Engineering school? MTU? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

raymr · #1 01-01-2006, 02:51 PM

The kid is interested in a mechanical engineering degree, and is applying to 6 or 7 different schools around the country. He is very mechanically inclined, but his grades are just average. He built a hovercraft out of garage items and a poor mans Segway out of a rototiller, among other things. Smart, but he only applies himself when he sees a clear advantage in doing so. Homework and regular academics are a waste of time to him. He will be lucky if he gets accepted at any of the 'better' universities on his list.

One of the schools I want him to consider is MTU in Michigan. He won't even apply because its cold and out in the middle of nowhere. Granted, it is almost in Canada but I figure thats just the environment he needs to keep his grades as high as possible (fewer distractions). Any comments on MTU or engineering schools in general?

kerry · #2 01-01-2006, 03:00 PM

Colorado School of Mines is an excellent school in a premier location. Does your kid like whitewater, skiing, hiking, climbing? We get lots of students at our school lowering their tution by taking the gen ed courses with us.

TheDon · #3 01-01-2006, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kerry edwards

Colorado School of Mines is an excellent school in a premier location. Does your kid like whitewater, skiing, hiking, climbing? We get lots of students at our school lowering their tution by taking the gen ed courses with us.

what what.. im in mechanical engineering at high school and in the Technology and Students Association club.. in which our chapter is one of the best for CAD engineering..

tell me more about these tuition lowering classes

kerry · #4 01-01-2006, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheDon

what what.. im in mechanical engineering at high school and in the Technology and Students Association club.. in which our chapter is one of the best for CAD engineering..

tell me more about these tuition lowering classes

I teach at a community college. Tuition at community colleges in Colorado is significantly cheaper than most 4 yr schools, yet we have guaranteed transfer of all our gen ed course to state colleges and universities, including the School of Mines. Not only are we less expensive but our average class size is considerably smaller than the universities . In addition, in my department at least, I believe a higher percentage of introductory courses are taught by PH.D's than at universities which often rely on graduate assistants for their lower division courses.
We have a strong CAD department although I don't know much about it.

Larry Delor · #5 01-01-2006, 10:31 PM

MTU (where there is a beautiful woman behind every palm tree) ...that's what we used to say....(that, and Where men are men, and sheep are scared)

Yes, it's a very good engineering college.

However, if your kid is inclined to party, he will find ample opportunity to do so.

Yes, it is cold up there and alot of snow....if he likes, nay, loves snow, then he might like it. The surrounding area is nice to explore when it's not covered in snow...lots of history. I hear they have a second ski area now if he likes to ski.

If he goes there, keep him in one of the dorms, especially if his study habits need help.
What sort of degree is he hoping for? Probably a toot, not a twig.

TheDon · #6 01-01-2006, 11:02 PM

i just sent away to MTU for information.. looks like a good school for engineering.. this year im competiting in 3D architchural design.. i make a floorplan upload it and make a walk through in the house.. i do engineering in class but i compete in architechure

Syracuse315 · #7 01-01-2006, 11:25 PM

Hello, Im going to Syracuse University for Mechanical Engineering, and its a great school. Whatever you do, make sure the college you/he chooses is ABET accredited. If not, he cannot take the Practicing Engineer exam.

raymr · #8 01-01-2006, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Delor

MTU (where there is a beautiful woman behind every palm tree) ...that's what we used to say....(that, and Where men are men, and sheep are scared)

Yes, it's a very good engineering college.

However, if your kid is inclined to party, he will find ample opportunity to do so.

Yes, it is cold up there and alot of snow....if he likes, nay, loves snow, then he might like it. The surrounding area is nice to explore when it's not covered in snow...lots of history. I hear they have a second ski area now if he likes to ski.

If he goes there, keep him in one of the dorms, especially if his study habits need help.
What sort of degree is he hoping for? Probably a toot, not a twig.

Not sure what toot or twig is, but he's probably not strong in the computer engineering or electronics areas. So possibly mechanical design, metallurgy, etc. He'd be great in a test lab doing prototype development or doing building site surveys.

Emmerich · #9 01-01-2006, 11:50 PM

A university may be commonly known as a "good engineering school" but you need to find out which ones are good *mechanical* engineering schools. ME degrees are probably the most wide open on what graduates can do. Other engineering disciplines are much more specialized.

Emmerich · #10 01-01-2006, 11:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Syracuse315

Hello, Im going to Syracuse University for Mechanical Engineering, and its a great school. Whatever you do, make sure the college you/he chooses is ABET accredited. If not, he cannot take the Practicing Engineer exam.

Every states registration requirements are different, there is even a route to get registered on a federal level to make it easier to practice across multiple states.

Check: National Council of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors

TheDon · #11 01-01-2006, 11:59 PM

a great school for engineering is the FU school of engineering at columbia of NYC... 35k a semester.. thats 1 k less than harvard and 1k more than yale.. its gotta be good id kill to go there

Larry Delor · #12 01-02-2006, 08:44 AM

Back in the old days, when MTU first started, it offered education in primarily two fields. One was forestry, and the other Engineering. Back then, most engineers were associated with Locomotives - hence the nickname "toot". The nickname twig now becomes obvious.

They have a very good metallurgy dept. also. However, it almost sounds like your son is better with his hands doing things than with his neurons and a calculator. So... what would he rather do? Push a mouse and pencil, or get his hands "dirty"?
The reason I ask, is because no matter what you would like him to do/study, he will most likely remain on the path that he wants to be on. Then again, if money is not a great issue, the first year is an exploratory year anyway...lots of remedial stuff. That first year he should spend investigating what each field is about. He might be able to sit in on a few lectures - see if it grabs his fancy or not.

I want to stress again the point that if he does not like where he is at, and what he is supposed to be doing there, that he will find ample opportunity for distractions. The social fraternity I-Tappa-Kegga comes to mind.

#13 01-02-2006, 09:01 AM

Tech has a great Biomedical engineering program that might be right up your sons ally. I wish I went to Tech instead of MSU, I probably would have done much more studying like I should have been.

tscorda · #14 01-02-2006, 12:44 PM

Massachusetts Maritime Academy
Suny Maritime College
Maine Maritime Academy
Kings Point US Merchant Marine Academy

Skippy · #15 01-03-2006, 12:21 AM

I got my Mechanical Engineering degree from Georgia Tech. For someone who doesn't like homework or "regular academics" this school would be a huge mistake.

It sounds like the lad might consider Kettering University. Good school, very strong co-op program that results in plenty of work experience before graduation, and a strong automotive focus for people who are into that sort of thing. Many of my co-workers at an automotive testing center went to Kettering.

Southern Polytechnic in Georgia is also known for good hands-on type instruction.

Another possiblity is delaying a bachelor's degree for a while and either joining the military to take advantage of their free training (I did this as well-US Navy Construction Mechanic), or going to a school like WyoTech.