Universities?

bluebug32 · Sep 12, 2006

RPI in Troy NY is another good engineering school, plus lots of good riding. I went to Ithaca College (same town as Cornell). I don't know much about Cornell except that their campus is beautiful and that their rigorous programs have prompted students to jump into the local gorges. Ithaca, however, is a paradise for outdoor lovers and has amazing nature and hiking, biking etc.

As for English, holding that degree opens up a lot of doors to do a variety of things. I have a similar degree and it's amazing the number of jobs I'm qualified to do. People can't communicate well anymore, so finding someone who can is an asset to any company.

Good luck with your search!

SofaKingBanned · Sep 12, 2006

holy crap, didn't you just get your driver's license?

skinny mike · Sep 12, 2006

damn, we've got similar sat and act scores but your gpa blows mine out of the water. last i checked i had a 3.68 weighted. guess i shouldn't have slacked off in school but whatever. northeastern supposedly has a great engineering program not to mention an awesome co-op program. it's currently my top choice for schools. uvm is also a good school but it does not have a ranked engineering program so i don't know how it stacks up to other schools. but there is tons of riding around northeastern and it has a huge mtb team so there are always people to ride with. uvm also has a huge team as well as good riding all over the place. at the very least, northeastern is definitely a good school for you to check out.

bluebug32 · Sep 12, 2006

SofaKingBanned said:
holy crap, didn't you just get your driver's license?

Holy crap, didn't you just change your username?

DirtyDog · Sep 12, 2006

Really comes down to whether or not you want to get away from home. Colorado has some great schools.

skinny mike · Sep 12, 2006

COmtbiker12 said:
Lol. It wouldn't be nearly this good except for second semester sophomore year I got the first C I'd ever gotten in my life on a report card. That pretty much turned me around from doing just enough to get As/Bs to going for straight As and being a huge over achiever. It doesn't help that I more or less am not the greatest at those standardized tests. I did get a 12 on the SAT essay though, lol.

yeah i got a c in bio sophomore year and i just went downhill from there. basically shot myself in the foot repeatedly the past 2 years. i went from high honors for a full year to not even making honors. i need to beast this semester so it will look good on my transcript for college to make up as much as i can for the past 2 years. i am usually good at standardized tests. i got a 1900 on the sats but i think they can be higher if i study more and don't get a bloody nose in the middle of it this time. you wouldn't believe how awkward it is when that happens.

Discostu · Sep 12, 2006

Check out Lehigh University if you're interested in engineering. Unfortunately the school has a reputation for partying (because of all the frats), but the engineering department is highly regarded. I don't know anything about the new SAT's or how your GPA system works but I got in with a 3.95 GPA (out of 4, no A+ crap) and a 1430 SAT (out of 1600). I'm a junior Mech E. and while there is a lot of work, I'm confident of job prospects after grad.

The school is on the side of South Mountain and there are some sick trails only a few minutes ride from the dorms. We have a mountain and road racing team that competes in the ECCC. Our team is small, but we do alright. Check out our website if you have any questions: www.lehighcycling.com

Oh and heres a little video from the last ECCC race at penn state.

DH Race

stevew · Sep 12, 2006

COmtbiker12 said:
Cornell University in Ithaca

Their cheerleaders aren't the fairest in the land....

monkeyboy424 · Sep 12, 2006

COmtbiker12 said:
Lol. It wouldn't be nearly this good except for second semester sophomore year I got the first C I'd ever gotten in my life on a report card. That pretty much turned me around from doing just enough to get As/Bs to going for straight As and being a huge over achiever. It doesn't help that I more or less am not the greatest at those standardized tests. I did get a 12 on the SAT essay though, lol.

gnurider1080 said:
yeah i got a c in bio sophomore year and i just went downhill from there. basically shot myself in the foot repeatedly the past 2 years. i went from high honors for a full year to not even making honors. i need to beast this semester so it will look good on my transcript for college to make up as much as i can for the past 2 years. i am usually good at standardized tests. i got a 1900 on the sats but i think they can be higher if i study more and don't get a bloody nose in the middle of it this time. you wouldn't believe how awkward it is when that happens.

you guys should start a "I got a C" support group.

I didnt stop getting c's until i was in the second semester of my sophmore year, after that i got better grades, but still grade grubbing is lame.

anywho, good luck on your choice.

kinghami3 · Sep 13, 2006

Gonzaga University in Spokane has a good engineering program, and is just a few miles from Beacon, just be prepared to pay out the bunghole for tuition. It wasn't too hard to get into either; I got in with a 3.4 GPA, a 1220 on the SAT, and a good essay.

geargrrl · Sep 13, 2006

A degree from Mines will get you a long way, it has a real reputation as tough and top drawer. My hubby still gets the "Colo School of Mines eh?!!" 22 years after graduation. There's no women there tho. He had to import me.:biggrin: and I bet that hasn't changed a whole lot.

What kind of engineering?

CrabJoe StretchPants · Sep 13, 2006

WPI in worcester, ma is a great engineering school. i had a 3.7GPA in high school with:
31 on ACT
1240 on SAT
720 on physics SAT II
680 on math II SAT II.

i also got college credits for AP physics and calculus.

im currently a junior ME major with a concentration in mechanical design. WPI offers a 5 year masters program i plan on completing, which is really cool.

as for riding around here, there are about 8-9 DH places and several XC/Trail places within a 5 hour drive.

hope that helps.

JRogers · Sep 13, 2006

bluebug32 said:
RPI in Troy NY is another good engineering school, plus lots of good riding. I went to Ithaca College (same town as Cornell). I don't know much about Cornell except that their campus is beautiful and that their rigorous programs have prompted students to jump into the local gorges. Ithaca, however, is a paradise for outdoor lovers and has amazing nature and hiking, biking etc.

As for English, holding that degree opens up a lot of doors to do a variety of things. I have a similar degree and it's amazing the number of jobs I'm qualified to do. People can't communicate well anymore, so finding someone who can is an asset to any company.

Good luck with your search!

RPI is an awesome school. Not really sure about how good the riding is in the immediate area. Troy itself kind of, umm, sucks a bit. Just my experience. But, my dad and my best friend from high school went there and loved it. My buddy got a job straight out of school- he just moved to Washington state for a sweet gig with Boeing.

I also agree that getting a degree in English or a related field does not relegate you to teaching. It all depends on what you want to do in the end. A degree in that area plus some experience can get you a long way. Of course, this advice is coming from an unemployed recent grad of a liberal arts college...so take it for what it's worth.

Mike B. · Sep 13, 2006

Have to through out Penn State if you want to get out Colorado for a while. Great engineering programs, fantastic riding right out of town, and a nice place to live. PSU is always at the top for private research funds which means there are some top notch facilities for the engineering students and lots of opportunities to get involved in some cool projects.

As an engineer myself, I see a major in english as being polar opposites. You'll need to give some thought to what direction you want to go and if you're really not sure, then pick a school that is well respected in both (there aren't many) to give yourself some options.

Something to read I think it was something like 70% of students that take the introductory engineering class at PSU end up in some other major.

Tame Ape · Sep 13, 2006

When you list your SAT score, you should say the year you took it! The top score is like 2400 now!

FYI I got a 1270 in 1993-4. But I'm the dummy of the family, everyone else broke 1400

CrabJoe StretchPants · Sep 13, 2006

Mike B. said:
Something to read I think it was something like 70% of students that take the introductory engineering class at PSU end up in some other major.

isnt that bad?......

bluebug32 · Sep 13, 2006

With an engineering degree and and a minor in English, you could always go into technical writing at some point

robdamanii · Sep 13, 2006

Cornell is a fantastic school for engineering, and once you hit the grad level, the class size reduces drastically. You'll be in as good hands there as anywhere else in the country.

Really the thing to look at is how much you actually like the area you're in. As long as the school is relatively decent, the biggest thing is how you like the place you're living in.

narlus · Sep 13, 2006

Tame Ape said:
When you list your SAT score, you should say the year you took it! The top score is like 2400 now!

i was wondering about that...1600 was the top mark when i took it. why did they expand the scale?

Sherpa · Sep 13, 2006

Discostu said:
Check out Lehigh University if you're interested in engineering. Unfortunately the school has a reputation for partying (because of all the frats), but the engineering department is highly regarded. I don't know anything about the new SAT's or how your GPA system works but I got in with a 3.95 GPA (out of 4, no A+ crap) and a 1430 SAT (out of 1600). I'm a junior Mech E. and while there is a lot of work, I'm confident of job prospects after grad.

The school is on the side of South Mountain and there are some sick trails only a few minutes ride from the dorms. We have a mountain and road racing team that competes in the ECCC. Our team is small, but we do alright. Check out our website if you have any questions: www.lehighcycling.com

Oh and heres a little video from the last ECCC race at penn state.

DH Race

Why the hell is that bad pvssy?

I'm sitting in an engineering class at the U of A and it's pretty nice. Theres not much to do here but there are a lot of parties.

DRB · Sep 13, 2006

CSM / Petroleum Engineering.

Then you get to write your own ticket from there. I'm not kidding. If you come out of there with a half way decent GPA you'll be pulling 75k EASY. OR stick around and get your masters working in with the Drilling Engineering Research Group and you get to pass Go about a bazillion times.

I cannot emphasize enough the potential with a degree from CSM in any field. Make that degree in PE and you will be one of the most sought after graduates with a BS around.

Tame Ape · Sep 13, 2006

narlus said:
i was wondering about that...1600 was the top mark when i took it. why did they expand the scale?

I'm not really sure, one of my co-workers is 22 and didn't get to take the new SATs. The added score is in the addition of an essay section (not 100%) but then, they're always messing around with the curve.

druber · Sep 13, 2006

Quick note: Check out US News and World Report for college rankings on engineering schools. You'll notice that many of the top schools are not 'ivy-league'. The schools I mention below are public schools all typically ranked in the top 10 for engineering schools.

I went to Purdue in Indiana. Good school, bad riding. It was in-state tuition for me. Considering it is typically top 10 engineering school, it was a no-brainer for me. Even if I got into a higher regarded school, it would likely not be worth the trade-off.

I got my masters at Georgia Institute of Tech. Good school, good riding (at least north of Atlanta is good).

I now live in Austin, TX. UT is also a good school and the riding in Austin is surprisingly good.

I don't know much about the schools in CO, but if Colorado School of Mines is public (e.g. cheap), you should go there. No sense in going to Cornell and have school loans for the next 15 years when you can get in-state tuition for a school that is comparable or better. I can almost gaurantee you that 5 years after you graduate, your income will be roughly the same regardless of whether your school was ranked #5 or #25.

Just my $0.02.

-dustin · Sep 13, 2006

University of British Columbia in Vancouver has a beautiful campus. i think i recall their economics masters program being somewhat decent (top 20 in the world, i recall...UTexas just above it). there's this little gazebo and rose garden on the west end of campus...when the sun sets, it's awesome. sun goes down behind some mountains, with the Strait of Georgia in between. there are some nice on-campus apartments...the dorm i stayed in was nice. bigger than my dorm was at UT. they have an outdoor pool that's pretty much in the middle of campus with a 10m platform...easy to get into at night.

Mike B. · Sep 13, 2006

norco-freerider said:
isnt that bad?......

The first classes are to weed out those that can't hack it or those that thought it would be cool to tell their friends/family that they were going to be an engineer. The physics and engineering mechanics classes took care of everyone else that wasn't serious.

Discostu · Sep 13, 2006

Sherpa said:
Why the hell is that bad pvssy?

I'm sitting in an engineering class at the U of A and it's pretty nice. Theres not much to do here but there are a lot of parties.

Its bad because of the reputation not because of the partying. We were ranked 3rd in the nation for party schools. That makes people think the school is a joke. Don't get me wrong, I've done my share of partying (got busted by the police freshmen year, had to go through all the bs that entails), but when your school is getting into the national news for being a party school and your idiot class president robs a bank (LINK) people begin to question the quality of the school. I don't want to go into a job interview and have the interviewer think partying and bank robbery when they see I went to lehigh.

-dustin · Sep 13, 2006

UT was recently ranked the #1 party school. don't think that sat too well with the higher-ups on campus.

$tinkle · Sep 13, 2006

COmtbiker12 said:
Well it's come to that time of the year where I need to get going and start looking at where I want to go to school next year. Or rather, it's been that time and I need to start buckling down on it. Currently I'm thinking of doing engineering; probably mechanical engineering or engineering physics. OR I think it'd be pretty interesting to do something like linguistics or english but I don't see any practicality to that aside from being a teacher, which I don't really think I want to be.

just finished my eng degree at uccs last year; it's a decent, challenging program, but you seem to have the cred to go elsewhere, but as mentioned above, how many yrs do you want to pay loans is unfortunately a very real issue. (uccs's tuition spiked in the last few yrs & is now more than double when i first started; wtf?)

if i were you, i'd get the most out of what seems to be very competitive marks; go coastal (east preferable). it's also about the experience & also consider doing at least a semester overseas on an exchange program. your life will be richer than humping it to uccs living in your mom's basement.

for some reason, i always thought you taught at rampart, not attended.

SkaredShtles · Sep 13, 2006

geargrrl said:
A degree from Mines will get you a long way, it has a real reputation as tough and top drawer. My hubby still gets the "Colo School of Mines eh?!!" 22 years after graduation. There's no women there tho. He had to import me.:biggrin: and I bet that hasn't changed a whole lot.

CSM doesn't have alot of women, but Golden has a $hitload of hot chicks now.

SkaredShtles · Sep 13, 2006

DRB said:
CSM / Petroleum Engineering.

Then you get to write your own ticket from there. I'm not kidding. If you come out of there with a half way decent GPA you'll be pulling 75k EASY. OR stick around and get your masters working in with the Drilling Engineering Research Group and you get to pass Go about a bazillion times.

I cannot emphasize enough the potential with a degree from CSM in any field. Make that degree in PE and you will be one of the most sought after graduates with a BS around.

CSM is the place.

Sherpa · Sep 13, 2006

Discostu said:
Its bad because of the reputation not because of the partying. We were ranked 3rd in the nation for party schools. That makes people think the school is a joke. Don't get me wrong, I've done my share of partying (got busted by the police freshmen year, had to go through all the bs that entails), but when your school is getting into the national news for being a party school and your idiot class president robs a bank (LINK) people begin to question the quality of the school. I don't want to go into a job interview and have the interviewer think partying and bank robbery when they see I went to lehigh.

Both my parents graduated from Lehigh, so I've heard all about the parties and incidents on campus. I just thought you weren't down for partying.

skinny mike · Sep 13, 2006

norco-freerider said:
as for riding around here, there are about 8-9 DH places and several XC/Trail places within a 5 hour drive.

from wpi you could probably get almost anywhere in new england within 5 hours. there is so much riding up here in NE, i can easily think of 10 good riding spots that i have been to within an hour of my house.

geargrrl · Sep 13, 2006

SkaredShtles said:
CSM doesn't have alot of women, but Golden has a $hitload of hot chicks now.

load the time machine to 1980. I'm still in the Sierras, soon-to-be hubby heads to to Mines...

Phone call #1. "I'm the only longhair at this school!"
Phone call #2. "there's no women at this school....!"
Phone call #3 "there's a really high suicide rate here...."

I loaded the car and was out there in three days.

Seriously, a CSM degree carries an awful lot of weight.

sama1ter · Sep 13, 2006

Its harder to get into cornell then you think. I was considering going to the Hotel School(my dad is heavily envolved there, and is an alumni), and the type of dedication you have to have to go there is ridiculous---and from what i got from visiting the campus, its an AWESOME school, but socially, is lagging.

DRB · Sep 13, 2006

Now if women are to be a determining factor, forget the yankee schools and only consider SEC schools. Specifically UGA and UF.

SkaredShtles · Sep 13, 2006

sama1ter said:
Its harder to get into cornell then you think. I was considering going to the Hotel School(my dad is heavily envolved there, and is an alumni),

Cornell might be a bit much for you.

Universities?

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