Small Engineering Colleges – The Pros and Cons

Previously we talked about how big engineering programs have several pros and cons. In this article we’re going to talk about the pros and cons of small engineering colleges so let’s get started. We’ll start with the pros first.

Personal Attention

When you’re in a smaller engineering department you’re going to get better attention from the faculty.  The faculty will know your name and they’re going to know what you struggle with and what you’re good at. They’re also going to know you on a personal level.  If you’re in a bigger engineering program the faculty have so many students it’s really hard for them to get to know you. They will struggle to learn your name much less your background and interests.

It’s going to be easier for you to know your professors on a personal level if you’re in a smaller program.  The faculty have fewer students to focus on which allows them to provide each student more attention.  They’ll have time to meet with you and get to know you. Professors with many students just don’t have time to do this. Also, when scholarship, research and job opportunities come up it’s easier for faculty to match a student with the opportunity when they know the backgrounds of the students.

Smaller Class Size

The next pro is going to be smaller class sizes.  If you’re in a big engineering program you’re going to have classes that have 60, 70, 80+ people in them.  That’s a lot of students for one faculty member to take care of. If you’re in a smaller program you’re going to have much smaller classes.  I teach at a small engineering school now and our class size is basically maxed out at about 30 and we try our best to not go above that. This way the students get individualized attention in and out of class. I’m able to take more time in class answering questions and spend more time with students during office hours.

I’ve taught at big engineering schools and it’s impossible to really know what’s going on with all the students when there are 70+ people in the class.  With the smaller classes, the class feels more like a group of friends getting together to learn a subject. It’s a more personal, interactive experience.

No TAs

Next pro is the fact that you’re not going to have teaching assistants (TAs), or if you do, you’re not going to have as many as you would in bigger engineering programs. Larger engineering departments typically have TAs that may take over some of the teaching, especially in lab classes, and they definitely take over the grading.  So, most of the time you don’t actually have your faculty member grading your exams or homework. They’ll have a TA or graduate student do that.  Many TAs are notorious for harsh grading so if you can avoid that scenario that’s a good thing.

Smaller engineering departments typically don’t have a huge number of TAs so the professors have to do the grading and all the teaching, even in the labs.  Some TAs are good at teaching but many just don’t have the experience needed to be completely effective. Of course, not all professors are completely effective at teaching either but at least they are experienced with organizing a class.

Student Cohort

The next benefit is you’re going to have a cohort of students to stick with throughout your degree. That’s because you come in at a certain semester with a group of students and y’all are all going to take the same classes on the same schedule. Smaller programs can’t afford to have multiple sections of every class every semester so there’s going to be a certain schedule you have to follow.  Every student you start with will be on this same routine. So after taking classes together for 4 years you’re going to be very close to the others in your classes.  This is a great benefit when looking for study groups, lab partners, etc.  Plus, it helps to give your classes a more personal feeling since you know everyone in the room.

Now let’s go over some of the cons

Fewer Degree Options

One of the main cons with a smaller engineering program is that you’re not going to have very many degree options. The large engineering colleges have multiple branches of engineering to choose from and they’ll have a graduate school. Smaller schools just won’t have that.  They don’t have the resources to offer a bunch of different programs.  This can be an issue if you start in one field of engineering and then decide you’d like to switch to a different one.

This is also a downside if you’re looking for a degree program that has something like a fast track bachelors combined with a masters.  The smaller programs probably aren’t going to have that so if you’re interested in that you may want to look into the bigger engineering programs

Rigid Class Schedule

Fewer class options is another downside to having a small program. What I mean by that is you’re not going to have a wide array of classes to choose from each semester. More than likely, you’re going to have a set number of classes to take every semester and there’s not going to be a lot of flexibility in which courses you take. The bigger programs are going to have all of the required classes offered multiple times a year.  The smaller programs aren’t going to have that. That’s fine until you want a different instructor or a different class time – no one wants 8:00 am classes after all.

Also, if you don’t like the instructor for a class you’re probably going to be stuck with that instructor.  In a bigger program you may be able to find a different instructor that teaches the same class.  This isn’t as likely when you have fewer instructors teaching in the department.

Worried about failing a class? Well, with a rigid course schedule you’ll be worrying about more than just the F you may get. The reason for that is that if you fail a class and they only offer it once a year then you’re stuck waiting for it when it’s offered again. And if you get behind on pre-requisite courses you then get behind on future courses so it kind of snowballs. This could potentially cause you to miss your original graduation date.   I’ve seen this happen and it’s not a pretty picture especially when you consider the costs associated with a delayed graduation.

Fewer internship & career opportunities

This one really depends on how well your small engineering is known by employers.  The schools that graduate 100’s of students a year are well known to employers nationwide.  The small ones, not so much.  With a smaller program, there’s a smaller alumni network and it’s just harder to get the name out there. Companies near the school will be familiar with it and typically will hire from there but for nationwide opportunities it may be harder.  Think about a hiring manager who gets a bunch of applications from a huge engineering school and then one from a small school you’ve never heard of.  Many times the small engineering school applicant will be overlooked.  It’s hard for hiring managers to know what to expect from a college they are unfamiliar with.

In Summary

Those are a few of the pros and cons of small engineering schools.  Keep those in mind when you’re choosing a school to attend.  And always go to an on-campus tour before making your final choice.  Things can look amazing in pictures and then when you get to campus for the tour you hate it or vice versa.  So always go and check out the campus and the people to make sure the school is the right fit for you.