Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul

[Anonymous]

Several threads discuss engineering schools that are hard to just survive. Some hint that there are alternatives

Could you list these alternatives?

Short background: my HS sophomore has great grades and tests well at a difficult school and has a general interest in engineering. But I don’t want him to drift into a situation where his soul could be crushed without choosing that.

Are there schools we could choose with engineering majors where you just learn how to do it without the excessive pressure and stress?

[Anonymous]

WPI seemed almost joyful when we visited, although with the fast paced quarters, kids still work hard. Rose Hulman has small classes, even freshman year, which helps foster relationships with professors, which is protective against stress.

[Anonymous]

Take a look at University of Rochester

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:WPI seemed almost joyful when we visited, although with the fast paced quarters, kids still work hard. Rose Hulman has small classes, even freshman year, which helps foster relationships with professors, which is protective against stress.

Yeah, but the kids at WPI and Rose seemed weird. High percentage of neurodivergent

[Anonymous]

Look for schools with active engineering design teams. Those are places where kids are engineering for fun and because they love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WPI seemed almost joyful when we visited, although with the fast paced quarters, kids still work hard. Rose Hulman has small classes, even freshman year, which helps foster relationships with professors, which is protective against stress.

Yeah, but the kids at WPI and Rose seemed weird. High percentage of neurodivergent

Welcome to engineering.

[Anonymous]

My nephew did Mech Eng at UTK and seems to have emerged with his soul intact. He had very high test scores (turns out that + living in rural Tennessee will get you a call from MIT) but wanted to stay close to home. That would be my general advice, to aim for a school where your kid is academically overqualified.

You might also look at schools like Rose Hulman or Lafayette which I think have a more supportive reputation. Or Olin, which I think is very team/project based and collaborative.

[Anonymous]

I think this is the nature of engineering if you're actually learning what you need to learn. my husband studied engineering at a second tier school and it was the case there and it's the case at both schools that my kids attend (top20 state and Ivy).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:WPI seemed almost joyful when we visited, although with the fast paced quarters, kids still work hard. Rose Hulman has small classes, even freshman year, which helps foster relationships with professors, which is protective against stress.

Yeah, but the kids at WPI and Rose seemed weird. High percentage of neurodivergent

And your point is...?

[Anonymous]

Do not consider Virginia Tech. As a parent, I had the rudest responses from them. I asked if it was possible -to just- plan for 5 years to complete the program. Plan from the beginning, plan to take a lighter load. Instead of explaining why not or just saying a simple no, they were insulting, berated what they thought were my DD's qualifications - based on nothing. They did not know, die not know her stellar qualifications.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My nephew did Mech Eng at UTK and seems to have emerged with his soul intact. He had very high test scores (turns out that + living in rural Tennessee will get you a call from MIT) but wanted to stay close to home. That would be my general advice, to aim for a school where your kid is academically overqualified.

You might also look at schools like Rose Hulman or Lafayette which I think have a more supportive reputation. Or Olin, which I think is very team/project based and collaborative.

I have a senior at Tenn in engineering from the DMV. He is so happy there. He has friends in the engineering program from many states. Living in the engineering dorm as a freshman was really valuable for getting to know the other kids... I'd recommend that for the OP to encourage when the time comes. Many schools have LLCs in the dorms based on your major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think this is the nature of engineering if you're actually learning what you need to learn. my husband studied engineering at a second tier school and it was the case there and it's the case at both schools that my kids attend (top20 state and Ivy).

+1

And don't sell your kid short, OP. If he actually likes engineering, he may enjoy the challenge.

I wouldn't write off schools just based off of random comments from DCUM. Many of the comments in this forum are...questionable.

[Anonymous]

RIT in Rochester NY

[Anonymous]

Rose. My nephew is there. He’s not neurodivergent (seriously, people?) but he says it’s a fantastic supportive environment and has made a lot of friends.

[Anonymous]

Delaware