Anonymous
12/12/2025 08:36
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My dad went to engineering school many years ago, and on the first day was told -- look to your left, look to your right, they will BOTH be gone by graduation.
Obviously, that doesn't work from a basic math perspective, but the point was made. I think the drop out rate literally was about 2/3.
So at least things are a little more supportive than they once were.
That implies no one graduates!
Yes, that’s what passed for humor. It was a play on the old look to your left, look to your right, one of them will be gone—the joke was that a 33% weed out was for the weak. The drop out rate was very very high. And these were mostly guys that had spent the last few years killing nazis so presumably had a little backbone to start.
Anonymous
12/12/2025 08:24
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:My dad went to engineering school many years ago, and on the first day was told -- look to your left, look to your right, they will BOTH be gone by graduation.
Obviously, that doesn't work from a basic math perspective, but the point was made. I think the drop out rate literally was about 2/3.
So at least things are a little more supportive than they once were.
That implies no one graduates!
Anonymous
12/12/2025 08:22
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I just wanted to point out that sometimes it's less stressful to be at a higher ranking place because you don't need to do as well to get a job.
A C student at MIT is going to have better job offers than a C student at a lower ranked school, all else equal.
I didn’t think employers cared about GPA. How would they even know? I’ve not seen this written on anyone’s CV/resume- interviewing for an actual job ever (not internship).
Many selective jobs require a 3.0/3.3/3.5, although MIT students don't seem to have trouble getting jobs even as C students.
Prefer MIT C students over Harvard A students
Anonymous
12/12/2025 07:52
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I just wanted to point out that sometimes it's less stressful to be at a higher ranking place because you don't need to do as well to get a job.
A C student at MIT is going to have better job offers than a C student at a lower ranked school, all else equal.
I didn’t think employers cared about GPA. How would they even know? I’ve not seen this written on anyone’s CV/resume- interviewing for an actual job ever (not internship).
Most do not care very much. Instead, we care what upper-level electives one took and what skills one has.
Contrived Example: If I need someone who knows digital communications, then someone who focused on 3-phase power will not do (and vice versa).
Do you ask? I haven’t seen anyone putting courses they took or GPA info on their resume
Anonymous
12/12/2025 07:51
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My 2.7/4.0 undergrad engineering degree from a lower ranked engineering program has never held me back careerwise. I can and do solve real problems on the job, and that is what matters. On the job is always "open book", unlike the academic tests of memorization.
Yup, you definitely went to a lower ranked program. Higher ranked programs teach their students to solve problems they've never seen before, so they can graduate and solve problems that no one has seen or solved before.
Nah. USNWR eng program rank ignores the the test style, but instead is driven by factors such as size (larger ranks higher) and professors' publications.
Being well published myself, with a PhD in my field, publications are at least 40% who you know rather than what one did.
I think my kid colored in one of those books you published - you sure are talented at making coloring books.
Anonymous
12/12/2025 07:47
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:My 2.7/4.0 undergrad engineering degree from a lower ranked engineering program has never held me back careerwise. I can and do solve real problems on the job, and that is what matters. On the job is always "open book", unlike the academic tests of memorization.
Yup, you definitely went to a lower ranked program. Higher ranked programs teach their students to solve problems they've never seen before, so they can graduate and solve problems that no one has seen or solved before.
Nah. USNWR eng program rank ignores the the test style, but instead is driven by factors such as size (larger ranks higher) and professors' publications.
Being well published myself, with a PhD in my field, publications are at least 40% who you know rather than what one did.
Anonymous
12/12/2025 07:38
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I just wanted to point out that sometimes it's less stressful to be at a higher ranking place because you don't need to do as well to get a job.
A C student at MIT is going to have better job offers than a C student at a lower ranked school, all else equal.
I didn’t think employers cared about GPA. How would they even know? I’ve not seen this written on anyone’s CV/resume- interviewing for an actual job ever (not internship).
Most do not care very much. Instead, we care what upper-level electives one took and what skills one has.
Contrived Example: If I need someone who knows digital communications, then someone who focused on 3-phase power will not do (and vice versa).
Anonymous
12/12/2025 06:15
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Michigan
Anonymous
12/12/2025 00:38
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I just wanted to point out that sometimes it's less stressful to be at a higher ranking place because you don't need to do as well to get a job.
A C student at MIT is going to have better job offers than a C student at a lower ranked school, all else equal.
I didn’t think employers cared about GPA. How would they even know? I’ve not seen this written on anyone’s CV/resume- interviewing for an actual job ever (not internship).
Many selective jobs require a 3.0/3.3/3.5, although MIT students don't seem to have trouble getting jobs even as C students.
Why do you know them all?
Anonymous
12/12/2025 00:03
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:My 2.7/4.0 undergrad engineering degree from a lower ranked engineering program has never held me back careerwise. I can and do solve real problems on the job, and that is what matters. On the job is always "open book", unlike the academic tests of memorization.
Yup, you definitely went to a lower ranked program. Higher ranked programs teach their students to solve problems they've never seen before, so they can graduate and solve problems that no one has seen or solved before.
Anonymous
12/11/2025 23:56
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:OP, I just wanted to point out that sometimes it's less stressful to be at a higher ranking place because you don't need to do as well to get a job.
A C student at MIT is going to have better job offers than a C student at a lower ranked school, all else equal.
I didn’t think employers cared about GPA. How would they even know? I’ve not seen this written on anyone’s CV/resume- interviewing for an actual job ever (not internship).
Many selective jobs require a 3.0/3.3/3.5, although MIT students don't seem to have trouble getting jobs even as C students.
Anonymous
12/11/2025 23:55
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
UMass Lowell
Anonymous
12/11/2025 22:53
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:OP, I just wanted to point out that sometimes it's less stressful to be at a higher ranking place because you don't need to do as well to get a job.
A C student at MIT is going to have better job offers than a C student at a lower ranked school, all else equal.
I didn’t think employers cared about GPA. How would they even know? I’ve not seen this written on anyone’s CV/resume- interviewing for an actual job ever (not internship).
Anonymous
12/11/2025 22:21
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote: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.
The 4x7-week quarter system is a crush though. Every 3.5 weeks you either have midterms or finals. You have finished the course when your friends at other engineering schools are approaching mid terms. You have to be a fast learner.
Not sure I would recommend going to a school that is on the quarter system to study engineering.
For some students, quarter system might not work as well as semester. If one falls behind for any reason (eg illness) on a quarter system, there just is not enough time to recover.
For other students, though, only needing to focus on 3 classes at a time is better.
Anonymous
12/11/2025 19:15
Subject: Engineering schools that won’t crush my child’s soul
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote: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.
The 4x7-week quarter system is a crush though. Every 3.5 weeks you either have midterms or finals. You have finished the course when your friends at other engineering schools are approaching mid terms. You have to be a fast learner.
Not sure I would recommend going to a school that is on the quarter system to study engineering.
For some students, quarter system might not work as well as semester. If one falls behind for any reason (eg illness) on a quarter system, there just is not enough time to recover.
+1