Mechanical Engineering-- GW vs Stevens Institute of Technology

cj6217
Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:29:53 +0000

I’m a recent alum of GW engineering – was linked to here off of another website, and was curious so was looking through some of these threads. I found this thread particularly interesting.

First of all, in my opinion comparing GW’s undergraduate program to Stevens Institute is like comparing apples to oranges. The two schools are completely different both academically and socially, with GW clearly being the winner in both cases (despite these Stevens “students” claiming the contrary.) Stevens isn’t ranked anywhere near the top 50 of undergraduate programs…I never even heard of the school until this thread. GW is far more competitive, with a much lower acceptance rate than Stevens.

GW’s Engineering School is small, but in a good way. Most of my classes were under 20 students, with professors working very closely with us, and always available outside of class if needed. Classes were rigorously challenging, especially being that I spent a lot of my time studying whereas many of my friends in other schools such as Columbian College and Elliot had a lot more free time. I think this, combined with the location and partnerships with government entities was an extremely strong point. GW is quickly expanding these partnerships further given its obvious central location in DC, and is securing federal funding for research and job opportunities at an incredible rate. I had professors within the engineering school that were experts in their fields, working at numerous federal agencies, and learned an enormous deal from them all. I can say without question that I had a great education at GW. I was deciding between NYU and GW when looking at colleges, and ultimately chose GW due to partnerships with federal agencies that provided full scholarship and stipend opportunities.

Sure, SEAS isn’t the most well known program compared to others at the University, but I’m sure in a few years, it will be a lot more known. GW is currently working on a 300 million dollar new building for SEAS, which from what I’m told is going to be nothing short of amazing. They are hiring new professors, and are making huge strides in expanding research opportunities given the new Dean and President Knapp making this a number 1 priority.

What you have to realize is that when looking at Undergraduate programs, about half of your classes aren’t even going to be in the field you are studying. To fulfill accreditation requirements for Bachelors of Science programs, you will be taking humanities, social sciences, and various electives. Given how well rounded GW is, you will find yourself taking extremely interesting classes in all fields. Not to mention the study abroad opportunities are amazing at GW, with SEAS re-designing programs to allow undergrads to fit a semester abroad into their curriculum. I studied abroad in England, and it was an unbelievable experience.

In terms of social life, DC is an awesome place to be. I liked it so much that I decided to stay here while getting a great job with a government agency. Being able to study at the national monuments, living a few blocks from the White House, and having a great nightlife were some of the advantages. GW is the most centrally located school in DC, students are happy, and rightfully so.

Not knowing anything about Stevens, I would agree you need to visit both campuses, but you need to look at the full undergraduate experience before making any decisions.