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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]
In the small engineering school professors all knew me and my name, even in the big intro classes.  I had excellent access to both the professor and TAs.  Nearly all  freshmen were in the same set of core classes so we quickly formed study groups and all worked together.  It was also small enough that you'd see the same friends in class, your dorm and in your labs.  Those same friends were then on engineering design teams with you and on your design teams for your senior capstone design class.

At the big state school I attended for grad school, lectures were huge and professors were there for research and we're overwhelmed at the idea of being available to undergrads.  There were TAs, but they were also overwhelmed by the number of students so students were more likely to Google for help than come to office hours.  Most of the STEM undergrads weren't living with other STEM majors and they had trouble getting to know each other, so most studied independently.  There was also a culture of not being in study groups because then you'd be helping a competitor in a class with a tough curve.  Lab classes were hard to get because they were oversubscribed so no one could sign up with a friend and there were too many students for anyone to have the luck to have a friend in their class.  And the university didn't offer a senior capstone design class because there were too many students so it wasn't part of the curriculum.  There was almost no teamwork or group projects in the whole engineering program because it was too hard for professors to organize for so many students, and students didn't have a good way to get to know each other to self-form study groups.  It was a very, very isolating way to learn engineering.

I'm sure there are large schools with a different culture or that do better at having team design opportunities, but I'd look closely and ask questions.[/quote]

Thank you so much for sharing this. My child applied to small ABET accredited schools almost exclusively, for this reason. Completely aware that grad school may be necessary before employment but wanted that small college experience first.[/quote]

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