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what is the best college to go to get a major in engineering

i am going to work in construction with my dad but before i go work with him my parents want me to go to college so im not sure where the best place for me to go is. #engineering

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Ian’s Answer

Hi Luke!


Great question with a lot of great answers. Many proud Alumni will tell you their school is the best (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is pretty great ; ) ), but the 'best school' has a lot of facets to consider. Below I've listed some of my thoughts on the idea:

  • Culture Fit: One of the biggest things to consider when applying to a school is culture. Do you want a big school or a small school? What are the activities you really enjoy and does that campus support them? do you prefer a school in the city or one with more open land around? These are some important things to consider and the best way to do so in my mind is to go and visit each option.
  • Return on Investment: No matter where you go, a conisderation should always be return for your investment. Much of this data is easily found on average ROI for schools. A quick Google search can show you rankings on this.
  • Recruitment: What companies recruit from your school options? Certain recruiters prefer different schools and you may be able to get a fast track on a specific company depending on where you choose. For engineering, my school had a great connection with Boeing. Many of my peers at school went to Boeing to begin their careers and having these connections can be incredibly helpful when you go to apply to your first post school job.
  • Major offerings: Determining if you prefer a school that specializes in one type of engineering or has a better generalist program that you can then pursue your focus in grad work is also important.

Again, great question and I wish you luck in your search! Let me know if I can provide any additional info.

Ian recommends the following next steps:

Visit lots of schools! Getting to visit and compare campus's is huge and a great first step in finding what you want.
Do some research on your schools including: ROI, corporate partnerships, major and academic offerings.
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Ken’s Answer

It really does not matter what college you attend. Many people get a great start by beginning their education at a community college. I, like many, found it to be a great start as they have small classes, the tuition is more reasonable, and they offer intern and coop programs that allow you to get experience and career exposure and earn as you learn. Here is a helpful video: ##

http://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education

Ken recommends the following next steps:

As engineering is a very broad field, the most important first step is to talk an interest and aptitude test to help determine what area would be best to match with your personality traits, When doing college recruiting, too often I encountered students who had skipped this step and ended up in an area for which they were ill suited. It would be a good idea to talk this in high school and again in college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offerings. However, do not wait to take it in college, as you need the information to take appropriate classes in high school. Too often, due to poor planning, students end up taking and paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
When you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to meet, talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people who are doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can see the inside view of the job, which may differ from the view from the outside. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 @@
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people working in your career area of interest belong, so that you can get to know them and get their advice. These associations are the means by which people in those careers keep abreast of the developments in their career area and advance throughout their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
Here are some sites that will help you to learn more about the various areas of engineering: ## https://www.engineergirl.org/ ## ## http://www.futureengineers.org/ ## ## https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43zVcmTJSKM ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way. Here are some helpful tips to help to continue receiving information and to develop continuing networking contacts: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Peter’s Answer

Luke:

You mention your desire to join your father in construction. If this is truly your aim, then Civil Engineering would be the best engineering major for you. In particular, you can specialize in Construction Engineering. My Alma Mater, the University of Washington, offers a good program for construction engineering. I am sure you can other schools that offer this specialty, as well.

Good Luck, Pete Sturtevant, PE
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