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What are the top colleges for a chemical engineering degree?

I've always wanted to go to Western, but they don't have my major. I've looked into other schools, and I was wondering if it was common knowledge what schools have the best chem. eng. degrees? #chemical-engineering #engineering #chemistry #science #college-major #college-advice

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Simon’s Answer

I’m not sure which Western you are talking about, but there are many great in-state engineering schools that can allow you to earn an engineering degree at a reasonable cost. You don’t want to be saddled with $200,000 of out-of-state school cost when you enter the job market. Try to look up local universities and see what they offer. Chemical engineering is a great area to go into with a lot of opportunities. I have hired dozens of engineers and the school played only a secondary role behind how the person interviewed and if they did a co-op training. Don’t get caught up attending the “best” school because there are many ways of judging schools, and they don’t guarantee a good job. Study hard do well and get as much exposure to problem solving and teamwork as possible.

Simon recommends the following next steps:

Explore in-state schools
Participate in clubs and teams.
Secure a co-op opportunity.
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Katie’s Answer

There are several different lists published year ranking various degrees. I've pasted links to rankings of a couple lists below--


https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate-chemical


https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings-articles/university-subject-rankings/top-engineering-schools-us-2018


The two lists do not match exactly, so you may need to take some other factors into consideration--


--What do you want to do with your degree? Which school best suits those goals?


--What type of environment do you want to learn in?


--What role does the cost of schooling play in your decision making?


I did get my degree in Chemical Engineering from a school that appears on one list and not the other. The biggest factor in choosing a college was cost--in state tuition and lottery scholarship programs.

Katie recommends the following next steps:

Research schools to see which has a program that best suits your career aspirations.
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Ken’s Answer

The answer to this question really depends upon the individual and what they might want to do in the very wide and diverse area of chemical engineering. It really does not matter where you go to school, as the most important things that matter are how well you do with your studies and how well you do in doing networking and creating a networking community. Many successful people, including myself, got a start at a community college, as the class sizes and smaller, the tuition is more reasonable, the credits easily transfer, and they have coop and internship programs which will allow you to get practical experience in your field as you study and also earn money as you learn. Below are some helpful tips from my years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, but first here is a video prepared by someone who worked in the admissions office at Stanford University which contains a very important message. ## http://www.ted.com/talks/julie_lythcott_haims_how_to_raise_successful_kids_without_over_parenting?utm_campaign=social&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_content=talk&utm_term=education

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field and in which specific area you might most appropriately fit. You might want to do this upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school. During my years of college recruiting, I encountered too many students, who skipped this step, and ended up in a job/career for which they were ill suited and very uncomfortable. Don't let that happen to you.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
Here are a few sites that will allow you to explore the various areas of engineering to learn more about their application: ## ## ## https://www.engineergirl.org/ ## ## http://www.futureengineers.org/ ## ## https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43zVcmTJSKM ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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