Looking for advice for my son who is interested in robotics, with a mix of CS, ECE, Mechanical engineering courses. Cost is not a major concern, looking for a university that has opportunities for social interaction for someone who is naturally an introvert and has good opportunities for internship.
Listing universities west to east.
UCI
In state
Mid-tier UC within state, although it is better than flagships of many states
Commuter campus. Maybe a good thing since he can come home during the weekend if needed. Too close to home
Clean, beautiful campus. Looks more like a research/office park than a traditional red-brick university
No football team (consideration for college spirit)
Saw in some forums that Asian friend groups can be cliquey, main concern is with breaking into social groups
CU Boulder
Beautiful town and outdoors. He is into snow boarding, but not a hiker
Liked the campus. Used to live in Colorado and familiar with the town
Smaller size of Engineering
Closest to home after UCI
Better academic vs social life balance
OSU
Traditional campus with red-brick buildings, nice green spaces and self-contained
Far from home and harder to reach, fewer flight options
Big10 sports and campus spirit
Mid-western cold
Less diversity than we are used to in CA
Robotics minor
UMD
Traditional campus with red-brick buildings, beautiful and self-contained
Far from home, but well connected with 3 airports. Gives a sample of east coast where he has not lived
Big10 sports, but campus spirit is probably not as high as OSU
Closeness to DC and national labs. Potential defense jobs. Could opportunities be limited as 2nd gen American?
Robotics minor
Falls in t20 for CE, EE, CS and ME
Minnesota, NCSU, Penn State, Rutgers and Univ of Pitts were other considerations in the Engineering Top 50 list. Ranking is a factor for short listing, but beyond that would prefer a university that is not cut-throat, provide support for students and allow for more social interaction. It’s too far out, but he is also considering a Masters degree.
Every school you mentioned is equally as good. Even the ones you removed.
Close can be good but can be a crutch.
CU has mountains.
OSU is enormous.
UMD has DC access.
All three have big time sports which UCI lacks.
Hers some more info - but don’t forget companies typically pay by location, not school. And likely don’t care about rank. UCI is lacking so you might ask specific to the major.
They provide career data - yes it’s likely more complete at some schools vs others but it’s another data piece to have.
Thank you for the links, will take a look. Initial pay is not a huge consideration. It is more important to get your foot in and get relevant experience in this job market.
Apologies, I might have posted this on the wrong forum. The list above is admitted univs. We did not apply to Oregon State, but have heard good things about the other OSU.
That’s all. Of the economy is good and you’re at an Abet accredited school - you are fine. Every school you mentioned is fine.
Your goal then should be to find the best fit - and fit includes cost for those where it matters.
Also look at department and college size etc. some will be smaller / larger.
The right school is the one where your son visited and said - I’m home !!
Most will have robotics classes and even minors.
Today, more kids, even from top schools find internships and jobs on their own as less companies target or visit campus.
As for Masters, it’s not needed but he can decide that in four years. No one can predict now. Mine was doing a masters til he wasn’t a few years in. Now he wants one - an MBA. At 17 they don’t know…
Good luck.
The problem with applying to so many schools - you can only choose one
Out of curiosity - why not UMN. It’s strong, in an employer paradise and known for robotics. Easy transport too.
See Maryland’s minor for robotics and compare with options offered at the other universities.
Not sure proximity to Washington DC is as advantageous as in past years bc currently many local internships funded by government have been cancelled. This is word of mouth from my current junior in social sciences.
Today, more kids, even from top schools find internships and jobs on their own as less companies target or visit campus.
True that. Companies do favor some universities over others due to familiarity and some of it comes with being local. Once it gets to technical review/interview stage, agree that university or location doesn’t matter.
The problem with applying to so many schools - you can only choose one
I know its a cliche to have so many good choices. Thankful, but stressful to make a choice! Out of the 4 above + NCSU that we have visited, son liked them all for different reasons. So trying to consider other factors like internships in the areas he is interested in. He tends to be unduly influenced by ranking so trying to give some informed guidance.
Out of curiosity - why not UMN. It’s strong, in an employer paradise and known for robotics. Easy transport too.
I’m trying to remember, cold was a major factor. It sounded like another level compared to the OSU, especially coming from So Cal. We’ll take a second look though.
Yes, that was the concern. With current environment though (as Hippobirdy pointed out), I’m not sure that defense internships should be a major factor in decision making. Perhaps closeness to DC is not an advantage any more.
However, mention of “Big 10” sports is a hint that “OSU” means The Ohio State University, rather than Oregon State University (Pac-2) or Oklahoma State University (Big “12”).
I know more about Ohio State. You already know that all of these are very good engineering schools, so you seem most interested in vibe. One advantage OSU has is the Midwestern laid back niceness of students. Students tend to be accepting of who you are: you do you. This translates into very happy students. Survey data indicates that OSU and CU both have a very high level of happiness. OSU and CU have a happiness level close to that of ucsb, which you should be familiar. So, OSU and CU have very good engineering with very happy students.
I agree with what others have said about finding fit. A couple of additional thoughts: once he’s decided on his college, have him look at LLCs (Living Learning Communities; may also be called something else depending on college) as a way to instantly have a group. My son did an LLC his first year at Penn State and met his best friends at college that way. LLCs do lots of dorm activities, they tend to study together; at my son’s LLC they even had tutors come to the dorm a day or two before the big science/math midterms to help kids out (it was a first-year science & engineering LLC, so all the students were in the same classes mostly).
And then - there’s likely a day or two or more in the fall that will showcase all the student clubs he can join. Encourage him to attend the club fair; he might find his people there, too, and it’ll give him instant socialization that’s not connected to classes.