and for people who think research is only for a select few - not true. Only a select few seek it. They send out notices regularly to all kids and/or you can ask for research involvement from a prof who is doing research of interest.
If you told me you were going to Wisconsin or Wyoming, Michigan State or Minnesota, Arizona or Auburn, the answer would be the same.
You have a fine acceptance - if that’s the school he likes.
If he liked another or you couldn’t afford it and you needed a cheaper, you’d find similar opportunities elsewhere too.
Appreciate all the feedback? Applied engineering is not my field, nor my wife’s, so this is all new to us.
So far, we’re deciding between Ohio State (in-state), Penn State, and Wisconsin while waiting on UIUC, Maryland, and Virginia Tech. Some schools have definite advantages, as in support structures that’ll help him (Scholar’s programs, LLCs, disability support, etc.). That’s high on our priority list.
That’s great - especially given you have guardrails - find “that” school - all these names are great but all may not be great for your student!! You have to find that one.
Yes, US News will tell you UIUC is highest ranked but kids from all these schools will work together, at the same salaries but that’s not what should be most important to you. Sounds like you have much more important concerns!!
Do professionals at his internship have ideas? I’d ask them.
My nephew went to CU-Boulder, well known for aero, and he was in mechanical. I’m not sure he ever took an aero class, but got a job a Northrup and has done well there. Recruiters know the engineering schools and the quality of the overall program, and know they can give any more training that is needed.
My son from Bama was a MechE and works for an Aero as a manufacturing engineer - so more IE.
One is definitely not pigeonholed by the discipline they study and of course just because a company’s product is in an area - they still need all functions.
And then you hear 75% of educated engineers aren’t engineers in their careeer.
Think of that as equivalent to secondary admission to major like at Penn State, Virginia Tech, and Ohio State (although college GPA requirements may differ and other criteria may be added at some schools).
This does contrast with the minimum GPA requirements with Aerospace, which he intends to study at other schools. Many of those departments require 3.0-3.2 min.
I guess Wisconsin chooses a different way to evaluate the student?
Makes perfect sense to me, thanks for all the information, all!
With my wife and I coming from technology and medicine, we get the challenge and expectations. We believe that won’t be an insurmountable challenge for him, as he’s used to academic rigor… enough that he should be able to adjust to the difficult demands of engineering. He has the passion, but you have to truly love it to make it through.