What if I’m not sure about what I want to pursue later in life? Do you think I should still go to waterloo ee? (At least that is what everyone else is saying around me)
I’m not sure if I want to compete with other brilliant (at least in math/physics) kids in waterloo and want to explore my passion - would it be a dumb choice to ignore this opportunity?
Waterloo gives you a chance to study your preferred major, while 3+2 programs like at Colby are rarely completed by transfer to the “2” school (due to uncertainly about admission and cost there).
Undergraduate study in the US will not directly help you get a work visa or other immigration to the US. This is in contrast to Canada.
I do understand that less than half of applicants get into 3+2 programs and I am convinced that I shouldn’t take that route to take all those pre requisite courses
But the thing is that I don’t think graduating from waterloo will give me any opps towards research or grad schools anyway
It sounds like you’d rather go to Colby.
I do agree, though, that 3:2 programs are cumbersome and poorly-paced compared to 4-year engineering programs, and poorly-aligned with the social arc of a 4-year LAC experience. So I wouldn’t weight the availability of that very heavily either.
I’m confused by this - it’s true that at Colby you can major or double major in anything because you’ve been admitted to the whole college but they don’t offer Engineering. Then again if your main interest in EE is “getting rich” not sure you’ll last at Waterloo
You’re clearly a strong student so you should do pretty well either way, though if you don’t want engineering it’s going to be tough at Waterloo.
BTW Waterloo is well known to US grad schools so that shouldn’t be a concern. However it’s a tough school and you have to like what you’re doing because even those who do, have times when they just can’t.
Have you contacted the 2 Asian/South Asian clubs at Colby? What can they tell you about life there? It’s likely to be a culture shock after a 90+% Asian High school.
It sounds like you’re leaning toward Colby - what would you study there? Or do you want to explore and decide, or double major (say, in CS+ sth else)?
I am considering environmental science, economics, or computer science as my major but I guess I’ll have to discover my true passion during my undergrad. (I don’t even know what electrical engineers do)
Thanks a lot for your kind words. I’ll make sure I contact the clubs or look for asian presence around colby and maine.
It’s surprising that they almost have identical weather/temp! (Well, they are close to each other but I heard a lot more news about Colby and Waterville)
Now taking out the climate from the consideration, I guess I’ll actively consider my options for the next 6 days. Thank you
That definitely pushes you toward Colby more…
At Waterloo you’ll focus on EE and have a minor but there’s no time for exploring. And both Waterloo and EE are hard enough that if you’re not into co-ops and don’t want to be an engineer, they wouldn’t be the right fit.
That being said, there must have been a reason you applied to EE at Waterloo? Or was it just to see if you could get in?
Btw you could totally study economics&CS at colby, or ES and sth else, etc. AND you don’t need to know till after freshman year. All US grad schools will know Colby and the alumni network is very tight so you’ll have a lot of support. Academically it’s very strong.
The thing that worries me for you is culture shock going from 90% to 10% Asian. Only you would know if you can handle it or if it’d be too much.
I guess it’s because of the competitive culture around my school (International Baccalaureate school). Most of the graduating seniors head to engineering / health science / compsci - they tend to have stellar grades and ecs and I just went with the flow.
I’m also worried about the racial diversity at colby but I guess that’ll be part of the process of growing up.
Doing the 3+2 makes little sense - you have to get into Dartmouth, you have to leave the kids you know at Colby after 3 years - and oh by the way, you should see if you would get an AB after 5 years (not ABET accredited) or a BE (which takes normal Dartmouth kids 5 years).
As for working in the US, that may or may not be possible.
There are three different timetables available. In the Dartmouth program, they spend junior year at Dartmouth, return to Colby for senior year, and then go back to Dartmouth again for year five. This is better socially than a traditional 3:2, IMHO, because it blends in with all the junior year study-abroad absences, and then everyone reunites senior year and graduates together before the fifth engineering year begins. And there’s a cohort that goes together - usually 6-8 students per year, according to the website. So I think it’s better than many 3:2 plans. But I agree, it’s hard to tell how much you can specialize, and whether you get an ABET degree at the end.
Then there are two plans with Columbia - a traditional 3:2, and a 4:2 where you finish your whole Colby degree before moving on to Columbia. This makes Study Abroad possible, and allows the full four-year experience… but then you’re on the hook for two more years for a second bachelor’s degree. That’s a lot of time and money for a double-bachelor’s when you could have gotten a BS/MS in that timeframe. I remember looking at the 4:2 on another student’s thread; in that case, they had a full ride to a top LAC, so it really made sense to consider because, why not maximize the free part of the education? But if you’re coming out of pocket for six full years, plus opportunity cost… oof.
^ Thanks for laying out the choices so clearly.
I think the key here is that this student … doesn’t want to study Engineering but isn’t sure what they want - they listed Economics, Environmental science, and CS but don’t really know. So the Dartmouth or Columbia plan may not even matter. It sounds like it’s just a sort of escape hatch to placate others rather than a personal goal, something like " if after exploring my academic interests it turns out I AM interested in Engineering it’s not closed to me forever, even though right now it’s not something I want." (BTW the Dartmouth structure, with 1 year junior year when many others are abroad then graduation with one’s friends, is a great structural idea. )
In terms of selectivity (9%acceptance rate!), prestige, or academics, Colby is as strong as Waterloo. It’s a top NESCAC, something HS well wishers speaking about prestige likely don’t know. But ultimately OP will be the one who has to spend 5 years studying a subject they’re not interested in, not the friends or relatives pushing them to Waterloo.
(Even if friends&family in Canada haven’t heard of it, grad schools& employers have, and the alumni network is tight.)
For 30k a year (v.27k Waterloo) Colby is a really good deal, allows OP to figure out what they want, and is not a step down from Waterloo.
Absolutely - I should have been more clear about the larger context. I was responding to the “You have to leave the kids you know after three years” assertion, because I don’t think the quality of the escape hatch is really the issue. If the OP later gains a greater understanding of what engineering is, and decides that the double-degree is desirable after all, the “escape hatch” isn’t a mirage. For a student who definitely wanted engineering, the Waterloo opportunity would make much more sense. But for this student - who would clearly rather be exploring a range of options at Colby and enjoying a more traditional college experience - choosing a 5-year “boot camp” to prepare for a career he doesn’t even necessarily want sounds like a pretty grim undertaking. And indeed, Colby at 30K/year is a pretty great deal!
OP, I feel as if the subtext here is that you feel as if choosing the path you prefer would be self-indulgent. I think that’s only the case if you choose Colby, and then let your “procrastinator” side take over and fail to make the most of it. If you keep in mind how hard you would have worked at Waterloo, doing something you didn’t love, and resolve to work even 80% as hard at Colby on the things you do love, the combined investment of your parents’ money and your effort will open many doors. Keep in the front of your mind that the effort piece is an essential part of that bargain, and I don’t think you’ll end up having any regrets.
