OSU or UMCP for EE? Which has a better engineering program?

Edwards Finance > Electrical Engineering

Q. I am a student currently attending a community college in Columbus, Ohio. My parents are from Maryland. I am in the process of deciding where to attend school after getting an associate's degree. I plan to major in electrical engineering. My two main options at this point are Ohio State University and University of Maryland at College Park. I could either obtain an Ohio residency and attend OSU, or return to Maryland to go to UMCP. Either way, I would pay in-state tuition rates, and the cost of the two colleges would be about the same. My question is this: which of these two schools has the best electrical engineering program? Is one significantly better than the other, or are they about the same? What benefits can one of the two offer over the other? I know that this newsgroup has an astounding amount of collective experience, so I hope that I can gather some advice from it. Thank you in advance for any thoughts you may have on this matter.

A. -I don't know much about the UMCP course, but the OSU EE program has a reputation of being quite demanding. Several of my friends were ex OSU EEs who pursued their education elsewhere. -In my opinion they are both fine schools. I have heard good things about both. If it were me, I would decide based on other factors such as: do they offer the classes in the fields I want, do I like the campus, etc. There is likely to be no real difference in the two schools in regards to "respect" from prospective employers. -I attended OSU over 20 years ago, and have worked in electrical engineering ever since. I have no experience with UMCP, nor any graduates. At my first job after graduation, I worked in a department that had many graduates of Big-10 schools, and never did I regret having come from OSU. While an undergraduate, I worked as a tutor for the Electrical Engineering department, and as a technician for the Nuclear Engineering department. There were many good undergraduate opportunities to work with professors and graduate students, and two of my roommates worked for the Physics and Aeronautics departments. There are also good opportunities in the area for summer employment. At that time, the general department emphasis was in electromagnetics, and I took many classes in those fields which have proved to be very profitable. This was certainly related to the presence of Kraus as department head, who gave new meaning to "Maxwell's silver hammer". There was also a good background in electric motors (the lab was awesome), control theory and solid-state devices that I notice many of my current colleagues did not have. I did start with a good background in digital electronics, and so I did not have to spend time in those courses. The last time that I checked (about 10 years ago), I was disappointed to learn that the Computer Science department was not accredited, and I hope that this has improved. Remember, the current trend is to crank out electrical engineers that are little more than digital heads using automated tools that leave little for innovation. Deep knowledge of the field will keep you in the exciting part of the business. - If you're in the engineering technology program at Columbus State Community College and you're planning to go into an EE program, be advised that your ears are about to be pinned back. Columbus State's EET program tries to make its students very happy. The instructors are made to worry about each student's self-esteem. The program is, however, pretty thin, and that's why most of the credits--none in the engineering technology courses, in fact--won't transfer to a baccalaureate program. Other courses will transfer, but the student does not benefit academically thereby. If you've been taking a pre-engineering program instead of the EET program at Columbus State, you're probably not a whole lot better off. There's really no comparison to the rigor and atmosphere at Columbus State and a program like Ohio State's or Maryland's. Community college transfer students are always a problem when they transfer to a four-year program with any rigor, and it takes a great deal of discipline and sheer bravery to make the switch. You should also be advised that some community college counselors and department heads aren't always honest or particularly bright, and they'll tell you just about anything they think you want to hear. The one mitigating factor about Columbus State is that they have a relatively tough math screening program that's enforced better there than at many community colleges. Thus, Columbus State, if that's where you went, will have given you somewhat better preparation in math than some schools might have. I don't want to discourage you, but you must understand that you won't be transferring into an EE program from anything like a position of academic strength. Your fellow students will have been through Ohio State's math and physics courses. You'll have had those at a community college. There's no comparison, because the math and physics instructors at Ohio State don't have to lower their standards to please the students. If you flunk out, tough. That's not the case at Columbus State or any other community college, where student retention is enforced, uh, vigorously. The students that you sit next to in, say, the sophomore electric circuits course will be those who survived OSU or Maryland's tough physics, math, chemistry, and computer courses. Thus, if you have the slightest doubt that your prerequisites aren't quite as sound as advertised, TAKE THE COURSE AGAIN at the big school. If you've gotta take a year of calculus and physics at Ohio State or Maryland even though you got transfer credit for these from the community college, you'll be lots better off if you do. As for OSU vs Maryland, you should go wherever you'll be the most comfortable. I know nothing about Maryland except that I have a friend who's a professor there. Like many big schools, Ohio State doesn't take very good care of its undergraduate students: it's a pretty lonely place, for the most part. I doubt that Maryland is a lot better in that regard. But I found Ohio State to be an utterly glorious place to learn: it's so big that you never run out of new things to do and see. If you have the maturity and determination to do what's required in an EE program, go and do it. But do NOT emulate what I've seen in a lot of community college transfer students: i.e., the chip on the shoulder and the utter astonishment and resentment when they find out that they aren't so well prepared.

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