<p>Hey, I have applied to 8 schools looking to major in engineering. But I feel as if I do not have quite enough info on some of them to make an informed decision. What I really want to know is how actual students like the engineering programs and the daily life at these colleges. So if you are an Engineering student at any of the schools in my list, I would love it if you could tell me how hard the courses are, the amount of workload, and what your typical week is like.</p>
<p>My ideal college experience is as follows. I want a good balance of work and fun. I want my classes to be challenging but not ludicrously difficult, and I want the work load to be manageable. I do NOT want to be staying in on Friday nights to study, and I want my weekends to be free to live life, party, relax, and make poor choices. </p>
<p>To sum it up, I want it all, but in moderation.</p>
<p>Here are the colleges I applied to in general preferred order, but I want to perfect this order based off your input!</p>
<ol>
<li>Virginia Tech (ranked 25th, in state, has the atmosphere im looking for)</li>
<li>Penn State (ranked 16th, reasonable, good atmosphere, but did not get into University Park, would go to another campus for two years at this point)</li>
<li>Texas A + M (dont know too much about!)</li>
<li>NC State </li>
<li>U of Maryland (hows the workload?)</li>
<li>Georgia Tech (I hear there is a lot of work)</li>
<li>George Mason</li>
<li>ODU (accepted into Engineering program as a University Scholar)</li>
</ol>
<p>Just saying… as an engineer you WILL probably be spending at least some Friday nights in no matter which school you’re at. Engineering is probably the hardest major possible.</p>
<p>GT is no more work than any other engineering school - it just gets that rap because there’s no “easy” majors available (Management maybe? But 99% of the majors available are hard as opposed to a school like Maryland where engineering and sciences only make up a smaller percentage of the school).</p>
<p>hopefullybrown15 Yes I am prepared for the larger amount of workload as an engineer over other majors, however I am still looking to find that balance. </p>
<p>mom2collegekids Yes this is Old Dominion, and it is my safety school, and I probably wont go there, as I do not feel their program is quite strong enough. Money is a bit of a concern, so an in state school (VA), penn state, or anything under 25,000 - 30,000 is ideal.</p>
<p>SLightManifesto which would you recommend, GT or Maryland?</p>
<p>Definitely GT for all things engineering. Maryland is good in the sciences, but if you want to be a helluvan engineer ( ), you can’t go wrong at GT. It’s ranked just a notch below schools like MIT and Stanford.</p>
<p>Now – it is necessary that you visit it, because it is a little different than most schools and you need to see if you’d enjoy yourself there. There’s a lot of side-things you’ll take into consideration - the ratio for one. 2 guys for every 1 girl (and I assume most of the girls are extremely ugly at an engineering school; you should be able to still get girls @ Emory though). Anyway, definitely visit it.</p>
gen ed stuff isn’t too hard IMO, but the engineering core classes tend to be a little more rigorous. Engineering electives varied- some were a breeze, while some were more intense than the core classes lol.</p>
<p>i’m going to be frank. I have a lot of free time, this semester but then again, i’m graduating and don’t have any -real- classes.</p>
<p>
They have a couple specialized programs that I think are a bang for the buck. If you want aerospace, the dept at ODU runs the full scale wind tunnel at NASA Langley. They also have a motorsports engineering program where they have a shared lab with VT out at VIR for research on that part and works closely with them. They also have a Marine engineering program if your into the naval field or nuclear technology. That program is primitive but they have connections with all the naval contractors and will put you in 60k starting jobs.</p>
<p>most of my graduating class and graduates have jobs with govt and govt contractors that are paying more than the average starting salary for engineers… so i think its a pretty good deal over all. Don’t know too many that are having trouble finding a job.</p>
<p>If your looking at GT, UMD, and VT, i wouldn’t be suprised if you dont pick ODU, but rest assure its a real strong back up school for you. i hope this helps a little.</p>
<p>Don’t sell ODU short. They have a pretty strong engineering program, likely top 3 in the state with partnerships with NASA, the military and they run the acclaimed Va. modeling and simulation center. You could do a lot worse, and the urban setting allows for some good internship opportunities as well.</p>
), you can’t go wrong at GT. It’s ranked just a notch below schools like MIT and Stanford.</p>