Hey everybody, don't really have a specific question, but just wanted to ask people to share where they attended college, what major you chose and if you would do either of them again. I'm a highschool senior looking at schools such as Virginia Tech, Clemson, Maryland, and James Madison but my options are wide open, So post where you went, what you majored in, and if you enjoyed your decision.
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Colleges and Majors
- Thread starter NYIsles
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I currently attend Old Dominion University in Norfolk and study Mechanical Engineering. The school is growing...fast. ODU used to be sort of rinky dink, but the recent addition of a football team, a new president, and about $60 million worth of new facilities has really cleaned the place up. I can't speak for the other programs, but the engineering program here is also growing fast. ODU has multiple partnerships with the NASA/Langley Research Center and the Jefferson Lab National Accelerator Facility. A lot of the professors at ODU also work at these facilities, which makes the program better IMO. I chose engineering because I want to apply for the Navy's Test Pilot School later in my career and an engineering background is important for that career path.
Engineering is hard, and requires a lot of time out of the classroom, but I enjoy the material. The math isn't as hard as people make it seem, and most of the concepts exercise your common sense and intuition. No matter what you do, study hard your senior year and take advantage of all opportunities available.
Engineering is hard, and requires a lot of time out of the classroom, but I enjoy the material. The math isn't as hard as people make it seem, and most of the concepts exercise your common sense and intuition. No matter what you do, study hard your senior year and take advantage of all opportunities available.
If you enjoy Nordic-style, professional-grade alcoholism and knowing everyone in your class, I can recommend a small liberal arts college in the northeast. NESCAC schools suck at sports so you might still have a chance to actually play. If you can't stand Bostonians, the cold, or paying too much for school, apply elsewhere.
I am a senior at Colby College in Maine. I study geology and I love my department and field dearly; small departments will give endlessly if you are so inclined.
That being said, if I had known I wanted to study geology and not international relations / economics, I probably would have applied to state schools with larger departments where (theoretically) I could tailor my course work more to my specific intersts.
Keep in mind, our profiles are only going to be of so much use to you. What we know now is not what we knew (or wanted) when in your shoes. You are asking a million dollar question, and our anecdotal evidence is just that.
I am a senior at Colby College in Maine. I study geology and I love my department and field dearly; small departments will give endlessly if you are so inclined.
That being said, if I had known I wanted to study geology and not international relations / economics, I probably would have applied to state schools with larger departments where (theoretically) I could tailor my course work more to my specific intersts.
Keep in mind, our profiles are only going to be of so much use to you. What we know now is not what we knew (or wanted) when in your shoes. You are asking a million dollar question, and our anecdotal evidence is just that.
Attended Embry-Riddle AU in Prescott, AZ. BS in Aerospace Engineering. I would not go there again.
Pros of ERAU:
- Second to none facilities and staff.
- Degree that is either very well respected, or despised, depending on who you talk to.
- Prescott campus leaves much time for studying, little for partying.
Cons of ERAU
- $100,000 in debt for a single piece of paper and a whole bunch of knowledge in my head
- Prescott campus is extremely slim on the female side, and the town is a retiree haven...very small party scene, and nothing like at a D1 school.
- The USMC could care less where I got my degree from, and therefore it is pretty much pointless at this time in my career.
Hindsight being 20/20, I should have gone on the full-ride academic scholarship to Oregon State and gotten my BS in Mechanical Engineering instead. I would still be at the same place in my life, minus the $100k in debt. I wanted to go to Riddle, so I did.
I had a good college experience and feel that I wouldn't have gotten quite as much out of my schooling at a state school, but I also feel that I missed out on some of the other things you're supposed to learn at college (partying, etc). Just my opinion.
Pros of ERAU:
- Second to none facilities and staff.
- Degree that is either very well respected, or despised, depending on who you talk to.
- Prescott campus leaves much time for studying, little for partying.
Cons of ERAU
- $100,000 in debt for a single piece of paper and a whole bunch of knowledge in my head
- Prescott campus is extremely slim on the female side, and the town is a retiree haven...very small party scene, and nothing like at a D1 school.
- The USMC could care less where I got my degree from, and therefore it is pretty much pointless at this time in my career.
Hindsight being 20/20, I should have gone on the full-ride academic scholarship to Oregon State and gotten my BS in Mechanical Engineering instead. I would still be at the same place in my life, minus the $100k in debt. I wanted to go to Riddle, so I did.
I had a good college experience and feel that I wouldn't have gotten quite as much out of my schooling at a state school, but I also feel that I missed out on some of the other things you're supposed to learn at college (partying, etc). Just my opinion.
le lyon
NFO BDCP'er
I'm a senior at the University of Illinois, majoring in Economics, with a minor in French. U of I is in the middle of nowhere, with cornfields on all sides. However, it (Urbana-Champaign) is usually voted as one of the best college towns in America, year in, year out. The campus itself is gorgeous. It is also a top-ten public university. The engineering college is one of the best in the country, without question. The Mechanical Engineering department was #1 for USA Today last year. We're currently constructing the world's fastest supercomputer. If you're an engineering nerd, this is the place for you. Co-eds aren't too shabby, either, if you can deal with a nasally Chicago accent. That being said, it's f****** miserable here in the winter and the courses are almost always a challenge. Large sports fanbase and great facilities. Wouldn't have gone anywhere else.
Afterburner209
Good muster guys.
Im finishing up at Cal State Monterey; Majoring in Human Communication (Pre-Law Concentration). It's small and my major sucks. But its cheap, on the beach, and got me into the navy so Im not complaining.
Senior in Mechanical Eng.
University of Alabama in Birmingham
Next semester is my last semester and i have learned a few things:
1.) When getting an eng. degree your social life is inversely proportional to your grades, so if you want to party and drink a lot ... look else-where.
2.) Very few women (only 1 in my graduating class)
3.) You have to deal with people who are extremely smart, but lack in social skills.
4.) And there will always be that 1 slacker who has cheated his way through a tough degree field... avoid him.
Get a technical degree if you want to better your chances getting in the Navy.
Rass
University of Alabama in Birmingham
Next semester is my last semester and i have learned a few things:
1.) When getting an eng. degree your social life is inversely proportional to your grades, so if you want to party and drink a lot ... look else-where.
2.) Very few women (only 1 in my graduating class)
3.) You have to deal with people who are extremely smart, but lack in social skills.
4.) And there will always be that 1 slacker who has cheated his way through a tough degree field... avoid him.
Get a technical degree if you want to better your chances getting in the Navy.
Rass
I went to Davidson College (graduated 08) and loved it. I was a bio major - if I could do it again I probably would suck it up and be a chemistry major (more jobs available). Only problem was, until Stephen Curry came along, no one had heard of it - always ranked quite high in academic standards though. On a side note - when we went to the elite 8, the school paid for like 200 students to take charter buses up to detroit for the game and even footed the bill for the hotel.
Small school - under 1700 people - but a beautiful campus and actually pretty fun parties. It's in a small town, but only a 15 minute drive to Charlotte. They take the honor code really seriously which makes some things nice - almost all my tests were take home and no one steals your shit.
Small school - under 1700 people - but a beautiful campus and actually pretty fun parties. It's in a small town, but only a 15 minute drive to Charlotte. They take the honor code really seriously which makes some things nice - almost all my tests were take home and no one steals your shit.
Florida Atlantic University - Small Business Managment, a state school in south florida 5 min from the beach nothing more to say other then a great time
My 2 cents:
I started at a community college and finished up at a 4 year university with a non-tech degree and I'm going in as an SNA next month.
Go have fun, travel abroad if you get the chance. Meet great friends and girls. Party, drink...not too much :icon_wink... and enjoy your youth while you can. Have fun but don't be stupid. Major in whatever you are interested in and your GPA will keep itself up. Try to stay active and not be a lazy sack, but don't work too hard. Don't think you have to spend a fortune to get a good education.
Your college experience is what you make of it no matter where you go or what you major in.
I started at a community college and finished up at a 4 year university with a non-tech degree and I'm going in as an SNA next month.
Go have fun, travel abroad if you get the chance. Meet great friends and girls. Party, drink...not too much :icon_wink... and enjoy your youth while you can. Have fun but don't be stupid. Major in whatever you are interested in and your GPA will keep itself up. Try to stay active and not be a lazy sack, but don't work too hard. Don't think you have to spend a fortune to get a good education.
Your college experience is what you make of it no matter where you go or what you major in.
University of Michigan - Aerospace Engineering with a Spanish and Math Minor. Absolutely.
I was an out of state student and I had an awesome time at Michigan. As various others have summed up, an engineering degree is definitely nothing to flippantly decide to do. Michigan Engineering is top ten in basically all areas and oftentimes we referred to it as a slave labor camp.
BUT, i graduated with no regrets. I have 100K in loans to pay, but the experiences I had and the friends I made and the things i learned OUTSIDE of the classroom are what I carry most with me. I had a great time in college and still studied my ass off and I wouldn't trade my time there for anything.
I was an out of state student and I had an awesome time at Michigan. As various others have summed up, an engineering degree is definitely nothing to flippantly decide to do. Michigan Engineering is top ten in basically all areas and oftentimes we referred to it as a slave labor camp.
BUT, i graduated with no regrets. I have 100K in loans to pay, but the experiences I had and the friends I made and the things i learned OUTSIDE of the classroom are what I carry most with me. I had a great time in college and still studied my ass off and I wouldn't trade my time there for anything.
DAMN!!!! 100k in loans from a state school!?!?!?!?! Anyone ever heard of work-study or a grant or two???
DAMN!!!! 100k in loans from a state school!?!?!?!?! Anyone ever heard of work-study or a grant or two???
Ha yeah I did work-study in the high energy particle physics lab. I also worked 4 other jobs to help pay my tuition/books/beer money.
My dad was the sole supporter of my education, my mom didn't pay anything, so I tried to help out as best as I could.
He told me transferring out of Michigan, after discussing with him going to a different school (after my first year) due to finances, was out of the question.
I had scholarships as well too....but those only do so much.