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What would be a good college to balance engineering and baseball?

I love to play baseball and want to go on to play in college, but I also want to focus on a good school with engineering as well. I know I want to get my PE license but I'm not entirely sure how.

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Thank you comment icon you'll have to do some research on potential schools with amazing programs for both. BUT, if you have to choose one or the other, choose the one with the amazing baseball team. You will learn so much more on the job than in school for engineering once you get in some where. Yes you do obviously learn in school but hands on, for engineering, is the best in my opinion. Also, keep in mind, you may have to choose one or the other. If your work load becomes too much and one or the other OR even both start to suffer, you may have to choose. Justin Struthers
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Karin’s Answer

Hi Samuel,

Depending on the "flavor" of engineering you are interested in and the baseball division you would qualify to play in, there will be many different options. Being an athlete while majoring in an engineering field certainly has it's challenges, but it can totally be done with discipline and good time management. You should certainly prioritize your studies (and a good coach will make sure that you perform academically), but if you graduate a semester or two later, it's not the end of the world either.

You find a list of college baseball teams here:
https://www.ncsasports.org/baseball/colleges

You find a list of highly-ranked engineering schools in the US here:
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/student/best-universities/best-universities-engineering-degrees-us
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering

And a list of engineering schools in Ohio here:
https://www.niche.com/colleges/search/best-colleges-for-engineering/s/ohio

You'll have to do some more research to find out which branch of engineering excites you most and in what kind of job you would like to see yourself later.

There is no need to shoot for a top-10 or top-20 school (although it's certainly nice to get into one of those). There are many good programs. I would recommend to look at the research they do and if you could see yourself working in that field in the future.

I hope this helps! All the best to you!

KP
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Rafael’s Answer

Hi Samuel! It's totally possible, you just have to be smart about how you approach it. From my own experience, I was a varsity swimmer my first year of college while pursuing my Engineering degree, so I know firsthand how tough it can be to juggle a demanding sport with a demanding major, but it also taught me insane time management, discipline, and how to perform under pressure, which are skills that have carried me through my entire career. My advice would be to look for schools that have strong ABET-accredited engineering programs and also competitive baseball programs, and a great place to start is Division II or Division III schools because they tend to offer a better balance between athletics and academics compared to big D1 programs. Look into schools that have a track record of supporting student athletes in rigorous majors, and don't be afraid to reach out to both the engineering department and the baseball coaching staff at schools you're interested in to ask how they help athletes manage the workload. As for the PE license, here's the general roadmap: you'll first need to graduate from an ABET-accredited engineering program, then pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam which you can actually take during your senior year, then gain about four years of professional work experience under a licensed PE, and finally pass the PE exam itself. It's a process but it's very doable if you plan ahead. And honestly, being a student athlete will give you an edge because the grit and work ethic you build from balancing baseball and engineering is something employers and grad schools absolutely like a lot! Best of luck!
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