Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS is a junior, not sure what he wants to do yet. Possible interests have been business and IR, but now he's realizing he may want to explore engineering. He likes and is good in math and sciences, likes building things too. We have been targeting liberal arts colleges for him, both because the smaller size would suit him well, and also to allow some time for exploration before declaring a major. Most of these schools have some type of path for engineering, such as a 3-2 program, or a pre-engineering advisor, and some say that students major in a field like physics then apply to a master's program in engineering.

Does anyone have experience with engineering or pre-engineering at a liberal arts college?

And yes, I'm aware that there are more traditional engineering programs, but DS is just starting to explore this. He's not going to be in a position to lock in and apply to an engineering program in less than a year. We just want it as a viable option in college.

Generally, an engineering major isn't something you dip your toe in and explore. It's a pretty rigid and demanding major. Like if you dilly dally freshman year and don't take the pre-reqs and weed out classes, you probably will have to add an extra semester or two to graduate with an engineering degree. You should be ready freshman year to get going with the Chemistry and Calculus pre-reqs. Better to start as an engineering major and then drop it and change majors if it's not for them. I don't know about the SLACs, but generally engineering programs are super competitive. Make sure they get through at least Calculus BC in high school if considering an engineering major.

Well that is the thing. How are these high school kids supposed to be so sure that they want to major in engineering before they even graduate from high school? And yes he's taking Calc BC and AP Chem now so that part won't be a problem.

Anonymous wrote:I suggest delving more into Lehigh. We toured last year and my impression was that it was fairly easy to change majors. Lehigh has a close to equal ratio of male to female students. The culture definitely is less nerdy than a place like Case.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS is a junior, not sure what he wants to do yet. Possible interests have been business and IR, but now he's realizing he may want to explore engineering. He likes and is good in math and sciences, likes building things too. We have been targeting liberal arts colleges for him, both because the smaller size would suit him well, and also to allow some time for exploration before declaring a major. Most of these schools have some type of path for engineering, such as a 3-2 program, or a pre-engineering advisor, and some say that students major in a field like physics then apply to a master's program in engineering.

Does anyone have experience with engineering or pre-engineering at a liberal arts college?

And yes, I'm aware that there are more traditional engineering programs, but DS is just starting to explore this. He's not going to be in a position to lock in and apply to an engineering program in less than a year. We just want it as a viable option in college.

Generally, an engineering major isn't something you dip your toe in and explore. It's a pretty rigid and demanding major. Like if you dilly dally freshman year and don't take the pre-reqs and weed out classes, you probably will have to add an extra semester or two to graduate with an engineering degree. You should be ready freshman year to get going with the Chemistry and Calculus pre-reqs. Better to start as an engineering major and then drop it and change majors if it's not for them. I don't know about the SLACs, but generally engineering programs are super competitive. Make sure they get through at least Calculus BC in high school if considering an engineering major.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:has your kid finished calc. with an A? that's the first step

Most students take calc senior year and would not have finished calc even after submitting apps. I think OP's kid is a junior.

not in my kid's case. VT told him they wanted to see Cal BC done with an A before they would consider him for VT

I understand this post isn't specifically about Virginia Tech, but I’d like to correct a piece of misinformation for readers in general. Virginia Tech does not require students to complete Calculus BC before applying to their engineering programs, and it's unlikely that an A grade in Calculus BC is a strict admissions requirement either. That being said, taking Calculus AB or BC as a senior is definitely a plus for admissions, and it's essential for students to take physics as well.

I currently have a senior, and from our experience, getting admitted to an engineering program is relatively straightforward as long as you have competitive test scores and a solid foundation in math and science. I wouldn’t worry too much about extracurriculars unless you're aiming for extremely selective schools like MIT or Caltech. Encourage your child to enjoy their high school years and continue excelling in math and science—this should open up a lot of great options for them.

We also considered engineering schools of all sizes, including a couple of LACs. One challenge of not declaring engineering as a major from day one is that engineering programs typically follow a strict 4-year curriculum. If a student doesn't start the engineering track immediately, they may risk not being able to graduate on time. You could also look at Case Western as they technically don't admit to a major.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many mid-size universities offer ABET-accredited engineering.

how important is ABET? What does it do? Explain it to me like I'm 5 please, this is all new.

ABET sets standards for engineering curriculum. ABET is important in traditional engineering fields like mechanical, civil, and electrical (electrical overlapping with computer engineering, which is different from computer science). ABET accreditation is less important in computer science.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would look into Lehigh

We actually did, but it's larger and you have to apply directly into one of the four schools, one of which is engineering, another is business. That's too locked in for DS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Many mid-size universities offer ABET-accredited engineering.

how important is ABET? What does it do? Explain it to me like I'm 5 please, this is all new.

ABET is the accrediting body for Engineering Schools in the USA. It defines minimum standards for engineering curricula. One really ought to be getting one’s engineering degree from an ABET accredited E School in almost all cases.

The exceptions to this “ought” are the top-10 E Schools, places such as MIT or Caltech, which might not bother with obtaining ABET accreditation. Their curricula still follow the ABET guidance in general, but possibly vary by requiring more rigor than ABET requires.

Note that one wants an ABET accredited school for any sort of engineering, even for engineering degrees (e.g., Computer Engineering) which will not later require a PE license to be employed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:has your kid finished calc. with an A? that's the first step

Most students take calc senior year and would not have finished calc even after submitting apps. I think OP's kid is a junior.

not in my kid's case. VT told him they wanted to see Cal BC done with an A before they would consider him for VT

I understand this post isn't specifically about Virginia Tech, but I’d like to correct a piece of misinformation for readers in general. Virginia Tech does not require students to complete Calculus BC before applying to their engineering programs, and it's unlikely that an A grade in Calculus BC is a strict admissions requirement either. That being said, taking Calculus AB or BC as a senior is definitely a plus for admissions, and it's essential for students to take physics as well.

I currently have a senior, and from our experience, getting admitted to an engineering program is relatively straightforward as long as you have competitive test scores and a solid foundation in math and science. I wouldn’t worry too much about extracurriculars unless you're aiming for extremely selective schools like MIT or Caltech. Encourage your child to enjoy their high school years and continue excelling in math and science—this should open up a lot of great options for them.

We also considered engineering schools of all sizes, including a couple of LACs. One challenge of not declaring engineering as a major from day one is that engineering programs typically follow a strict 4-year curriculum. If a student doesn't start the engineering track immediately, they may risk not being able to graduate on time. You could also look at Case Western as they technically don't admit to a major.

Anonymous wrote:Loyola Maryland

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DS is a junior, not sure what he wants to do yet. Possible interests have been business and IR, but now he's realizing he may want to explore engineering. He likes and is good in math and sciences, likes building things too. We have been targeting liberal arts colleges for him, both because the smaller size would suit him well, and also to allow some time for exploration before declaring a major. Most of these schools have some type of path for engineering, such as a 3-2 program, or a pre-engineering advisor, and some say that students major in a field like physics then apply to a master's program in engineering.

Does anyone have experience with engineering or pre-engineering at a liberal arts college?

And yes, I'm aware that there are more traditional engineering programs, but DS is just starting to explore this. He's not going to be in a position to lock in and apply to an engineering program in less than a year. We just want it as a viable option in college.

Generally, an engineering major isn't something you dip your toe in and explore. It's a pretty rigid and demanding major. Like if you dilly dally freshman year and don't take the pre-reqs and weed out classes, you probably will have to add an extra semester or two to graduate with an engineering degree. You should be ready freshman year to get going with the Chemistry and Calculus pre-reqs. Better to start as an engineering major and then drop it and change majors if it's not for them. I don't know about the SLACs, but generally engineering programs are super competitive. Make sure they get through at least Calculus BC in high school if considering an engineering major.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:has your kid finished calc. with an A? that's the first step

Most students take calc senior year and would not have finished calc even after submitting apps. I think OP's kid is a junior.

not in my kid's case. VT told him they wanted to see Cal BC done with an A before they would consider him for VT