<p>Hey guys. I’ve been looking through past threads and through the bu site for eng and although informative, I still have much to learn. The college of engineering is rather small compared to the rest of the school. My thinking is that you get the best of both worlds in getting the opportunity to get close to the eng faculty while having the resources of a large school (internships and stuff). How big will freshmen classes be here? How helpful has the school been in guiding you through your years to your eventual career? I would also appreciate any advices and just thoughts. I’m not exactly sure how many people come here after they’re in college but worth a try.</p>
<p>And on another note, does BU have textbooks for classes like calculus around for students to borrow? I looked through the catalog and on that I’m basing no. Am I stuck in having to fork over money?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, BU doesn’t have too many textbooks for students to borrow, because otherwise every student on campus will want to borrow them since no one wants to pay such high prices for books. Check out the facebook group BU books for BU students (and many more), they will have students selling the books you need. </p>
<p>I’m in CAS so can’t help you out with your other question there…</p>
<p>Other than checking the student facebook group sales, I recommend renting textbooks or buying them from Amazon/Half.com. Renting is usually the cheapest option if it is available. Try Bookrenter.com. BU B&N posts the ISBN numbers of the books on the website now, so they’re easy to look up.</p>
<p>Thatanos…I am a sophomore engineering so I can answer some of your questions. Yes you will have to buy all the books for your classes. I recommend using Bigwords.com for it compares tons of different places for renting or buying used/new textbooks. My recommendation is that you only rent one semester class books and buy two semester class books (and sometimes its better to buy one semester books too). In terms of class size, most engineering classes will be smaller with the exception of Chemistry (for BME’s) and Physics for those are both CAS classes so you are with not just engineers. In your freshman year, one semester you will pick two different modules for different types of engineering which will be capped at 20 students per class and you will be in MatLab which is capped at 50 students. Most engineering classes are under 100 students and in your junior/senior year most are capped at 20-25 students. Also, in terms of internships and future careers, the Eng Career office is SOOOO helpful! They do mock interviews and look at your resumes and everything. Also having an academic advisor that you see every other week first semester freshman year is really nice! I hope that helps! :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the tips regarding textbooks and thank you swimchik for answering. I found more resources in the eng department and the career development office people seem very helpful in making sure you’re good to go once you graduate. I’ll be sure to keep in touch with them. I’m really looking forward to the fall semester to get started.</p>
<p>I’ve been looking through eng majors and most people seem to either go to BME or ME. Very few people go to CE or EE compared to the other 2. Do you have any insight as to why? Also, do you plan to study abroad? Thanks!</p>
<p>Hello Thatanos,</p>
<p>I have noticed that many people apply to the college of engineering here as BME majors because that department is ranked high(I think this year the department is ranked 10th). Therefore we definitely see a higher number of applicants and subsequently students who are enrolled as BME majors. </p>
<p>If you are looking at the graduation outcomes, I don’t really have much insight as to why ECE is smaller than ME. Computer Engineering always had the smallest number of people majoring in it. I have found that people just do not find interest in this major but I basically know everyone who is a CE in my year. I have heard from other majors that they would never be a CE major because of the amount of time we spend in front of a computer.</p>
<p>I hope this helped. Sorry if my grammar is weird.</p>
<p>Thatanos…yes, I do plan on studying abroad. I actually just finished my application completely today. lol. There are three direct programs (as in everything you would be taking at BU you take abroad) during second semester of your sophomore year in Dresden, Germany; Grenoble, France; and Tel Aviv, Israel. During junior year there are three countries which most people go to if they choose to doso in their junior year in London, England; Dublin, Ireland; and Sydney, Australia. Those programs aren’t direct so its just a little more research on your part in terms of what classes you want to take and which ones transfer and such.</p>
<p>Would you guys happen to know why grades in engineering are commonly low? More relevant, are the freshmen classes curved harshly or are the classes that difficult or is it a combination of both?</p>
<p>Another question I have is regarding scholarships. I sworn I read it somewhere in the College of Engineering website but students over a 3.2 GPA (minimum?) were given half-scholarships. I’ll continue looking for it but my question is how difficult is it to get scholarships outside of those that you need to write a paper and do community service and other non-academic activities? This year I’m going entirely on grants that are non-renewable and have no scholarships. My family’s situation is changing but this also begs the question on how financing the school will work.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading.</p>