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Engineering Careers: Questions Category:

I am a high school senior interested in engineering, but I'm not sure exactly which specific field. I have been accepted to a number of colleges and am having a hard time choosing which to attend. Does it matter which school I choose for my undergraduate work? Some colleges are less well known and less selective and I have been offered generous scholarships there, some are more selective but will cost more. One of the iniversities is known as the best in my state, but I have heard that the program contains more "theory" and less "practical" engineering. Would it be better to go to the more prestigious school as far as getting into grad school and getting a job?

posted by Beth from Virginia on March 29, 2012

by Anne Spence
Make sure that you choose a university that is accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). This assures you that you can apply to become a PE (Professional Engineer) after 5 years of working as an engineer. Next you should try on a school to see how it fits. Go there, talk to some students, think about want kind of environment you like (big/small; engineering only campus; research opportunities). As far as getting into grad school and getting a job, I would talk with all of the universities that you are interested in and ask them where their students go to graduate school. Ask them how many go to each school and how many go to graduate school in general. I would be happy to give you feedback on specific schools.