Wake Forest, Boston College for engineering?

[Anonymous]

We're working on the college list and my son is interested in both of these colleges. He's thinking either Engineering or Math for major. WF and BC both have untraditional engineering programs. Is he closing a door if he attends these schools?

Anyone have experience with these school's engineering programs?

In case it's helpful, he has a 4.8 UW, 1480. Thanks

[Anonymous]

Is there a reason he doesn’t want a school more geared toward engineering?

These are popular schools amongst DC private school/UMC kids, so I wouldn’t be surprised that your kid likes them, but not sure if it makes the most sense for what he wants to do.

[Anonymous]

Way better schools out there for engineering.

[Anonymous]

90% of what matters is that the program is ABET accredited. All ABET programs will have substantially the same curricula. Almost all engineering programs are rigorous.

Smaller programs ensure the student is a name not a number. Larger programs mean there likely will be more choices of upper electives.

Not all engineering programs offer all degrees. So be sure that DC's intended degree is on offer wherever DC applies.

[Anonymous]

"Prestige" does not matter to me at hiring time. Upper level electives taken matter a lot. Specific skills matter a lot. -signed, hiring manager

[Anonymous]

Those probably wouldn’t make my list for engineering… if you like that size/vibe I would consider Vanderbilt, Lehigh, Villanova, Bucknell and others that have more traditional engineering programs.

[Anonymous]

OP here - I think he's worried about not fitting in with an engineering program in a super intense engineering environment and not finding his people. He's a hard worker and loves math but is also a relaxed teen who also wants to have fun, play sports, watch sports, etc. in college. Not sure what i'm trying to say, but somewhere like MIT or similar would not be a good fit.

Any recs for less intense engineering (oxymoron?) school environments?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I think he's worried about not fitting in with an engineering program in a super intense engineering environment and not finding his people. He's a hard worker and loves math but is also a relaxed teen who also wants to have fun, play sports, watch sports, etc. in college. Not sure what i'm trying to say, but somewhere like MIT or similar would not be a good fit.

Any recs for less intense engineering (oxymoron?) school environments?

Engineering students often can take off between Friday late afternoon and Sunday morning. Many students find the rest of the time is spent on sleep, eat, study, class, or labs.

"Less intense" does not fit with Engineering.

I will recommend that a student like that avoid engineering colleges with the deliberate / intentional weed-out classes designed to fail a % of students out of engineering. Look at the 4-year engineering graduation rates and pick someplace with a high graduation rate.

[Anonymous]

Both are relatively new engineering programs. Wake is ABET accredited and BC is not yet, but is seeking certification.

[Anonymous]

BC’s offering is Human Centered Engineering, which is offered by Arts and Sciences. It’s certainly not a general engineering program. And it’s not human factors. Wake offers a general engineering degree (similar to JMU). Probably most similar to Mechanical.

I’d suggest looking elsewhere. Maybe Tennessee? ODU? For really small schools, check out Elizabethtown in PA.

[Anonymous]

Auburn would tick a lot of his boxes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I think he's worried about not fitting in with an engineering program in a super intense engineering environment and not finding his people. He's a hard worker and loves math but is also a relaxed teen who also wants to have fun, play sports, watch sports, etc. in college. Not sure what i'm trying to say, but somewhere like MIT or similar would not be a good fit.

Any recs for less intense engineering (oxymoron?) school environments?

So having fun, playing sports, being relaxed really isn’t the experience in solid engineering programs. It’s not just the top schools but the faculty and other students. If the school/ program is good the work itself will be intense. Does he want to be an engineer? If yes, what type? EE/CS, Civil, Mechanical? Does Wake Forest and Boston College even have an engineering school?

The school does matter for internships and first year employment. It’s not the DCUM prestige list but known strong engineering programs as well as geography/ location. Frankly, a school that offers a non traditional engineering degree is not one of them. Non traditional engineering programs are basically colleges without engineering schools trying to compete for applicants.

[Anonymous]

Auburn or Virginia Tech

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:90% of what matters is that the program is ABET accredited. All ABET programs will have substantially the same curricula. Almost all engineering programs are rigorous.

This is a common misconception about ABET accreditation. According to its own website https://www.abet.org/accreditation/accreditation-criteria/criteria-for-accrediting-engineering-programs-2025-2026, ABET's "curriculum requirements specify subject areas appropriate to engineering but do not prescribe specific courses." This is why for example a circuits class can be a 6 credit hours two-semester sequence at one school and a 4 credit hours one-semester-long course at another. The same class may cover 9 chapters of the same textbook at one school and 7 chapters at another. The difficulty of homework and exams can also vary greatly from one school to the next. This is why even directional state schools can offer ABET-accredited engineering degrees. Does one honestly believe these schools cover the same material as MIT?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here - I think he's worried about not fitting in with an engineering program in a super intense engineering environment and not finding his people. He's a hard worker and loves math but is also a relaxed teen who also wants to have fun, play sports, watch sports, etc. in college. Not sure what i'm trying to say, but somewhere like MIT or similar would not be a good fit.

Any recs for less intense engineering (oxymoron?) school environments?

Engineering students often can take off between Friday late afternoon and Sunday morning. Many students find the rest of the time is spent on sleep, eat, study, class, or labs.

"Less intense" does not fit with Engineering.

I will recommend that a student like that avoid engineering colleges with the deliberate / intentional weed-out classes designed to fail a % of students out of engineering. Look at the 4-year engineering graduation rates and pick someplace with a high graduation rate.

Agree, and look at the retention rate for engineering students freshman to sophomore year. That is the highest year of drop out. Top schools such as Stanford and ivies all have over 97% retention because they do not "weed out". Non-T50 engineering schools weed out about 20%. The issue is the caliber of student is quite different non elite schools. However, taking a look at Michigan which is a top public for engineering, it has a retention rate of 88%. UCB and GA Tech have 96-97%, similar to ivy/top privates.