Reply to Engineering: Rigor, Grading, and GPAs

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Thanks for this. My dd is considering engineering majors but I am in the natural sciences and engineering is totally foreign to me. I even find it strange that you have to apply to specific programs during the admissions process (e.g., jhu and bme). How are these kids supposed to know what field they want to be in as a teenager?

BTW, I'm thankful that E schools are resisting grade inflation. Our bridges need to stand, after all. [/quote]

The vast majority of elite schools do not require applying to a specific major. Most but not all require applying to the engineering school but even then switching majors all around or switching out or into the E school is easy. No gpa-gate-keeping into majors. The hard part is getting in to these E schools. Jhu bme is the rate exception among T20 private E-programs[/quote]

What universities which offer engineering admit dont admit by major?  We have a child who doesn't know if he wants to study math or engineering, or even a science.  We are looking for schools where he just obtains school admission then has option to change the major depending on how much he likes it.  Is there a list out there?[/quote]

Maybe not T20, but just search.  A few that come to mind:  WPI, RPI, U Rochester, CWRU, Drexel, RIT, etc.  They admit to the university and you can easily switch majors, provided you take the 2-3 entry-level courses and get a C+/B- in those courses (and that is fair).  That way yes, your kid can switch around as they find their path.  Even better, they can easily switch the type of engineering without having to have a 3.999 to get into BME.
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Unique to WPI is the 7-week, 4-term system, plus 2 option summer terms, and the ability to erase a few classes if you bomb them (and retake or make a change). While the 7-week system is intense and really, really fast-paced (think of the hardest class you took and squeeze it into 7 weeks), it does let you figure out quickly if a certain path is not going to work for you, and then you have plenty time to make a change, erase the error, and use the optional summer session to catch up in a different area. They also give a lot of flexibility to take courses in an order that makes sense to you.[/quote]

WPI is a true hidden gem.  Many do not know much about it, especially if you are west coast.  It was my DD top Safety.  She liked it so much it remained in her top 3 final choices for several weeks. But was removed for a few reasons: 1) the other two choices are better schools overall 2) my kid is really smart, massive procrastinator and upon thinking about it realized the 7 week system might not be the best for someone like that.  She always gets stuff done and has done well at college, but she realized that a traditional semester is a much better fit for her.  3) where she ultimately ended up is a huge premed and engineering school, but also many students are business and general liberal arts/humanitites majors.  For my kid, who is STEM but definately not a STEM nerd, she realized she would fit in better at a school with more balance (she would have been fine at WPI, but would have had to search harder to find her group---the M/F imbalance and the nerdiness of the guys would have made it more difficult) But their system is amazing and we were happy to have it as her Top Safety (she got $28K in merit so that is good as well).  [/quote]

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