Questions for engineers

Don't get into a field of engineering just because you think it's what's hot right now or in the future. Get into something you love and you can be the best at and you'll make more money and be happier that way. I've done Comp. Eng in the mid- to late-90s because of reputation and the 'in' factor and now the market's saturated, jobs are (were) moving off-shore, etc., etc. I still love it and am pretty good at what I do so I don't complain.

I don't have any knowledge of the two school you mentioned; just get in the best one (highest reputation, etc.) that you can.

 

Of the engineering disciplines, ME covers the broadest spectrum, i.e., an ME graduate could potentially switch to EE, AeroE, ChemE, and BioE, etc. fields, but it would be more difficult for a student to go from one of those fields to ME. From your questions, it seems as if you have concerns specific to the schools that you are applying to, so I don't have any advice in that area.

However, what I can say is that the ME program that I am going through has about a 50% rate of people graduating on time in four years, as engineering majors tend to have very tightly planned curricula as opposed to the liberal arts degrees. Therefore, I think it will be very difficult (in some cases nearly impossible) for you to double major in engineering and physics/chemistry without having to stay past four years. That is something else that you may want to consider. Maybe others in industry can comment on this, but another degree may not help you in the long run. Is there a specific reason that you are looking at USC and Duke? They are great schools overall, but there are other schools with slightly stronger engineering programs.

 

Not true. A degree in either mechanical or chemical engineering can be used as a solid (and tough) foundation to build a career on. Classmates went on to medical, dental and law school. I went as far as I could go in chemical engineering (Ph.D.) and am now focused on getting an MBA in finance to focus more on corporate management.

If you're smart enough to do well in the field, you really can do anything you want...

 

That's what I was suggesting -- I said don't go into a *field* (i.e. ME vs EE vs ChE, etc.) of engineering because it's hot right now, since that may change in a few years. I was not suggesting not to go in engineering but rather to pick the field based on interests and what the original poster is good at.

I went to Comp.E for BSEE, then EE for MSEE and PhD and then did an MBA on top of that and it has served me extremly well even though EE is not as hot as it used to be say 10 years ago when I picked it...

 

mechanical engineering is great because of how broad it is. I also started off in mech, but switched into manufacturing because of the minor in business.

BTW, get ready for the most demanding 4 years of your life so far

 

I don't know why you consider a "foreign exchange program" a must, but it's going to be hard to fit that into any engineering curriculum. You might want to consider a cooperative education program, and do one of your intern periods abroad.

But look around the web and try to get a good feel for just what engineers do. Unless they had engineers in the family, most students enter engineering school without a solid understanding of what the career entails. (I started out in "communications", switched to "cybernetics and AI", spent my early career in C3I, and migrated to secure networking. Technology changes frequently, and you will have to shift with it, over a career. Heck, they were still teaching radio tubes when I went to college.)

The "names" in engineering used to be MIT, CalTech, Georgia Tech, Drexel, RIT, etc.

For what it's worth, Drexel had a biomedical engineering program back in the '70s. (The Drexel campus overlapped UofP and Wells Eye Institute was in the same neighborhood.) I don't know if they still have that, or if they've kept up with organic electronics. But Drexel is a five year program, including three six month intern work periods.

(Back in the '90s, I saw that one of the medical schools was going over some of the same work in vision replacement that we had explored in the '70s. (Their breadboard rig looked horrible, next to the hybrid thick-film electronics we had been designing.))

 

I would go after any engineering degree to have the most confort in. It could be electrical, mechanical or even packaging! If it's one of the first two, all I can tell you is that every defense contactor I call on (Mostly in S. CA) can not find enough engineers! I'd go for it, as highly skilled engineers will always be in demand. If you lean towards knowledge in GPS, Satellite design, weapons, high-end telecom, you will always eat.

PS: When you become an engineer, will you please learn to transfer a phone call

 

i dont think that is part of chris' case, hes president of the science club and all that good stuff. did you look at rice university?

 

bsee from usc, '02. if you've any specific questions, i will be available to you.

 

Not a chance. A masters degree or higher is required to complete this cumbersome task

 

Why Duke? You looking to play Lacrosse in your spare time?

I would recommend you re-focus what school you wish to attend based on the quality of their ENGINEERING program - Duke 'may' be known for strong Engineering, but I wouldn't limit your options simply because you're dying to brag to your uppity friends that you've been accepted to Duke. Forget dual-majors in four years - not going to happen, unless you have enough AP credits to skip several entry-level Math and language courses. I don't believe the market is 'saturated' with Engineers - fewer and fewer new students coupled with retiring Boomer engineers spells less competition in the long run for an even-larger pool of tech jobs.

 

University of Illinois - Champaign/Urbana is one of the top public engineering schools in the country. Worth having a look and they have a brand spanking new engineering campus that will make you drool.

I agree with those recommending engineering. The emphasis on math and science makes them ideal candidates for any analytical job and with a MBA can be top performers in the business realm. Some engineering students who couldn't get into the best engineering jobs, would routinely come to the business school's career fair and take jobs with ease away from the business students.

Especially at my school where the engineering students are in a complete different class than the business students. Our business school is damn good too, but our engineering program is world class.

 

You are absolutely correct. Northrop Grumman in Redondo Beach is trying to hire 500 engineers this year alone.

My advice is to go to a public school. I'm biased (UCLA - BA Econ, BS Comp Sci, MS Comp Sci), but I can tell you that paying off loans is much easier when you go to a public school than a private school. Mine could be paid off in a few months of working, vs a few years for a school like USC.

Like everyone else said, pick what you enjoy the most. Don't worry about the hottest field. You'll be miserable if you hate what you do.

Feel free to PM me if you'd like.

 

Of course you do, you were in the Science Club aka Free Cookies Club.

 

I just spent the last year working with my younges son looking at schools. He also wants to be an engineer. He's at the University of Delaware as an Engineering Undecided major right now.

I have another son at Drexel U.

Both kids shopped around before landing where they did.

Drexel has a great engineering program, so does UDEL. The biggest difference? the campus itself. One's a city school in the truest sense, midtown campus, spread out over several blocks, no real heart to the school (Drexel) the other is a university campus that's like the Taj Mahal.

I''d suggest spending some time on each campus talking to engineering majors, see how they feel about the school. The Drexel kids (Freshman engineers) seemed very stressed. The UDel kids seemed a little more relaxed.

Don't forget to look at Lehigh University (They ain't called the Engineers for nothing) and your state's university system along with any other school that is a possible fit for you.

If Duke is THE PLACE you want to attend, and right now you're 100% sure, then visit the campus one more time and put your early decision app in and see what happens. BE SURE TO HAVE YOUR BACKUP APPLICATIONS IN ORDER, JUST IN CASE.

Don't know about a study abroad program. I can't see how that fits in with the structure required of an engieering major unless you take 5 yrs. instead of 4. And I would not bank on placing out of core classes in an engineering school like Duke based on high school AP classes.

And one other excellent point made here, engineering is a great base for ANY CAREER. Critical thinking is the key. My tenant's company is full of engineers, the owner is one, sales VP, on and on. probably 1/3 of all the management is.

Good luck with this.

DM

 

I was serious about that one! I call on engineers that can develop the most sophisticated guided missiles, smart bombs, etc. and I swear, non of them can transfer a phone call!

 

I can.

But the damn Cisco phone took some time to figure out.

 

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/brief/topprogs_nophd_brief.php

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankengineering_brief.php

 

Are you working at Cisco? Drop me a PM if you are!

 

The dirty secret in undergraduate universities is: the School is of less importance than what you make of it.

EE101 is pretty much the same at MIT and Community College. Granted, the professors and classmates should be of higher caliber at MIT but at 101 levels it just doesn't matter.

Choose the school that you feel fits you best. 99% of people I know changes majors in college.

Now, if you want true engineering-- MIT, Carnegie-Mellon, RPI, Cooper Union all hard to beat.

-dsd
GWU, JHU Alum

 

My Dad went to VT and he loved it... I have hookie fever. its a great school, great community, though probably not for me, i want to be in a city, when it comes to sports though im vt all the way