Elite SLAC with engineering major

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Dartmouth isn’t substantially larger than Middlebury and has an engineering program.

This is my suggestion for anytime this student profile comes up. It’s frustrating how often these students just need to go to Ivies and understand that they’re practically liberal arts colleges due to their endowments. I love DC’s LAC and my own Alma mater, but you need to stay away if you do not like the “basic” majors.

[Anonymous]

Princeton is smaller than Harvard, Yale, or Stanford and has a strong engineering program. That said, it’s a grueling program so not good for a student who suffers academic anxiety.

NB - “anxiety” is a general term. It can have different triggers for different people. I’m anxious but it was triggered academically only by math.

If your child has anxiety about academics she may want to avoid most rigorous schools. Engineering is a competitive sometimes cutthroat major.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvey Mudd +++

Just a heads up that we have a family member who went to Harvey Mudd and he ended up dropping out. He said there was so much work and so much pressure there.

[Anonymous]

Engineering is an intense major. That said, Rice is a friendly, supportive community, and with 5,000 students, it's in that sweet spot of mid-sized schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvey Mudd +++

Just a heads up that we have a family member who went to Harvey Mudd and he ended up dropping out. He said there was so much work and so much pressure there.

It’s an elite school, and you have to be able to manage both the STEM AND the humanities. Those students sweat bullets with core coursework in physics, chemistry, math, bio and often piling on CS and Engineering at the same time WHILE also having to take Humanities coursework often at other colleges (Pomona humanities specifically are very very rigorous, same with CMC). It’s not for the student who wants an easy experience for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Engineering is an intense major. That said, Rice is a friendly, supportive community, and with 5,000 students, it's in that sweet spot of mid-sized schools.

DS studies engineering at Rice. Good experience. There's a residential college system so it's super easy to find friends and be part of a community. But engineering at Rice is not chill. It's a difficult major. DS is a brainiac but studies really hard. Still getting the first Bs in his life. He wouldn't call engineering at Rice cutthroat or hyper-competitive. Just full-on. It is a very intense major. If someone is super-anxious, engineering might not be the best major no matter where they go to school.

[Anonymous]

A lot of SLACs that don't offer engineering majors offer joint degree programs with schools that do. You apply in your sophomore year. U of Richmond has one with wash u. Amherst, Pomona, Williams have one with Dartmouth.

[Anonymous]

Dartmouth has engineering and is not much bigger than some LACs. Nice location if you like nature.

Harvey Mudd is small and geeky but is part of Claremont Colleges, which is a great consortium.

As others have said, several LACs have 3/2 programs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvey Mudd +++

Just a heads up that we have a family member who went to Harvey Mudd and he ended up dropping out. He said there was so much work and so much pressure there.

It’s an elite school, and you have to be able to manage both the STEM AND the humanities. Those students sweat bullets with core coursework in physics, chemistry, math, bio and often piling on CS and Engineering at the same time WHILE also having to take Humanities coursework often at other colleges (Pomona humanities specifically are very very rigorous, same with CMC). It’s not for the student who wants an easy experience for sure.

And that is why I hire every Harvey Mudd graduate I am able to….

[Anonymous]

Middlebury offers dual degree programs with Dartmouth and Columbia.

https://www.middlebury.edu/college/academics/programs-and-opportunities/preprofessional-programs#pre-engineering

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC suffers from terrible anxiety and will not do well at behemoths like HYS, although s/he has the stats and would be a legacy. Do Amherst/Williams/Middlebury, etc. offer non-CS engineering degrees? (I do have google, but I also would like to start a conversation and gets some ideas.)

No. They don't offer engr. Swarthmore does but has a grind rep. If she has the stats and bells and whistles, Yale has a friendlier rep. Olin would be a great choice if she is good with a very small campus. Extremely supportive and nurturing (and sewing machines in the library)! 50/50 m/f ratio. Also, students can take classes at Wellesley. Mine chose Brown for reach -- very supportive and close to 50/50 male/female ratio. Got in early but also has national awards. Also look at Lafayette and WPI for target and likely. Both known for nurturing campuses. Hofstra and Denver are known for excellent accommodation support. NEU too (but they charge extra), but their admissions is overhyped and campus overcrowded.

[Anonymous]

Unsure where people get the idea that Yale is "friendly" ^^. DC does chemistry there, and it has a massive weed out culture for the intro course work. She loves the upper divisions, but getting there was a true slog, no different than any other ivy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Unsure where people get the idea that Yale is "friendly" ^^. DC does chemistry there, and it has a massive weed out culture for the intro course work. She loves the upper divisions, but getting there was a true slog, no different than any other ivy.

PP here. I got it from Yale. Should have said collaborative rather than friendly, but people should get the gist. Also, Ivies are mot known gor "weed out culture" typically.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Unsure where people get the idea that Yale is "friendly" ^^. DC does chemistry there, and it has a massive weed out culture for the intro course work. She loves the upper divisions, but getting there was a true slog, no different than any other ivy.

PP here. I got it from Yale. Should have said collaborative rather than friendly, but people should get the gist. Also, Ivies are mot known gor "weed out culture" typically.

Hmm. I guess I just don't agree. Her brother went to an ivy too, though for the humanities, and he also did witness weed out culture. Maybe that's the outside perception, but the schools definitely chisel out who is the right fit in the first two semesters or so.