April 8, 2003
A: FROM MENTOR ESHE PICKETT IN IL
U.S. News puts out a very comprehensive and reputable list of the nations top universities and colleges each year. When I worked as a student in university relations for Northwestern University, we referenced this particular magazine when doing press releases that dealt with the rankings of the various schools at the university. The online edition of these rankings can be found at: http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankindex_brief.php . The methodology for ranking the school is also explained, which helps you understand how to use the rating system to your advantage when determining what is most important to you. Hope this helps! Good luck.
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A: FROM MENTOR DIANA DEDE IN CO
Dear Alyssa:
There are several sources of information on engineering schools available.
The Princeton Review, I believe has some info as well as the U.S. News and
Report Magazine. Your library probably has information also.

Although these are good sources for information, I feel it is very important
that you find a college where you feel comfortable that will support your
exploration of engineering as a career choice. Many colleges now offer web
site tours of their campuses. Also it is possible to email the colleges and
get questions answered about your interests and how they will fit in with a
particular college. Also nothing beats visiting a college in which you have
an interest. It will give you a chance to talk to the students and
professors. If the college is nearby visit twice, once for an overview of
the campus and another time just visit the engineering college. Be sure and
ask for a personal tour and time to talk with a professor in the department
in which you have an interest.

There are many great schools in the country. Most state universities have
excellent engineering programs, even if they don't make a magazine list.
Also, some engineering colleges may have a program that is great but not the
program that interests you. Perhaps you have a great interest in
aeronautical engineering but not nuclear. Your particular interests may make
a bigger difference in deciding what college is best for you.

Good luck with your college choice. Since you have taken the pre-SAT and pre
ACT (PLAN) tests you are probably a sophomore, you have time to investigate
various colleges. This can be great fun as you explore your options.
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A: FROM MENTOR MOLLY WILLIAMS IN MI
Alyssa, there is no single list of "best schools," because there
are many other considerations in picking a college besides the
academic program itself. For instance, do you want a big state
university or a small, private, mostly undergraduate college? Do
you want to be in a particular region of the country? What are your
budget constraints? Do you want to attend a school where all the
other students have outstanding ACT and SAT scores, or would you
prefer a less competitive environment? Would you prefer a program
with just a few faculty and students where you would get a lot of
individual attention but resources and facilities might be limited,
or would you be comfortable with a big program so you're one of a
thousand students all taking the same classes?

There are two unbiased sources of information about engineering
schools. One is the Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology (ABET) (www.abet.org). This is the group that regularly
reviews the approximately 300 U.S. schools that offer engineering
programs. ABET posts a list of current programs that have met
accreditation standards. You can get a good engineering education
at any of these schools.

Another good source is the American Society for Engineering
Education (www.asee.org). This organization conducts annual surveys
of engineering colleges to gather information on numbers of students
and faculty, student test scores, research specialization areas, and
costs. You can see this information at:
http://www.asee.org/publications/colleges/default.cfm

In additiona, US News and World Report publishes regular reviews of
colleges. You can see their ratings of undergraduate engineering
programs at:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/edu/college/rankings/rankengineering_brief.php
However, this survey is developed using polls of engineering
administrators, who base their evaluation of other schools on
visibility and reputation that may be based on out-dated
information. The least biased information sources are ABET and ASEE.