I really want to go to a great school for undergraduate AE engineering but I feel like all the best schools are cutthroat even once you get in. What are schools with great sense of community with students and teachers that are known to be great for engineering?
Are you asking about aerospace engineering specifically, or any kind of engineering?
And what do you mean by “great” or “prestigious” ? There are many, many good universities in this country with good engineering programs that won’t appear on most international rankings lists. They’re not “prestigious” in the usual sense of the word, but their departments often have terrific reputations and excellent industry connections. I know a young man who got his engineering degree at Colorado State – not an elite school – but through which he got a paid internship at NASA, where he now works. Going to the state school not known outside of the region certainly didn’t hurt his career!
One thing to keep in mind is that ALL engineering programs are difficult. Just because a school has a great sense of community doesn’t mean its engineering department won’t be very, very demanding. To go back to my point above, Colorado State is actually known for its community spirit – but its engineering students work very, very hard.
I’m fine with working very hard. Part of my decision to be an engineer would be that I would always be challenged. I do want a school that does offer an aerospace major for I have that option to do that in my undergrad. I would prefer a prestigious school because I do think that schools didnt just get their prestige from handing out money and I do believe that it will help me with my career.
I’d worry less about “prestige” and worry more about which engineering schools do job recruiters favor.
Depending on your budget, Embry-Riddle Prescott would be a good fit. It’s not quite MIT prestigious, but their AE program is top-notch, and the campus community is fantastic. Professors teach all classes and are easy to reach after class. Beautiful location as well!
I’m scared that I’ll change my mind on AE so embryo riddle I wouldn’t have much room to move.
and Gmtplus7 what schools would that be
How, pray tell, did you form this opinion?
From talking to older friends, researching online, on here, and siblings experiences
GMTPlus7 said…
“I’d worry less about “prestige” and worry more about which engineering schools do job recruiters favor.”
Well said. For example, the Ivy League is considered to be the epitome of American education, yet few applicants in the know would select an Ivy League engineering (traditional) department over U of Illinois, U of Michigan, Purdue, U of Delaware, Renssalaer, Northwestern or Georgia Tech. And there are probably two dozen other ABET engineering universities that engineering firms and industrial firms prefer to recruit at, rather than the Ivy League.
The ABET engineering curriculum is rigorous everywhere; there is no easy engineering program. That said, notable schools which have a reputation for a manageable and relatively comfortable academic environment (you will still be expected to work harder than you’ve ever worked before) include…
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
U of Virginia
U of Rochester
U of Maryland-Baltimore County
South Dakota School of Mines & Technology
U of Portland
U of Dayton
Colorado School of Mines
Missouri University of Science & Technology
Rose Hulman Institute
By the way, keep in mind that Aerospace Engineering is essentially a subset of Mechanical Engineering. At many schools AE is a graduate degree program only. Be optimistic with the knowledge that companies such as Boeing, United Technologies Corporation (Pratt and Whitney Engines, Sikorsky Helicopters), GE Aviation, etc. hire lots and lots of ME bachelor degree people.
Check out Olin. There are no weeder classes at Olin – they try their darnedest to have everyone graduate, and it’s a very friendly and close-knit community. They don’t have an AE degree, but they do have a strong Mech E program. A couple of caveats to be aware of, however. Olin kids work extremely hard. I think they have more fun doing it than practically any other engineering school, but there’s no denying that it’s a lot of work (I think they’re currently second on princetonreview’s “Students Study the Most” list – one of a great many PR lists they’re on). Also, it’s a very tough admit, so you’re going to need excellent grades and scores for it to be an option.
I just want to second some of the advice above and say that you should consider Mechanical Engineering Departments… At many schools, it is a specialty within mechanical engineering, and if you only look for aerospace degrees, you may miss out on some great programs.
What is your home state for tuition/residency purposes?
What are your SAT or ACT scores and GPA?
Do you have any preferences regarding:
a) region of country
b) rural/town/suburban/city/metropolis
My gpa is a 3.9 My Sat is 2200 and 34 Act. I have yet to take any subject tests and all my classes are dual enrollment. My home state is Oregon but there are no schools here that i would consider though reed does have this weird program where you do a few years at reed and a few years at cornell that I’ll look into. My only preference is that politically i dont want to go to a heavily conservative area and school. I’m from Portland so I’m used to extreme liberals. The other thing is cost, to avoid student loans I need to keep it under 60 grand a year including room board books etc. I can only afford to do an undergraduate if its a more pricey school.
Your stats would make you competitive for Olin. And, I should have mentioned this right out of the gate, but every kid who gets in to Olin gets a $22.5K/yr merit scholarship. So, tuition plus room and board is only ~$38K. I can also vouch for the fact that Olin is a very liberal place.
Just pointing out that the 3-2 programs for engineering through a LAC aren’t followed through much. Few students want to leave their friends of three years and frequently the engineering school has a min GPA or admissions requirement that can be difficult.
I’d check out Georgia Tech…two reasons:
- long-storied athletic teams in football/basketball. I didn’t really understand this until my first kid left for college but sports teams really bind a campus and its students
- fun activities within AE. Like getting to work with the world’s top solar car racing team http://solarracing.gatech.edu/
Also you’ve probably already seen this but here are the top 10 aerospace engineering schools listed with their tuition costs http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/aerospace-rankings
Yes, that’s right; 3/2 LAC/ENGR programs are more sizzle than steak.
Have you tossed OSU Corvallis completely out of the picture? Engineering is really quite good at OSU. It’s understandable if OSU’s 300-student size classrooms are not your cup of tea, but I doubt if enrollment in OSU upper level engineering courses is that large. There are other options in your state, such as U of Portland. UP mechanical engineers have won internships and co-ops at NASA and the Joint Propulsion Lab in California, I believe. Also, Case Western Reserve University and U of Akron, both of whom have great engineering departments, are less than one hour away from NASA’s John Glenn Research Center.
Those are my safety.
Each of these STEM universities provide Merit Aid to a significant percentage of students, according to USNews& World Report;
U of Tulsa
Marquette U
Illinois Institute of Technology
Rose Hulman Institute
U of Dayton
U of Portland
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
U of Denver