what college did you go to?

[NudeLobster]

Well, I just finished my first semester of Junior year in High school, and I need to start really thinking about good schools to apply to. I have already decided I will go for mechanical engineering. past year of so Vanderbilt University is just stuck in my head, I don't know why but I just really want to go there. It's a very competitive school though, and very pricey. Last I checked it was like 52k a year, though their rep that came to my high school said they assess what the family can afford, and the rest is paid by government bonds that DO NOT have to be paid back. I don't know how they pull that one off. Last semester I came out with a 4.0 GPA, and my cumulitive is 3.8x. This semester my worry is spanish like always, which just bends me over for the 3rd year in a row. I pulled a B somehow, and balanced that with the weighted A in my honors physics. I have AP macroeconomics this semester so if I pulled straight A's I could potentially get a 4.43, but my goal is 4.14, which is an A in AP macro, B in spanish, A in english 3, A in honors physics, A in preengieering, A in gym, and B in honors college algebra-trig.

 

I worry a lot about not having extracurriculars which is what all these schools look for now a days, but I don't do any. My extra curricular is my job, and my car. My sisters boyfriend pointed to me that my car can be the extracurricular for me, and pull a high lead on others. he said with my car, in my application essay, i can talk about applying what i learn to my car to improve designs (which is the basis of engineering...making a design as efficient as possible). He's right too, talking about using thermodynamics I learned in chem for testing and improving the intercooler system on my car for example, would sound a lot better to a school than some kid who is the leader of this club and that team.

 

anyways, I live near chicago but I don't have to stay in the Midwest. I'd love to be accepted to vanderbilt, but I am also interested in university of Colorado, Boulder. Other than that I don't really know. Soon I will be visiting a lot of midwest schools but that's only a small portion of my options. I do, however, like a more upbeat city environment. University of Illinois Urbana champaigne for example is a college town stuck in the middle of a corn field, which I couldn't handle. Sure the town there is great, but leave town and your no where. My sister went to university of wisconsin madison and the campus there is great, right in the downtown, with all the little towns and lakes around. a balanced mix of everything.

 

so, where did you go to school? how did you like it? what did you study? Any suggestions?

 

-Justin

[psu_Crash]

Sure the town there is great, but leave town and your no where.

 

 

First work on your grammar or you will not get into a competitive school.

 

I went to Penn State Behrend in Erie PA for Electrical Engineering. Absolutely had a blast there and I can't say enough about their program. All disciplines of engineering are very well covered there. I went to the Erie campus on the advice of a professor there. He said if you want to party, go to main campus. If you want professors who care, have fun and earn a degree that means something, then go to Behrend.

It's a rural setting just on the outskirts of Erie which is a "city" but not in the same sense as Chicago. Erie is more like a big town, but for this country kid it was perfect. There is a lot to do there especially if you're into outdoor activities. A few good concerts a year, a decent comedy club, bars out the ears and if you don't like the weather just wait a couple hours!

 

I was also accepted to Drexel, Bucknell and Pitt. I had my heart set on Bucknell for years until I looked into it further and talked to some fiends who went there. Ivy league sure sounds great until you meet the people. Don't get me wrong, there were a LOT of very good people there but there were also a good amount of snobby rich kids. I guess a few bad apples ruined the bushel for me.

[Guest]

California State University, Los Angeles. They've got a killer engineering dept., known to have won world recognition for their solar power technology in solar race cars. It's 10 miles or so from Downtown LA, nice campus and of course all the opportunities that a big city offers.

[Frenchi934]

I go to Georgia Tech (Georgia Institute of Technology). Mechanical engineering. Its consistently ranked in the top 10 public universities and has great engineering programs in all disciplines. The work load is extremely rigorous and will challenge you, but I wouldn't imagine going anywhere else. You're located right in the heart of the a major city/ travel hub. There is a world class aquarium a block down the road (literally) and a 6flags theme park less than 20 minutes away. And even on campus there is always something to do/ new people to meet. We have people from all walks of life from all over the world and a remote campus located in Metz, France. Which, if you should decide to study abroad at GT Lorraine, you are awarded in state tuition (1/4 of out of state here) during the duration of your stay. There is also a really cool co-op program where you can work certain semesters as a paid intern and receive credit for classes/ a special designation on your diploma (as well as make money to help pay for college)

[Technology]

I went to Minnesota State University Moorhead. Pretty nice school with good teachers. I enjoyed it but it had a lot to do with being older and going back for something I really wanted, instead of the first time around, where I was going because I thought it's what my parents wanted.

[Fanta]

Going to Southern Poly State University in Marietta, GA. Not necessarily on as grand of a scale as Georgia Tech. Largest difference between the two schools is class size. GT you have large classes of 50+ students whereas SPSU has smaller classes of around 20 students so more interaction student to teacher. Definitely a geek campus ( I'll never forget taken a final with Aragorn to my right, superman in front of me, spider man and wolverine to my left, and gimli in the far back ). They have a remote campus and an exchange program with China. Also down the road from Kennesaw State University, where the women run free. Seriously though, visit a few campus' if you can. They really help you with getting a job upon graduation too. It's also a very affordable college ( main reason why I went there due to my being Canadian citizen and my dad living in Ohio - they really went through the extra mile in my book to get me in-state ). Also, they don't do the whole prestige thing where they look to see what extra curricular activities you have or have not done to be accepted. That, and the college campus is being revamped.

 

http://www.spsu.edu/

 

 

If you want to go big, check out Carnegie Mellon

 

http://www.cmu.edu/index.shtml

Edited January 27, 2011 by Fanta

[dmyers151]

SUNY schools are where it's at dude. SUNY Binghamton has an awesome ME program.

 

I went to SUNY Morrisville for MET (Mechanical Engineering Technology) and it was pretty awesome. Just a really small school in a small town. RIT and RPI love Morrisville grads for their skills and knowledge in machining and processes. Two of my fellow grads went on to RPI and have awesome jobs now. Both also participated heavily in the Formula SAE car program.

[UlrichWolf88]

I went to the school of hard knocks, and I got a workin' man's PhD.

 

Tim

 

P.S. No pesky student loans to pay off, either.

Edited January 27, 2011 by UlrichWolf88

[Mix_67]

I have an ME form Penn State Erie and just like psu_crash said its a great school. I had some awesome professors. The school caters to its engineers and now that there is a nursing and businesses school on campus there has been an increase in the female to male ratio. Also in the local area Penn State Erie Students are sought after and in areas that don't know about Erie's program still see a diploma that says PSU.

 

PS. They have a good SCCA region that does lots of auto-x as well

[Burton]

I went to Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI for Auto Body Repair, which actually was a top 3 school for that at the time (early 90's).

 

 

I got my degree, but after a while of auto body I got sick of it and moved onto other things. Eventually I ended up in a tool and die shop running an injection molding press, and worked my way up into an apprenticeship. That was the way to go. They taught me everything about mold making and I specialized in CNC machining cavity on injection molds. Not only that, but it didn't cost me anything- They paid for my schooling, as well as payed me my hourly rate to sit thru classes. Then again, My parents paid for my college as well as all the tools I needed for auto body, so I didn't have to pay for that either. As expensive as college is, I'm glad I didn't have to, and don't envy the kids paying for it nowadays when it's even more.

 

 

I see a lot of people with college educations right now with hard times finding jobs. There's so many people looking for jobs that people with experience are looking for entry level pay. Who would you hire for the same cost- a fresh graduate, or someone with 10 years experience?

 

I hate to say it, but I think people with a trade will be going farther and be in better shape than most people with college degrees. You might want to look into it.

Edited January 27, 2011 by Burton

[Convette]

I went to Penn State Worthington for 2 years for ME. Great program, not too bad on the wallet. Then I quit to desgin cars at the Academy of Art College in SF. Also a great program, but very, very bad on the wallet.

[pure_insanity]

i did the school of hard knocks also. there almost wasnt enough money to get me out of high school let alone think about college. and since i worked my entire way thru high school, my grades suffered and at the time, there wasnt even much shot at scholarships or anything of the sort. i did put myself thru welding cert school thru a job i found and that has helped out a good bit. and along the way ive always been in body work and picked up several certificates for paint and body. which arent worth anything except for making it sound impressive to any one who doesnt know.

i agree with what burton said earlier about learning a trade. however i think you should go to school and get the college degree, yet also pick up a trade skill. its always nice to have something to fall back on.

[spoon32]

Graduated from Ohio Northern University with my BSME in 2008. They have a terrific engineering department and most of the faculty is from western hemisphere so you don't have to worry about understanding what your prof is saying. Most people don't consider this, but during high school I set in on some classes at Ohio University and could barely understand what their profs were saying.

Pros: Good engineering dept, small enrollment, nice campus, undergrad only so you will never get a lecture from a TA or grad student, VERY high pass rate for the PE exam.

Cons: Private school ($$), undergrad only so if you pursue a masters you will need to go elsewhere, not much to do off campus.

[Technology]

I haven't told anyone here yet, but my fall back plan is porn. My amazing intellect isn't the only area where I'm well endowed.

[Austin88ESiR]

Texas and its university systems (Texas Tech, UT (various), Texas A&M) have great engineering schools. There is Texas Tech in Lubbock where my friend got his Engineering Physics degree. I have a few friends who got initial ME and EE degrees from UT Austin and then higher degrees from neighbouring colleges like Texas A&M. If you are looking for good social atmospheres out the Texas cities, Austin would be the best bet as it has at least 5 colleges/universities in town, plus more close by plus a thriving night life and music scene (ACL, SXSW, etc) (but too much social stuff can also be a detriment). I have friends that went to SUNYs and Penn State (main campus) and those are also great schools. Best bet is to focus on what you specifically want to study and then sort out the best schools for that. Good luck.

 

oh and the Texas colleges might be less expensive for out of staters than in most other states.

Edited January 27, 2011 by Austin88ESiR

[Elkidmino]

I looked at a dozen schools, applied to six and got accepted to six. SIU Edwardsville, UofI, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Kettering, UofM Dearborn, and Lawrence Technological University, and eventually picked LTU. I chose LTU because it had the features of the bigger schools, but a small campus atmosphere. Seriously, my campus was on the corner of two roads outside of Detroit and that was it. They were founded as a technical engineering school and have remained faithful to that over the years as well as expanding their curriculum. The classes are challenging, but the smaller sizes helped me with the 1 on 1 feeling. I got some sick Co-ops (one was destroying Humvees in NV for a semster) and eventually ended up at Chrysler. It's considered a private university so it's tough on the wallet.

 

I didn't choose the other schools because each one had something about it I didn't like, or wasn't impressed with.

 

Oh and about your extracurriculars: My resume didn't get me this job, the fact that I owned and worked on a Conquest did. http://www.starquestclub.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif

Edited January 27, 2011 by Elkidmino

[Robert_n_family]

I am a Phoenix.

[fijiblueman]

i have a phd in b.s. thats why this is my favorite forum.

 

 

 

Paul

[89Steve]

If you've ever considered the east coast, Drexel, University of DE and Northeastern (up in boston) all have awesome Mech-E programs. Penn state is a great school for an eng. degree as well. I applied to all of these and while I loved Northeastern/Drexel's co-op program, UD just made sense financially. You should check out some of the schools this way. I'm a junior here in the Mech. Eng program so if you're ever interested id be happy to show a fellow SQ'er around.

[substock]

Graduated from Ohio Northern University with my BSME in 2008. They have a terrific engineering department and most of the faculty is from western hemisphere so you don't have to worry about understanding what your prof is saying. Most people don't consider this, but during high school I set in on some classes at Ohio University and could barely understand what their profs were saying.

Pros: Good engineering dept, small enrollment, nice campus, undergrad only so you will never get a lecture from a TA or grad student, VERY high pass rate for the PE exam.

Cons: Private school ($$), undergrad only so if you pursue a masters you will need to go elsewhere, not much to do off campus.

 

 

spoon a fellow OAC'er

I graduated from Mount Union College(or as of now The University of Mount Union) in '04

[spoon32]

spoon a fellow OAC'er

I graduated from Mount Union College(or as of now The University of Mount Union) in '04

 

 

LOL..... you mean the greatest football school in all of divison III.

[substock]

LOL..... you mean the greatest football school in all of divison III.

 

i have no problem with you calling us that.

we've had a couple down years though...

[Shelby]

normaly speaking the entire foot ball team changes out every few years ,but not always huh

 

me i went to the School of Hard Knocks same as a great many did

at least we didn't spend Dads hard earn'd money on beer and girls

[gooch]

DeVry University,

 

One of the best if you want a computer or electronics degree.

[carguygibby]

normaly speaking the entire foot ball team changes out every few years ,but not always huh

 

me i went to the School of Hard Knocks same as a great many did

at least we didn't spend Dads hard earn'd money on beer and girls http://www.starquestclub.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif

 

 

I graduated with honors from that school.

Working on my Masters Degree there now!http://www.starquestclub.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif

Colinhttp://www.starquestclub.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/cool.gif