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Hi all, I am interested in the engineering that is in the title above. I was wondering if you could comment on the following schools:

West Virginia Univ- Morgantown
Ohio State Univ
Univ. of Delaware
Rutgers- New Brunswick, NJ
Univ. of Kentucky
Univ. of Pittsburgh

My stats are under 'what are my chances' in 'which engineering schools???' if you would like to look. I think I can get into these schools no problem. If anyone is going to these colleges, can you comment on if you got a lot of grants/scholarships and finaid? Money is a major concern (for my parents at least). Also, I assume all these schools will let me co-op. Anyone know what age is the prime time to co-op? After freshman year? Soph year? (i'm praying after freshman year)

Thanks all!

ps i realize that biomed eng isnt at all these schools (and some for a minor only). Thinking about majoring in chem eng and minoring in biomed.

By Ariesathena (Ariesathena) on Monday, July 07, 2003 - 06:10 pm: Edit

Crazyandy:
I can't really comment with authority on your schools, so I'll stick to the other questions (and some unsolicited advice).

You should try to get a summer internship (or part-time during the school year) after freshman year. Smaller schools will allow you to work in their labs alongside professors and grad students, which you can do during the summer and school year to gain experience for an internship. Internships sometimes do not pay at all; lab work in universities does not pay well; some internships pay quite well (~$11-$16/hour).

You may have a difficult time working during the school year. Chemical engineering is one of (or the most) challenging major you can take. While you may be able to intern for an elective credit and get paid, that is only one class over four years, and many universities will not allow that. You'll probably be best off working on-campus during the school year, at least so you don't have to spend time commuting and have the expense of a car.

Chemical engineers are the most highly paid graduates (industry average is about $53,000/year with a bachelor's degree). Consider that you may be able to pay off loans more quickly than your peers.

You may not be able to minor in biomedical engin; even if you do, it really means almost nothing on a transcript as requirements for a minor vary tremendously from school to school and are not accredited as are the majors. Speak with an advisor soon after arriving on campus to determine what is best for you.

By Crazyandy (Crazyandy) on Tuesday, July 08, 2003 - 09:16 am: Edit

bump

By Newtownjan (Newtownjan) on Tuesday, July 08, 2003 - 12:09 pm: Edit

Anyone have solid info on Carnegie Mellon for Engineering compared with: My feeling is it is one of the best Engineering schools on the East Coast? Esp. for computer engineering?

Bucknell
Villanova
Lehigh University
Lafeyette College
University of Pittsburgh
University of Pennsylvania
Penn State
Drexel

By Crazyandy (Crazyandy) on Tuesday, July 08, 2003 - 06:17 pm: Edit

I only know about Penn State, Pitt, Villanova, and Lehigh. They were all schools that I was considering. Ask yourself some questions that a counselor told me to do in my search for engineering schools: Do you want a school that is also great in liberal arts as well? (CMU def is that) Do you wanna watch or participate in sports, either at the intermurial or inter-colligate level? Do u want a large or small school? Private or public? There are more of course. I asked myself those questions as well as others she gave me (about 20) and i was able to get my list down to 6 schools which are listed above. But yes check out CMU's website. I found it espeically useful in finding info ...

By Crazyandy (Crazyandy) on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 12:23 pm: Edit

bump

By Anotherdad (Anotherdad) on Wednesday, July 09, 2003 - 12:54 pm: Edit

Crazyandy -- You have bumped enough. Time to lay off.
Check out UMd College Park (more engineering )and UMd Baltimore (more biomedical).
The key for you is to get your SAT and SAT II scores up. (Most of the schools you mention req. SAT). Also, get an internship or job focussed in your specialty and stick with it and show your promise. A good rec from that will help a lot. If you get the scores up, and are really interested in the engineering, give Fu at Columbia and MIT a go. And for a whim, check out the Olin web site.

By Crazyandy (Crazyandy) on Thursday, July 10, 2003 - 10:28 am: Edit

Fu and MIT are too far away for me. I definately don't wanna go that far away for college! I visited UMD- College park twice. Very nice school. My cousin goes there and then went to UMB- Baltimore for her Ph.D. She told me she liked MDCP better. The schools I have listed above have been on the list somewhere since sophomore year. i have had time to e-mail every school and visit their sites. They all said they will take my ACT scores so I will forgo the SATs. (Why spend so much money to test when the ACT will cover it all?) Correct me if I am wrong, of course.