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QB Moderator (Karen)
| Hi, this is Karen. I work at QuestBridge and I'll be moderating today's discussion. When you submit your questions during this chat session, the questions will come to me. Then I will send your questions along to the college representatives, who will post their answers for the whole room to see. |
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QB Moderator (Karen)
| To start us off, I'll ask the college representatives to introduce themselves. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Hi all, my name is Alex and I'm an admissions counselor at Swarthmore. |
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Rice (Bart)
| Hi. I'm Bart Sinclair, Associate Dean of Engineering at Rice University. I'm also a faculty member in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. |
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QB Moderator (Karen)
| I'm going to ask the representatives a few questions now, but feel free to start submitting your own questions, too. |
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QB Moderator (Karen)
| What is the most popular engineering major? |
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Rice (Bart)
| At Rice, the most popular major today is Bioengineering, which has just passed Electrical and Computer Engineering as having the most undergraduate majors. Mechanical Engineering is also becoming increasingly popular. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Swarthmore's engineering program is different from almost all others in that, instead of cramming as much engineering knowledge as possible into 4 (or 5!) years of college, our program provides a firm grounding in engineering fundamentals across engineering disciplines, as well as a solid liberal arts education. The result is that our students are less specialized than graduates of other engineering schools, but are much better at making connections between and among concepts. They tend to be snapped up by the best graduate programs, who like having good raw material to train in their specialties, and by progressive companies who are willing to invest in training our students in the specifics of their product line, knowing that they will be more creative, innovative, and productive employees in the long run. The last point is in distinction to companies that hire the most recent engineering school graduates who are profitable immediately, but whose knowledge becomes dated quickly. Our students' knowledge never becomes irrelevant because it is fundamental, and they know how to teach themselves whatever they need to know to accomplish their goals. This independence and self-starting are the hallmarks of our program, and the best reason our students succeed in engineering. |
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QB Moderator (Karen)
| How do you find out which field of engineering is for you? |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| The best piece of advice we can give is to explore different courses and chat with faculty, as well as other students. |
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Rice (Bart)
| There are a variety of ways.
Take courses that introduce you to various fields of engineering.
Academic advising events that talk about career paths and opportunities. Participate in student engineering organization activities (we have 16 undergraduate engineering student organizations at Rice).
Attend Career Day.
Talk with upper division students in your residential college.
Make use of the Career Services Office's offerings. |
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QB Moderator (Karen)
| Is it hard to obtain engineering research positions? |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Not at all, Swarthmore is a pretty small liberal arts school with no grad students. Virtually every students who is interested in research can work with a professor here. In the end, between a quarter and third of all students join in faculty research, many finding their names on a published paper.
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Rice (Bart)
| No. At Rice, about 60% of our undergraduate engineering students participate in research while they are here. This can be either for course credit (independent study) or as an extracurricular activity. If extracurricular, you often get paid, as a kind of junior graduate student. Some 20% of our students get both kinds of research experience. You can do research during the academic year or in the summer. |
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ukken989
| how rigid are the requirements for engineering? would it be possible to switch majors after a year or two, either from engineering to something else or vice versa? |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Oh goodness, these is so much flexibility here at Swarthmore...The Swarthmore Engineering Curriculum consists of twelve engineering courses, four math courses, and four science courses. Of the twelve engineering courses, about half are required and the other half are electives. The required courses give students a broad background in engineering fundamentals while the electives allow students to tailor the program to their specific interests.
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| but also...Because Swarthmore is a liberal arts college that values breadth of learning, it requires that twenty courses be taken outside the major; thirty-two courses are required for graduation. This leaves at most twelve required courses for the major, making Engineering the most expansive major allowed by the college.
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Indeed, a number of students can double major. For instance, I know a Dance and Engineering double major, a religion and engineering major and, of course, more orthodox couplings with math or computer science |
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Rice (Bart)
| Requirements in engineering majors typically consist of a core set of courses that are required of all students in the major, and a fairly extensive number of major electives. Students usually choose from one of several areas within a major and target that area with the majority of their courses.
Rice is extremely flexible in allowing you to choose or change majors. The university doesn't require students to declare their majors until near the end of the sophomore year, and students are free to change majors at any time. Of course, the later you decide on your final major, the more likely it is that you will spend more than four years to finish your degree requirements.
Also, in engineering, if you plan to finish in four years, it's usually necessary to choose a major by the beginning of your sophomore year, because that is typically when you will begin taking the introductory engineering courses in your major. You can leave your options open by taking introductory courses in more than one major. |
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chopstix
| What is the difference when it comes to employment opportunities between engineering and a straight science major like a biochemistry major and a biomedical engineering major? |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| I think that being in a liberal arts environment arts allows you to get training in a number of different areas and disciplines. So you develop the ability to learn in diverse areas. A lot of people who hire folks here on campus love their intellectual agility and their ability to learn things just based on fundamentals. |
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Rice (Bart)
| Engineering majors have, in addition to the engineering science knowledge that they have obtained, developed a host of other skills focused on engineering design - problem solving, systems analysis, teamwork, communications, etc. We find that many of our majors end up in non-engineering fields, where these other skills are highly valued. Management, management consulting, medicine, law, investment banking, venture capital, ... - the variety of opportunities is really exciting. |
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Annie
| what fields are most exciting to you in engineering today? |
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Rice (Bart)
| Okay, so I'm a computer engineer, and I think computers and digital systems in general are really great. But if I step back and try to be a little less biased, I would say that there several areas that are particularly exciting today, and each of these areas overlaps several traditional and more recently developed fields of engineering.
Biotechnology and bioengineering, broadly defined - tissue engineering, genetics, biosystems engineering, bioinformatics, biokinetics, drug delivery systems, biomechanics and medical prostheses design.
Nanotechnology - application areas include energy systems, materials (including biomaterials), "designer" materials, transportation, aerospace engineering, ...
Energy - chemical engineering, fuel cells, nanowires, energy production, clean energy
Environmental systems and engineering for extreme environments - hurricanes (we're very sensitive to these in Houston), earthquakes, manmade disasters, flooding, urban transportations systems, ...
All of these have great importance for all of us.
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ukken989
| how often do engineering majors enter medical school? do they complete the required courses for med school while majoring in engineering? what is their acceptance rate to med schools? |
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Rice (Bart)
| I would estimate that between 15 and 20 percent of our engineering students go to medical school. They do complete the required courses for med school while working on their majors. Some of the required courses can satisfy major degree requirements; other have to be taken as free electives, but some of these can also be used to satisfy Rice distribution requirements (our general education requirements). The acceptance rate is probably in excess of 90% (I'd say 100%, since I don't recall a student not getting accepted, but I don't know every student who is applying). |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| I'm not sure as to the number, but I know that it is possible and is done. Swat has a Pre-Med program and not major, so students can major in whatever it they wish while taking courses that will make them competitive for med school |
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Annie
| Is it possible to pursue engineering and also still study abroad in college? |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Let me just say that in general, the engineering department, and I believe this is true of all the departments, really supports the idea of study abroad. It adds dimensions to experience. Not that we don’t love you to stay on campus for four years too, but you get another dimension, especially if you are going to a culture with which you are completely unfamiliar. You will grow the most in that experience. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Many of our students take a semester abroad. Recent choices have included schools in Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Poland and Spain. |
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Annie
| as a high school student, what activities or classes can i take to prepare myself for engineering in college? |
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Rice (Bart)
| Math, math, and math - an engineer can never have too much. Take calculus, probability and/or statistics if you have it available, differential equations. Not every student has the opportunity to take all of these kinds of math, and you will be able to do just fine as an engineering student if you don't get to take them, but having them when you get to college is a definite plus.
Physical sciences - physics, chemistry, biology.
Learn to write well, to express yourself concisely and clearly - I can't emphasize how important it is for an engineering student to be able to express herself or himself well. Take classes in English, in history, in political science in which you are required to write. |
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Annie
| When I'm in college, what type of engineering internships are available? Are there certain companies or schools that offer especially good internships? |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| The internships that you can take advantage of at most colleges, same is true here at Swarthmore. We have a career services offer that will help you locate those. |
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Rice (Bart)
| Many kinds of internships are available. On one dimension, you can have either industrial or research internships. Industrial internships are where you work in a company in an engineering capacity, under the supervision and mentorship of practicing engineers. It's great experience, teaches you a lot about engineering, gives you exposure to how a particular company approaches engineering, and in general helps you learn a lot about whether or not that field or that company looks like a good fit for you. Research internships are usually at academic institutions or government labs, and can be wonderful things to participate in. Many universities offer Research Experience for Undergraudate programs that are open to students across the country, not just at that institution.
Companies that offer good internships - there are many. The best thing to do is to talk to other students when you get to college and ask their opinions about their own internship experiences. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Also, we have an "externship" program available. Here's how it works...
We are on the semester system, so you come for the fall semester, 12-13 weeks, you come for the spring semester, essentially 13 weeks, and you have the summer. We have a month-long break in the winter and the externship program is you find a field of interest that you want to pursue and you do this for a week with an alumnus in the field. You also live with an alum, probably someone that you’re not going to shadow for a week. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| The beautiful thing about this—let’s say you have an interest in medicine, you have an interest in engineering, you have an interest in business—which way will I go? Oftentimes, when you commit to an internship for the full summer, what if you’re three weeks in and realize, “This is not what I want to do with my life. This is not what I want to be when I grow up.” You’re committed for three months. The good thing about the externship is you see it for a week. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| It’s hands-on with the person. You can do it with a surgeon, with a businessperson, with an engineer. You also live with an alum. We focus on several major cities like D.C., Philly, New York…I don’t know where all the cities are, but there’s six or seven of them. |
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jlab
| I am a senior and participating in a program called Governor's school at a local university. During this 5 week program we will recieve 3 semester credit hours for the course. Would there be an advantage to taking a year of physics in my senior year at high school after completing this session at the university? I don't plan on being an engineering major. I plan to go to med school. |
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Rice (Bart)
| Just a comment here. Many of our engineering majors do in fact go to med school. Over the last three years, about a third of all our bioengineering majors have gone directly to medical school. I can't really help you on the question of whether or not you should take a year of physics in high school after completing the Governor's school program, without know more about the physics you had in that program. |
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ukken989(Q)
| would it be terribly detrimental to a potential applicant if he did not take any offered physics courses at his school simply because the teacher was terrible himself? |
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Rice (Bart)
| The reality is that we do pay attention to the courses that you take in high school when we make admissions decisions, not just the grades you get in them. If your school offers physics and we see that you didn't take any, the question "Why not?" will naturally come up. Your application would have to do a good job of answering that question. One of the best predictors of whether or not you will be successful as an engineering student at Rice is the extent to which you challenged yourself in high school by your choice of courses. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| :) ... hmmm... Colleges wish to see that you have challenged yourself in the curriculum available at your school. I guess you might weigh the pros and cons and see what you think. Getting a head start on physics in high school may help with your academic experience in college...especially if you are interested in engineering. But weigh your options and then decide. |
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QB Moderator (Karen)
| How competitive are the engineering students? Is there a support network for them? |
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Rice (Bart)
| I think the students here are much more collaborative than they are competitive. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Engineering students here are not competitive, but rather collaborative. Our department encourages group work, work on interdisciplinary teams, and creative solutions to open-ended problems that are genuinely interesting (not cookbook).
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Mundi
| how do you know if there is a market for a certain engineering degree |
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Rice (Bart)
| You can find all kinds of statistics about engineering job markets. Most of that information is gleaned from surveys one or two years old by the time you see the results. If you're a senior this coming year, you won't be entering the job market for probably another five years. Don't base your decision about an engineering major on what you perceive the job market will be in five years. Choose the field that interests you, and go for it. |
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ukken989
| How does Rice's bioengineering program rank in the nation? Are there special research grants available to students of this major? |
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Rice (Bart)
| In the top ten. Many (about 85%, I think) of our bioengineering students participate in research here on campus or in the Texas Medical Center, which is directly across the street from the Rice campus. |
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DORAN
| If my application to your school is next winter but before I begin my first physics class, can I "submit" my grade in my first physics class AFTER I send in my application? |
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Rice (Bart)
| I'm not an admissions officer, but I imagine the answer is "yes," as long as it gets to us in time to be considered in the admissions deliberation process. |
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QB Moderator (Karen)
| Since we only have a few minutes left, I'm going to ask the college representatives to say a little more about who they are, and about their schools' admissions processes. |
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Rice (Bart)
| At Rice, admissions is managed by the Office of Admissions and by a Committee on Admissions, made up entirely of faculty. Generally speaking, each student applying to Rice who expresses a primary interest in admissions will have his or her folder read by at least one engineering faculty member as well as by several members of the admissions office staff. We don't have a quota for the number of engineering students we admit each year, but we do have a target. About thirty percent of all entering freshmen at Rice are engineering students.
One other thing about Rice - here, Engineering is one of the core academic schools, the same as Natural Sciences, Humanities, and Social Sciences. Our students are fully integrated into the larger university, and have no restrictions about taking classes in other areas that do not apply to all students (that is, you can take courses in English, History, Visual Arts, Policy Studies, Economics, Music, etc.), and we encourage you to do so. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Swarthmore is a small liberal arts with students who really are concerned with using knowledge in its larger context. It a suburb just outside of Philly; in fact, there is a train station right at the foot of campus that will take you down town in half an hour. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Still, the school itself is a nationally recognized arboretum. There are plenty of opportunities for students. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| In preparing for this chat, I talked to an engineering professor who shared with me a list of why he and his students think engin is great at Swat. I'll share it with you...
1. small classes, very hands-on, working with the professors, very intense and personal experience.
2. integrated engineering subjects: mechanical, electrical, civil, computer, and environmental engineering in a blend that reinforces the connections and similarities across these areas.
3. Research potential. No grad students here, so can work with profs and co-publish papers in international journals as an undergraduate
4. Good liberal arts education. Engineers should know about the context, environmental affects, economic costs/benefits, and social dimensions of technology.
5. Dating scene is better here. (From the students)
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| Your professors, staff, and your peers all want to see you do well |
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ukken989
| is there a difference between bioengineering and biomedical engineering? |
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Rice (Bart)
| Not really. Often you will discover that people use the terms interchangeably. If you want to be precise, biomedical engineering focuses on us - humans. Bioengineering is somewhat broader, since it includes non-people things, for example, biosystems that might be used to produce particular chemicals, drugs, or fertilizers. But in general, you can use either term and you'll be okay. |
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QB Moderator (Karen)
| Thanks so much for answering all of these questions, Bart and Alex. Thanks to the students who participated, too. Good luck with your college applications! |
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QB Moderator (Karen)
| Students, feel free to join the 5pm chat on financial aid with representatives from Columbia and Scripps. It's just getting going. |
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Rice (Bart)
| If you do have any other questions, please contact me by email at bs@rice.edu, or call at (713) 348-6324. If I don't know the answer, I'll try to find someone who does. And if you get a chance, come visit Houston and the Rice campus. You'll love it. |
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Swarthmore (Alex)
| If you have any questions about Swat or the college search and application process, please feel free to get in touch with me hcook1@swarthmore.edu. Also our engineering chair, Erik Cheever (erik_cheever@swarthmore.edu)
would love to hear from you, should you have questions. |
