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Hello I am currently studying Mechanical Engineering in Sweden, gonna start my 3rd year, and getting a master after the fifth. But I'm interested in taking my 4th year in USA, in California to be more exact. I know you have at least a few university's but I dont know much about them, which is good for technical educations, which is the most expensive etc.
So our semester haven't started yet and therefor I cant go to the student adviser, and to be truthful, they aren't of very much help on this matter either as they will have very limited knowledge and ask the students to seek the information by themselves.
Anyway, I'm not really asking for much information (well any information would be helpful), but my main questions would be.
1) Which ones are the best suited for Engineers?
2) What qualifications do you need to attend the university for a semester/year?
3) How much would one semester or a whole year cost? (I know it depends on the university, but mabye an estimation, or even better if someone knew how much it would be for each of the university's of interest)
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1) Cal Tech
2) No idea
3) An assload of money, but you get the side benefit of partying with me and klizzer 
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I'm partial to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Great town and a good engineering school (one of the top public undergrad engineering schools). Granted, I'm biased since I went there and am from San Luis Obispo.
I'm not sure of the qualifications required for someone in your situation, but there should be some info on the admissions page. I am also not sure of the out of country price. It may be the same as the out of state tuition. As a public school it should run a bit cheaper than the University of California system even with the out of state/country tuition.
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Make sure they don't fuck you with credits....
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United States20661 Posts
Regarding engineering schools, tops will be the California Institute of Technology. Terribly hard to get in, atrocious guy:girl ratio, but the best engineering education you can get on the west coast.
Then is probably us (University of California, Berkeley); we're top or second ranked in a # of engineering programs.
Not sure how Stanford University stacks up but I'm sure they're very good (with that much money you'll be good at nearly everything). UCLA is good. Cal Poly SLO is decent as well, but hm... it's not quite on the same tier as the aforementioned.
Regarding cost: CalTech and Stanford will be your most expensive options, clocking in at 50k+/year with room/board/tuition/everything. Berkeley and UCLA will be about 10k less, since you're an international. I have no idea how much CPSLO costs.
Cost breakdown for Berkeley:
Semester registration/tuition: ~$4500
Out of State/International fees: ~$7500
Housing costs: ~$4-8000 (depends on how well you want to live)
Food costs: ~$2-3000
Books/supplies: ~$3-500
Total for non-resident, one semester: ~$20-22k, give or take some.
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According to the latest rankings for mechanical engineering, the best CA schools are:
1. Stanford
2. Berkeley
3. Cal Tech
4. UCLA
To study there for one semester you would need some sort of exchange program I would think, but this is not something I am familiar with.
All these schools are quite expensive, and funding is much harder to come by for an international student now that CA is in a big budget crisis. University budgets were slashed left and right. For a semester I would say you are looking at $20-25k, for a year $45k to $50k.
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United States20661 Posts
On August 18 2009 01:27 citi.zen wrote:
According to the latest rankings for mechanical engineering, the best CA schools are:
1. Stanford
2. Berkeley
3. Cal Tech
4. UCLA
To study there for one semester you would need some sort of exchange program I would think, but this is not something I am familiar with.
All these schools are quite expensive, and funding is much harder to come by for an international student now that CA is in a big budget crisis. University budgets were slashed left and right. For a semester I would say you are looking at $20-25k, for a year $45k to $50k.
Haha that nearly mirrors the national rankings for MecE. Besides MIT, does that list lack anything?
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Here:
(U.S. News Rank)
1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2 Stanford University (CA)
3 University of California–Berkeley
4 University of Illinois–Urbana-Champaign
5 University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
6 Georgia Institute of Technology
7 Purdue University–West Lafayette (IN)
8 California Institute of Technology
9 University of Minnesota–Twin Cities
10 Cornell University (NY)
11 University of Texas–Austin
12 Princeton University (NJ)
13 Penn State University–University Park
14 University of Wisconsin–Madison
15 Carnegie Mellon University (PA)
16 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NY)
17 Northwestern University (IL)
18 Texas A&M University–College Station
19 Ohio State University
20 University of California–Los Angeles
21 University of Washington
22 Virginia Tech
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United States20661 Posts
._. I remember when CIT was still acme. What happened, guys?! Outranked by Georgia?
Though I suppose since it's a USNews ranking, it would behoove you to take it with a grain of salt.
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Oh yeah, I wouldn't take any of these rankings as hugely important. MIT is in its own league, but after that they are all pretty comparable. I would look closely at costs, to be honest. VTech is a very good school, not that far below Stanford, etc. Also, the rankings are a bit different for undergrad/grad level, general engineering vs. mechanical, etc. etc.
Zpux, if you are serious about this, some independent research is recommended. Afterwards come back with more focused questions, to this or other forums :-)
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On August 18 2009 01:44 Last Romantic wrote:
._. I remember when CIT was still acme. What happened, guys?! Outranked by Georgia?
Though I suppose since it's a USNews ranking, it would behoove you to take it with a grain of salt.
One of my friends who is going to Illinois always brags about how it outranks CIT in MechE... 
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Are you thinking about going as a "free mover" (that is, taking care of everything yourself) or do you want your current university to help you?
In either case, I would suggest you speak with people at your university responsible for these issues (studying abroad). Also, your best bet is simply to check what "partner universities" your faculty have exchange deals with. Since studying abroad has decreased quite severely in popularity in Sweden I think you wouldn't have too much competition there. Of course, if your faculty doesn't have any exchange deals with universities in California then that's of no use to you.
I was thinking about studying abroad during my fourth year in Japan but in the end I've chosen not to, still think it would have been a good experience. Good luck to you!
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United States22883 Posts
On August 18 2009 01:44 Last Romantic wrote:
Though I suppose since it's a USNews ranking, it would behoove you to take it with a grain of salt.
Ding. The ranking basically just rank how well schools are able to earn points in the USNews model. Our school makes adjustments to get a good ranking that have nothing to do with the quality of education. Most public schools in the US have very good engineering departments, California's are exceptional.
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Hi Zpux.
I graduated in Aerospace Engineering (tightly coupled with M.E.) from a smaller school, but now I work in California. I am attending some hypersonics courses at Stanford.. and all I can say is positives about that school.
Amazing area and some truly amazing professors, certainly a school to look into.
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hey if u come to Berkeley we'll have a party
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On August 18 2009 01:27 Last Romantic wrote:
Regarding engineering schools, tops will be the California Institute of Technology. Terribly hard to get in, atrocious guy:girl ratio, but the best engineering education you can get on the west coast.
Then is probably us (University of California, Berkeley); we're top or second ranked in a # of engineering programs.
Not sure how Stanford University stacks up but I'm sure they're very good (with that much money you'll be good at nearly everything). UCLA is good. Cal Poly SLO is decent as well, but hm... it's not quite on the same tier as the aforementioned.
Regarding cost: CalTech and Stanford will be your most expensive options, clocking in at 50k+/year with room/board/tuition/everything. Berkeley and UCLA will be about 10k less, since you're an international. I have no idea how much CPSLO costs.
Cost breakdown for Berkeley:
Semester registration/tuition: ~$4500
Out of State/International fees: ~$7500
Housing costs: ~$4-8000 (depends on how well you want to live)
Food costs: ~$2-3000
Books/supplies: ~$3-500
Total for non-resident, one semester: ~$20-22k, give or take some.
Thanks alot! I'm not into "going to the best school" but I want one where you can get a good engineering education. Like here in sweden, stockholm there are like 4 universitys, and only one of them can provide a decent engineer education.
Also thanks for the cost breakdown! I was afraid the 50k for a year would only be the entrance fee and not food books etc covered. We have a pretty good system here in sweden with student loans and I think it's also possible to get money from different funds to help out with the student fee.
On August 18 2009 01:49 citi.zen wrote:
Oh yeah, I wouldn't take any of these rankings as hugely important. MIT is in its own league, but after that they are all pretty comparable. I would look closely at costs, to be honest. VTech is a very good school, not that far below Stanford, etc. Also, the rankings are a bit different for undergrad/grad level, general engineering vs. mechanical, etc. etc.
Zpux, if you are serious about this, some independent research is recommended. Afterwards come back with more focused questions, to this or other forums :-)
Yeah I'm serious about it, already talked to my parents about it and they support me. I just wanted to start out with some basic questions just to see if it was even possible to get there (economical or what-not). Will have to look up quite a few things as I have to see if you have courses which would make up for the ones I miss at my school, or else I wont get my master etc. I have friends who's studying in Australia now for example and I know she had trouble finding the right courses (she didn't get any help at all from our school over here).
On August 18 2009 01:59 ParasitJonte wrote:
Are you thinking about going as a "free mover" (that is, taking care of everything yourself) or do you want your current university to help you?
In either case, I would suggest you speak with people at your university responsible for these issues (studying abroad). Also, your best bet is simply to check what "partner universities" your faculty have exchange deals with. Since studying abroad has decreased quite severely in popularity in Sweden I think you wouldn't have too much competition there. Of course, if your faculty doesn't have any exchange deals with universities in California then that's of no use to you.
I was thinking about studying abroad during my fourth year in Japan but in the end I've chosen not to, still think it would have been a good experience. Good luck to you!
I dont think we have any exchange deals with any university in California, I havent found any on the student web for mechanical engineering at least. We have with other states in the USA tho, but I'm more into cali than any other state right now. So right now as it seems I will have to deal with most of the stuff by my own. Will talk to my student adviser and hopefully she'll be able to see if they have any exchange programs at the other parts of the school (a friend who's also into mechanical engineering went to Germany via the chemical institute for example).
One more question, I guess the schools wont accept anybody, but do you have to have a certain grade to get in? or do you take a test or something? I dont have straight A's but I have no problem passing the courses I have taken yet either.
On August 18 2009 02:24 evanthebouncy! wrote:hey if u come to Berkeley we'll have a party
Sounds great! +1 point for Berkley on the "which university I wanna attend"-list 
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On August 18 2009 02:28 ZpuX wrote:
One more question, I guess the schools wont accept anybody, but do you have to have a certain grade to get in? or do you take a test or something? I dont have straight A's but I have no problem passing the courses I have taken yet either.
Not that great of a problem. Since you won't be getting a degree from there and you'll be paying (fairly high) fees, they won't care too much.
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Zpux, about the admission fees and stuff you can get stipendium and stuff, I think it's gonna work out if you really wanna go. One thing you can get stipends for is writing a small essay on your stay abroad, I don't think it's anything fancy.
You will probably go as a "free mover" then if your university doesn't have any partner deals with Berkeley/CalTech or whatever. Be prepared to fix most of the stuff by yourself but talk to a councelor, because they will help you with what you need to do.
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United States22883 Posts
If TOEFL required as an exchange student if you're not full-time attending?
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Zpux, you should take a look at the Sweden-America Foundation website (http://www.sweamfo.se). They give out scholarships to students for graduate studies in the US. I presume you will get your bachelor at KTH after your 3rd year which will make you eligible. I used their undergraduate program after high school for a college year. They helped me get rid of the TOEFL requirement which pleased me greatly as it's expensive, long, and insultingly easy.
Their main function seems to be scholarships for higher studies though (grad school).
On August 18 2009 02:28 ZpuX wrote:
Like here in sweden, stockholm there are like 4 universitys, and only one of them can provide a decent engineer education.
I'm also at KTH, and it's pretty damn boring compared to college. On- (or close by) campus living makes all the difference. Next term will be in Hong Kong though (yay!). My understanding is also that engineering studies in America is more work but with a slightly lower difficulty level.
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Are you planning to study abroad or transfer to Cali entirely? Cuz in most cases if you transfer be prepared to spend an extra 2 years for that one year. I'd stay in Sweden if I were you. Maybe it's different for international students but transferring from school to school in the states is generally suicide for your credits.
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Hey ZpuX,
I went to Caltech for 2 years, and personally I would not recommend it. Ridiculously expensive, unnecessarily difficult, and the profs don't care about teaching. Don't go there unless you want a huge hit to your GPA.
It's also extremely hard to get in as a transfer student.
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I plan on only taking one year, we have a few courses we have take to get our master degree, but if I can find similar courses and if my school accepts them as exchange courses it wont mess with my credits at all. Also, during our 4th year we have alot of "free to chose" courses, which means I can read pretty much everything I want to. I'm also already taking extra classes so that I can get more free time off of my studies in the USA. My biggest concern was how easy it is to get accepted at the university (seems to be fine), and how much it would cost, but seems like I can overcome it somehow.
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CA10829 Posts
check out USC. it's a bit more expensive than UCLA or Cal though. our graduate engineering programs are overall very good, but i'm not sure about mech specifically.
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Eh, if you're also interested in having a good time, I'd look into UC Santa Barbara. Only second to Berks and UCLA really for engineering and the latter is debatable. Plus, you'd be getting the stereotypical on the beach sunshine filled California you've always dreamed of. And mad sick parties yo.
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Having been to Stanford and Caltech for several summers, I'd say that Caltech is the best engineering school in the US. MIT has better job prospects, but it seems to have lost touch with the substance of science, and is more concerned with its image and fancy architects and humanities and media. You can tell that Caltech has always been about nerds doing things they love and nothing else. Plus there are plenty of opportunities to work at the NASA Jet Propulsion Lab if you decide to head in that direction.
Stanford is nice too, a much larger, self-contained campus with plenty to see and students of specialization. A nice culture too that owes much to the impeccable weather, I would choose Stanford if you want to avoid the sprawling eyesore that is LA.
Then again both schools are exceedingly difficult to get into, regardless of how good you are a significant portion of acceptance will be down to luck. Hope you go somewhere you enjoy.
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Come to party with me and Saracen, hell yes! Caltech for the win.
Seriously, most of the schools mentioned in this thread offer good education, but the question really is if you can really get in AND afford it.
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Some of the schools that haven't been mentioned much so far:
UCSD is fairly well regarded, particularly for Aerospace I think
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is supposed to be more geared towards practice than theory, compared to the UCs, but has a good reputation regardless.
Harvey Mudd (Undergrad only, supposed to be one of the best undergraduate programs in the country)
I do Mechanical Engineering at UCSB, and it has failed to impress me
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I go to UCSB and i have a few friends in engineering... I've heard good things about it.
I'd recommend UCSB =) It's a lot of fun here too and there's great weather all the time.
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Harvey Mudd college is a great school for engineering. If you look at the US News and World report rankings it's rated second among engineering schools without a graduate program (citi.zen's list is for those with a doctorate program). Cal poly SLO is also up there, and as underwhelmed said is more geared toward practice than theory.
I promote these two because they are completely devoted to the undergraduate student. Mudd will also take good care of you since enrollment is at 765 students, and Mudd takes a liberal arts approach to running a college (ranked 14th for liberal arts colleges in the US). The unique combination of top-tier engineering and liberal arts is not a combination you will find anywhere else in CA or the United States The only downside to Mudd is the cost, which, without scholarships, will run over $50,000 a year. And don't expect you gpa to go up if you come here.
I'm currently attending Mudd for chemistry, hence my shameless plug.
Edit: answering a few more of your questions:
I would estimate Harvey Mudd will require at least a 3.5 gpa to attend. Also, there is no specific engineering majors here, you just have to learn a little bit of everything. I don't know what type of courses you would require, but you can check it out here http://www.hmc.edu/academicsclinicresearch/academicdepartments/engineering.html
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo will cost less and require a lower gpa to get in. I don't know the exact cost for somebody paying out of state tuition, I would expect around $25,000.
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Speak to CSN, they have a pretty good program for students going to study abroad, you just need to know when and where, apply in time and for it to be possible to include it in your own program/educiation, which clearly is the case. They're very helpful, and I think they could cover most of the fees.
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
On August 18 2009 01:44 Last Romantic wrote:
._. I remember when CIT was still acme. What happened, guys?! Outranked by Georgia?
Though I suppose since it's a USNews ranking, it would behoove you to take it with a grain of salt.
... LR you clearly aren't an engineer  P
Georgia Tech has consistently been one of the best engineering schools over the last decade, and if anything they've dropped a few spots (back in like 2005, they were #4 behind the big 3 - MIT Stanford Cal).
California Engineering schools:
1) Stanford
2) University of California Berkeley
3) Cal Tech
4) Harvey Mudd
after this I think it'd be
5) UCLA
simply b/c ... there just aren't that may top top top tier schools left in the state.
But then again it'd also depend on what lv of program you'd be intersted in too.
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EPT
