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Which engineering college would you consider for your dd?


miamom
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I am a longtime reader, but finally made an account!  My dd will start college next year, please give me the hive's opinions on the following if you have any knowledge of them. I am new to this-she is my first one to attend college.  We live in TN for reference.

 

-Georgia Tech (also please give insight-would you let your dd live in Atlanta?)

 

-Rose-Hulman

 

-Missouri S and T (formally U of MO-Rolla)-

 

-Case Western (same with Atlanta-would you let your dd live in Cleveland?)

 

-CO School of Mines

 

-University of Alabama-Huntsville

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I can't comment on the colleges but I can comment on "letting" your dd live in a city (e.g. Atlanta, Cleveland).  Take her to visit and learn what the areas surrounding the college are like so that she can make an informed decision.  City life has a way of becoming second-nature in a short time; no big deal (I went off to Boston at 18 and later moved to San Francisco and Chicago).  I wouldn't necessarily be less concerned about safety at a suburban or rural campus than an urban one.

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I worked at Georgia Tech as a 20-something single girl in the 80s and found it perfectly safe. There's plenty to do on campus, & she'd quickly learn how to explore the big city safely with friends.

 

My brother went to Case Western, and it's similar. No problems, just don't go wandering off campus alone till you know what's OK.

 

Both are terrific schools for engineering. Is that her final list? Has she also considered U Rochester or Carnegie Mellon? Both are in the same range academically as CWRU and GT and are great places for STEM girls.

 

and welcome to the forums!

 

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True, Kathy. I am amazed by how similar Case and University of Rochester are, even down to the associated world class music and medical schools.

My dd#2 is interested in both. I like 'em both, too.... but UR is *here*, for goodness sakes!

 

RIT also has an interesting engineering program and goes to great lengths to interest local women in STEM fields. We love the vibe there. I would say it's more focused on the applied side... a Co-op school that likes to get kids work experience early in the program. A slightly more forgiving admit rate, too.

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How sure is she that she wants to be an engineer?

 

How does she feel about gender balance (is she bothered by a low percentage of females in her classes)?

 

As far as something like city versus rural, we purposefully sent our daughter to a big city far away. :) But she is on a very safe campus. So she lives and studies safely every day, but she can explore when she wants to.

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I made a similar thread recently - my dd wants to go into CompSci and would like to go to an engineering college.  Geography might be different, though, as we live further north, and she's looking to not get too far from home.

 

Some she's considering are WPI, RIT, RPI, Clarkson, and Olin.  One that was mentioned on the thread I started that's more your way is Virginia Tech.  That's the furthest south I think she'd be willing to go.  Case Western has also been mentioned to us, but I think that's also a bit far.  Don't know if your dd is willing to venture to the northeast! :)

 

I wouldn't rule out a campus because it's in the city.

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-CO School of Mines

 

Ds is a freshman at Mines.  He loves it there, and I think it is a terrific school.  A pp asked how sure she is that she wants to be an engineer.  That is an important question if you are serious about Mines.  Ds had no idea what he wanted to major in, but he leaned STEM, so we felt fine about it.

 

25% female, 75% male - according to ds, it's a very safe campus for women.  Women get 1 floor in the (4 story) dorms.  At least that's the way it is in his (older) dorm.

 

I like to share the Salary Survey and Annual Report.

 

OOS tuition is 31K, but OOS high stat students earn $15K in academic scholarships.

 

HTH!

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Thank you for the great replies and welcome!  She definitely wants to go the engineering route, dh is one as well.  She is looking into chemical most likely.  She feels Mines is wonderful, but too far away.  It sounds like the city factor wouldn't be a huge issue as long as she practices basic safety rules as that would be true for anywhere she goes.

 

I know this may sound strange to some, but she doesn't want to go Greek and doesn't care for college sports. She is a quiet, studious girl but loves to be physically active.  She needs a school where there isn't a huge Greek presence if anyone knows anything about that, I'd love to hear it.

 

Olin kept sending us emails to apply and it sounds good as well.  I will look into U of Roch and she's applied to Virginia Tech and Carnegie Mellon but we haven't heard yet.  The gender balance isn't a problem, she will be fine either way.  We are planning a visit to Case, Rose, Rolla, and GA Tech soon and have visited Huntsville as it is close, she has been admitted all of them.  Looks like a lot of road trips in our near future!

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My kids still have quite a while before college, but I graduated from Georgia Tech in 2002 (my DH graduated in 2001).  I loved it and have great memories of my time there.  GT really feels like its own little world that's surrounded by Atlanta, if that makes sense.  The campus has expanded some since I was there, but I think it still has that same feel to it.  If you have specific questions about GT, I'll do my best to answer.  I don't know anything about the others, though.

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I know this may sound strange to some, but she doesn't want to go greek and doesn't care for college sports. She is a quiet, studious girl but loves to be physically active.  She needs a school where there isn't a huge greek presence if anyone knows anything about that, I'd love to hear it.

 Not strange at all! I fit that same description back in my college days, and I double majored in chem eng & math at U Rochester. The academics were as intense as I desired, & I also had lots of personal attention and great advising, a chance to do research in the chem eng department, and help finding good summer internships and term time jobs as a TA/grader. Rochester is a small research uni with a broad range of majors, and the STEM fields are especially strong. Plenty of extracurriculars and lots of stuff to do independent of Greek life and sports. Good gender balance, too.

 

ETA: Just checked & U Roc's application deadline was Jan 5.  She's got a wonderful list of schools already, though! 

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Kathy-she is thinking about either double majoring in chemical engineering and math or doing a minor in it!!  Math is her favorite!!

 

PurpleOwl-I read something about the high stress level of GT students. While she wouldn't mind intense, what is it really like there?  This could just be the case for all colleges.   What about individual attention for the students?

 

Sue-she has applied to Mines too, but we are waiting to hear from them.

 

 

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Success at Georgia tech really depends on the student. Those who come in with good study skills, go to classes, keep up daily with work, and go to office hours, etc, will do fine! I say this as a former faculty member in the math dept there. I didn't see a huge difference in the work (amount or difficulty level) required to succeed at GA Tech vs Case vs CMU. It's just that GA Tech is a bigger state school & so has a greater variety of students.

 

The math profs I knew there were more than happy to give individual help to students who sought it. That's the key! Be proactive and ask questions when needed.

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Heh...GT students like to brag about how stressed they are, like it's a badge of honor.  Yes, it's challenging coursework, but the students drawn to GT are the type who enjoy that sort of challenge.  (At a guess, I would say it's a similar type of student at other engineering schools.)  It's not impossible; it's not going to kill you.  You have times when there are more tests and more deadlines, and times when you're feeling on top of everything, just like you would at any other school.  But yeah, when we would see tour groups walking by, we'd joke that we should warn them to get out while they still could. ;)  

 

Individual attention - I'm not sure if I'm the best one to answer that, because I was in a small major (History, Technology, & Society).  But my professors were very approachable and interested in seeing students succeed.  One of my roommates ended up babysitting for one of our profs. :)

 

GT has an active Greek system, but I was not involved in it and was really only peripherally aware of its goings-on.  I was very involved in a campus ministry (Baptist Student Union, now called BCM, don't remember what the new initials stand for).  And I am not athletic and didn't participate, but there are plenty of intramural sports opportunities there as well.

 

I think the campus visits will be great for you and your DD.  I remember feeling very comfortable, very much "this is my sort of place, with my sort of people," when I visited Tech's campus.  

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I can speak somewhat to Georgia Tech.  My daughter is a high school junior who is dual-enrolled at Tech this year.  She doesn't live on campus, obviously, but especially during finals, she practically did.  She was sixteen when she started last semester and drove herself every day, from an Atlanta suburb, without incident.  There was one time during the first week that she stopped for gas on Northside Drive, where it borders Tech, and noticed a guy staring at her, so she got back into her car and drove to the next station that happened to have a police car sitting in the parking lot.  Other than that, and including the week that she spent on campus during finals, when she bunked in friends' dorm rooms and apartments, she has never felt unsafe.  Off of campus at night, especially, there are regular property crimes, but personal crimes are rare.  The Tech PD sends our regular emails when there is a crime on or around campus, so the students tend to see the pattern--students walking alone at night, just off of campus, carrying backpacks containing laptops.  

 

As for stress, there was definitely some of that, but even in her half-student, half-not state, she felt that there was a sense of teamwork amongst the students.  She got together several times to study with friends for both of her classes, and during finals, informal study groups popped up regularly for at least one of her classes.  This is not the most outgoing of girls, but she felt comfortable asking people in her class when she didn't understand something, and vice-versa--she was approached several times by other students who had figured out that she understood a particular concept.  I know that's pretty normal, but the impression I got is that the students all want to do well but realize that doesn't require that anyone else NOT do well.  Possibly that doesn't make any sense--it's been a long day.

 

As for personal fitness, there is a fabulous campus rec center that is used very heavily, and everyone in Atlanta runs (so it seems).

 

As for personal attention, I don't have anything to which to compare this except for my own undergraduate experience, but there is so much help available.  Most of the big, difficult classes have drop-in tutoring available for hours a day--you sign in, and the tutor's hanging out in an office ready to help.  The TAs for the classes vary in quality, as you would expect, but the ones who are good are very good.  Several of the classes have both lecture and recitation sections, with the lecture being the professor's traditional class, and the recitation being a smaller group of students with a TA who reviews or reteaches the class material.  I know that is pretty common these days, but my daughter took full advantage of these services and did really well in her classes despite a grueling extracurricular schedule.

 

Tech doesn't encourage dual enrollment  (we think they only have five this year), but they have been amazingly accommodating, definitely going above and beyond.  She  also has had almost nothing but positive interactions with other students.  In fact, she was on crutches this week after knee surgery and reports that she did not open a single door for herself.  A guy behind her actually got out of line at the Chick-fil-A in the food court to carry her lunch to her table--I wish I knew his mama so I could tell her what a fine young man she's raised.  Once early last semester, she was caught without an umbrella, and some guy she didn't know covered her with his umbrella and walked her to her building.  During finals, she spent a couple of nights with a friend from differential equations so she could save commuting time.  The friend even made her really good Chinese food (the friend is Chinese).  The point of all of this is that none of these people have any reason to be nice to her, but they have been.

 

I feel like I should close with, "And enroll in the next 24 hours, and we'll also send you this free. . .."  Sorry for the hard sell!  But I would not hesitate to send my daughter to Tech, and I never thought I would be saying that.

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Sue-she has applied to Mines too, but we are waiting to hear from them.

 

Well, I'll hop on the GT bandwagon too.  I would have loved for ds to attend GT.  I have a master's degree in Industrial Engineering with a specialization in Operations Research from Purdue.  After grad school, I worked in the OR department of a large company.  Purdue and GT were the schools most represented.  Bright co-workers. 

 

Unfortunately, the chances of ds playing for GT's basketball team were slim to none, so he never even considered applying.

 

I have a sister and brother who live in the Atlanta area.  There are abundant opportunities to be physically active in and around Atlanta.

 

And because I'm feeling a bit competitive, there are abundant opportunities to be physically active in and around Golden, CO.  It is a long way from "home" though.

 

Good luck!

 

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Missouri S&T is relatively small, 7,000 undergrads, and around 27% females.

There is sports, but it does not play a huge role on campus.

The town is small (20k) and very safe; it is two hours to the nearest city - for some students, that would be a drawback, other appreciate it because they feel there are few distractions.

It is easy for students to become involved in things like design teams (they have a solar car, solar house, human powered vehicle, concrete canoe).

 

Greek life is pretty big percentage wise (I believe 25% of students belong), but Greek culture does not overwhelm the campus - except for the week long St Pat's day celebration.

Let me know if you have specific questions, I know people who are very familiar with the school.

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Ok this one is not on th e list, but I thought I would throw it out there as a possibility. I think that they have rolling admissions. Has she thought about Aburn , also in Alabama? It is beautiful, and is almost always ranked as one of the most friendly colleges in the U.S. It is in a picturesque small college town and has an engineering school. My husband got his aerospace engineering there and all of the alums seem to love the school and the area. Football is a big/social thing there so maybe that wouldn't work. Just another idea.

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That decision should be made, IMHO, based upon the type of Engineering that your daughter wants to go into. Some or most schools are much stronger in 1 or 2 areas than in others.   Looking at your list, Georgia Tech has always been a school I consider to be one of the best and that goes back many years. If she were to be interested in Petroleum Engineering, I would suggest Texas Tech, because they recently built a new building, $50 million, that is 100%  dedicated to Petroleum Engineering.  If she is interested in Civil Engineering or Electronic Engineering or one of many other fields, she should look into the reputation the school has in that industry.   Gl with her decision!

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Dh and I got our bachelor's in EE at Virginia Tech back in the day.  I felt it was a good place for a young woman, and I still do, even after the infamous shooting.  Our ds graduated from VT, too.  Safety is now very important on that campus, which is beautiful although a bit remote.  The thousands of Northern Virginia students that migrate down there each August give it a suburban feel.

 

Ds got a second major in math, and he really liked the math dept.  ChemE is ranked highly there.  If you have any questions about VT, I'd be happy to answer them.

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Ds is a freshman at Mines.  He loves it there, and I think it is a terrific school.  A pp asked how sure she is that she wants to be an engineer.  That is an important question if you are serious about Mines.  Ds had no idea what he wanted to major in, but he leaned STEM, so we felt fine about it.

 

25% female, 75% male - according to ds, it's a very safe campus for women.  Women get 1 floor in the (4 story) dorms.  At least that's the way it is in his (older) dorm.

 

I like to share the Salary Survey and Annual Report.

 

OOS tuition is 31K, but OOS high stat students earn $15K in academic scholarships.

 

HTH!

they really need a name update if they are now a tech school or more

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I know a bit about UAHuntsville.

 

There is a Greek life, but it isn't huge.

It is a very safe campus/city and I would feel just fine if my dd went there.

The school is great for engineering majors due to the local economy (lots of high-tech companies and gov jobs) and co-op jobs are plentiful.

The school is also great for other majors so changing majors wouldn't necessarily mean having to change schools.

Sports are minimal (no football, but they have hockey), so there isn't a big sports feel to the campus.

 

Since you said you have visited, your dd already has a 'feel' for the place and knows the size of the school, so I won't go into details there. I'm sure you know this, but depending on which county in TN you are in, your dd may be eligible for in-state tuition. That info is buried somewhere on their website.

 

We know several folks who hire for companies in that area and they choose UAHuntsville students/grads in engineering & business majors for internships/co-ops/employment just as often as Auburn, UofA, GaTech, etc, students/grads. It's that highly thought of.

 

Best wishes to your dd in making her final decision on which school to attend!!

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-Case Western (same with Atlanta-would you let your dd live in Cleveland?)

 

 

Welcome to the boards and congratulations to your daughter and you on having such great choices!  I would definitely feel comfortable with my daughter being at Case.  Like any campus, I would tell my daughter not to walk alone at night, etc. 

 

Just in case you haven't had a chance to visit the campus yet, here is a link that showcases the area:

 

:Cleveland gets high marks for thriving healthcare and biotechnology industries, its lively arts scene and four-seasons climate. And CWRU's home in Cleveland's University Circle neighborhood isn't too shabby–it's one of the country's most culturally dense square miles and has been named one of "America's Prettiest Neighborhoods."

what Cleveland has to offer."

 

ETA: the "See for yourself" link has more info

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I know two Georgia Tech police officers or public safety workers. They have reported to me that crime has an upswing at the start of the year when all the new Freshmen come in with new laptops. Kids leave thier backpacks unattended, and they get stollen. My friend said the kids are warned but... So get your kid used to keeping up with things, and she will be fine. 

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Thank you everyone!  We have Auburn and VA Tech on our list too.  What we are going to do is compare offers from the FAFSA, CSS, and merit scholarships.  DD doesn't want a lot of debt, but would love to attend a good school.  We do have a couple of state schools on the list too.

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I haven't seen a plug for Clemson yet.  I have my BS there and my dh has his Master's there both in engineering.  It is a big football school, but there are lots of other things going on as well.  I had no problems as a female engineering student.  I never lived on campus and was married the whole time I was there so I am sure that someone living on campus and single would have much different experiences.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Skimmed everything.  But, take a look at Kettering University.  It's a coop school.  So you go to school for three months (semester) and then work full time for three months.  On and off.  My son is a freshman there and is in chemical engineering.  His coop really had him working as a chemical engineer and even sent him on a business trip!  He earns enough to pay for school by himself (with a little loan and a lot of merit money).  

 

He will graduate with 2.5 years experience in the field.  And, it's a great school.  

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I lived in Atlanta straight out of graduate school (my first job was in midtown).  I felt safe in the area.  Of course I was not on a college campus and was generally working ALL THE TIME.  Other aspects of the city/state didn't appeal to me, so I moved after two years.

 

I went to Alabama (main Tuscaloosa campus) for undergrad (Accounting) and my father's Chem Engineer undergrad degree is from Alabama.  I would have to say UAH is not as strong.  I second the pp with considering Auburn or main Tuscaloosa campus if you are looking in AL.  And I never did Greek things or sports at Alabama - I turned out ok.

 

Just my two cents, but given the list above, I'd pick School of Mines!  My sister and her family live in Golden.  I love the area, and there is so much to do.  Plenty of opportunities to be outdoors and active.

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