<p>Well before today I had my heart set on Swarthmore. Good basis of engineering, but still very liberal arts education and great basis for law or business school. Today, however, I visited Carnegie Mellon. The information session was very well put together and the school sounded very interesting. So whats the best way to tell whether a large research university or a lac is better for you?</p>
<p>sorry i forgot to ask…at cmu they also offer robotics as a minor (and some other interesting minors). im not sure how it works, i guess you can major in any field and still minor in robotics. Is that a fun/interesting/lucrative field? it seems pretty cool and useful</p>
<p>Here are the things my son is weighing:</p>
<p>Smaller classes at LAC/fewer TAs
Better mix of humanities at LAC
More girls at LAC
Might get tired of small school
Better co-ops/internships at large school
Better name recognition for engineering at tech/large school
More geeks at a tech school
Better support for engineering students at tech school
Better facilities at tech school</p>
<p>So, there are a few things to chew on.</p>
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<p>You say that like it’s a bad thing :D</p>
<p>If you like the structure of Swarthmore but you’re interested in engineering and robotics, check out Harvey Mudd College. </p>
<p>Although HMC only offers a general engineering degree, as a liberal arts college, you receive a strong humanities background so you understand how your work ties into the world at large. In addition, you can do robotics as an emphasis in your general engineering degree. Computer science is required for all students but you’ll take a bit more in order to get into the robotics classes.</p>
<p>Another consideration: Will the BS be your terminal degree? Or do you expect to continue on to graduate school for the MS or PhD?</p>
<p>In the former case, a large research university may have an edge. You will have be able to take more specialized classes, be more plugged into current trends, meet more on-campus recruiters, and have access to a larger alumni network. In general, large research universities tend to be more effective at “feeding” students into good industry jobs than LACs.</p>
<p>In the latter case, a LAC may have an edge. The professors at a LAC are much more likely to take a personal interest in you, make sure that you have a solid grounding in the fundamentals (grad schools love that), involve you in their research (grad schools love that too), and write excellent letters of recommendation. In general, LACs tend to be more effective at “feeding” students into top graduate programs than large research universities. Swarthmore, for example, produces ridiculous numbers of engineering PhDs given its small size. Mudd probably does too.</p>
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i would love to but i dont want to go that far away :(</p>
<p>and who knows what ill be thinking in 4 years, but right now i dont think ill stop with a BS. id like to pursure a JD, MBA, or maybe even an MS if i really like engineering</p>
<p>From 1977-2001, when weighted with the number of baccalaureate degrees granted through ALL disciplines at ALL colleges, Mudd has the second highest rate of doctoral degree’d alumni, behind Cal Tech. Swarthmore’s number four, Reed’s number two, MIT’s number 5. The Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium compiled the information.</p>
<p>I <em>think</em> that in the past five years, Mudd’s ratio has gone up and they’ve assumed first place, but don’t quote me on that…</p>
<p>Regarding the Phd Productivity-
Its true that HMC has the second highest PhD %, only second to Caltech in that study. Like you say, Aibarr, it may be possible things have changed in the last 5 years…but I guess we will not know for certain until a new study is completed.</p>
<p>Andrassy, why is distance such a large concern for you? Do you not like Southern Californian weather? (that’s impossible!) 
Sometimes, you have to go the extra mile to get what you deserve/really want. No pun intended. A five hour plane ride is not much more different than a one hour plane ride… it is more psychological?</p>
<p>I’m currently a CMU student (Computer Science). It’s a great school, but not a good place for someone undecided on major. I think it’s much easier to be undecided at a LAC, since a broad education is part of the purpose of LACs. While you may have a chance to take various electives at CMU(in particular, computer science requires a minor), it is hard to be undecided on major because you have to apply for an internal transfer to switch schools. </p>
<p>Yes, you can minor in robotics no matter what your major is, and if you don’t want to invest that much time in it, there’s a large robotics club and a regularly offered StuCo (student taught course) called “Fun with Robots.”</p>
<p>A school like CMU, while a research university, still feels a smaller school, since it is one (4000 undergrads). You’re not just a number, like you may feel at large state schools. Although you say you don’t want to go far away, I’d also suggest considering Rice - it’s smaller than CMU, has a strong engineering department, and many opportunities to take classes outside of your major.</p>
<p>morfinx:</p>
<p>Quite the contrary. My son is VERY cool on non-geeky schools. He has almost ruled out Northeastern because of it…</p>
<p>Sorry for a lame question, but anybody mind telling what LAC is?</p>
<p>LAC = Liberal Arts School</p>