@dbj378 @mommdc asked me to comment because I have had 3 Pitt engineering students - two have graduated (one ChemE and one BioE) and one is a current jr (BioE). We chose Pitt because all my kids received merit awards making it affordable whereas other options (UM, Cornell, CWRU, PSU) were not. I am glad they went to Pitt because it definately gave them a great education, great student support and a great very collaborative environment. I do believe ABET levels the playing field of all programs. I don’t believe rankings for undergrad necessarily translate to student experiences. Couple of things I like about Pitt -
- Pitt doesn't control enrollment in a major or require a certain gpa to declare an engineering discipline. As @mommdc mentioned, freshman year everyone takes a seminar class which introduces each discipline through lectures from the various depts and professors. They are also asked to delve into one discipline and one research topic and team up to prepare a paper, poster and present to alumni or industry judges at a mock-scientific conference at the end of freshman year. That project is a great opportunity to really go below the surface and look at research being currently conducted in that field. That seminar fulfills not only a gen-ed for writing but teaches them scientific writing skills which my kids have relied on when presenting later at scientific conferences.
- Pitt research is huge. There are many opportunities for undergrads as early as freshman year to find positions in labs around campus. Pitt funding by NIH for example is the 5th largest in $$ and projects in the nation. My kids had no problem securing research by simply emailing professors whose research they were interested in. My dd had 2 publications by the time she graduated from Pitt and since she left last spring, she had an additional 3 get published. If you go to the engineering website, there are yearly statistical books describing all the research http://www.engineering.pitt.edu/statistics/
- Co-op program - great option but is not required, completely up to the student and whether they want to go into industry or grad school etc. My jr will be doing a co-op in a biotech start up (launched from CMU) in a month. The co-op office was very helpful in resume prep, interview prep and finding that opportunity for her. I don't have to pay Pitt while she is cooping except for a small co-op fee of something like $375.
- Pittsburgh is a fun, relatively affordable city to explore - my kids are very different, one enjoyed concerts coming to town and is really active in community service and an engineering frat. She also studied abroad (paid in full by Pitt engineering btw). My other was in the marching band and symphonic band, dj'd at the radio station. My other daughter was the serious researcher - but also was a leader in BMES and presenting at conferences (paid for by Pitt engineering). Pitt engineering also granted her fellowship $ every summer to continue her research.
There’s alot to like! Let me know if you have any other questions.