A few days ago we hosted a webinar about liberal arts colleges; this one will help you determine if a computer science or engineering program is “good.”
The first thing you should do with computer science or engineering programs is to check to see if the program is ABET-accredited – ABET is the organization that reviews university programs for their efficacy. It’s universally respected as the gold standard. They don’t accredit universities as a whole – they dig down into specific engineering programs, reviewing curriculum and outcomes to ensure the degree students receive truly reflects their deep understanding of the discipline. This will help you get licensed as an engineer in professions that require licensure – and it will help you get a job in your field!
The second thing you probably want to do is check the Carnegie classification. Colleges and universities that are rated R1 have a deep financial commitment to research, and you’ll see this in the high amount of opportunities you’ll have access to as an undergraduate.
Determining that a specific program is ABET-accredited and the university/college is R1 is your primary guarantee that the program is solid. From there, we move back to the factors that apply to everyone in their college search: factors like location, size (including average class size and student-to-faculty ratio), research topics the professors are investigating, how accessible the professors are, what clubs and organizations the college has, and outcomes – where their students intern and get jobs after graduation. Here’s our short video to help you research college websites for the important info you need!
As we discussed in our liberal arts roundtable just a few days ago, these are the things you should be researching as you build your college list – this is how you’ll determine if a college is a good fit for you. Interestingly, doing this research could actually make you more competitive for admission to some colleges – many ask you to write a short essay about why you think they’re a good fit for you, and vice versa. So learning as much as you can about the colleges on your list will prepare you to articulate your fit for each of them in an essay.
In the end, keep in mind that employers value the soft skills students pick up in college- their ability to write, collaborate and problem-solve, as well as their hands-on experience through jobs and internships – more than they care about the college’s ranking. And as we help students build their college lists, we’re looking for colleges that fit each student academically, socially and emotionally. We hope that’s your primary consideration as you build your list!
For a little more info on college rankings and why they DON’T tell you if a college is “good,” or a good FIT for YOU, check out our College Rankings video.
We hope you enjoy this conversation! We’re passionate about helping students and families find the colleges that fit them academically, socially and emotionally – and financially! If you or your child need some help working through the college search and application experience, please feel free to get in touch with us.