<p>I posted this question on the engineering thread…but I would like the perspective of parents as well - particularly with regards to career prospects. Thanks!</p>
<p>The dust has settled and now I need to choose where to study EECS. I wish to have a career in consulting and expect to go on to get an MBA. My options are:</p>
<p>UC Berkeley
Cornell
Dartmouth
Duke
Olin
UVA (Rodman) in-state</p>
<p>I like aspects of all of these schools and I realize there are significant trade-offs. Where should I go and why?</p>
<p>mominva, Olin accreditation is forthcoming, tuition is free and the engineering education is superb. My sister is at UVA Eng. and loves it, so the Rodman looks good also. Dartmouth while not an engineering school by any means, has so much to offer… so hard to decide!</p>
<p>Hockeyfan,
If you were my child, I’d recommend #1 Olin, only if the accreditation is in place before you graduate. You may need to check with them or ABET for a timeline of this process. The #2 UVa-Rodman-here you are in an elite group within a larger university for a great price. At the other schools you’re just another engineering student.</p>
<p>A school cannot receive accreditation until it has graduated at least one class. Olin will be graduating its first class this year (2006) and is on track for both ABET and regional accreditation. I would NOT worry about this - Olin is an outstanding engineering school and is well-recognized in the industry. </p>
<p>In fact, ALL of the schools on your list are excellent for engineering. So, I would look beyond that and consider other things-- where do you feel most comfortable socially? Which schools offer other opportunities that interest you (i.e., internships, extracurriculars, perhaps even study abroad), which school cultures do you like best (Berkeley and Duke have VERY different campus cultures - Olin is very different than Cornell, etc.). It’s time to start thinking about who YOU are and who you want to be around for the next four years.</p>
<p>More importantly, be VERY careful about asking for too much input from other people — ESPECIALLY strangers who have never met you and therefore can have no idea who you are or what type of school would be the best fit for you. Opinions like that will likely only confuse you more. This is your decision to make, and only YOU can decide where you will be happiest.</p>
<p>So, my advice, in a nutshell: Trust your gut instinct about which school feels most like “home” to you. Go there.</p>
<p>If your screen name reflects an important part of you, then you simply must seriously consider Cornell…they’re “hockey crazed” up there…it would be heaven for someone passionate about hockey…plus, COrnell’s engineering school is super…of course, this doesn’t mean that there aren’t good reasons to favor your other schools…but if thinking it all through still leaves you struggling to decide, factor in hockey…that could make the difference for you…</p>