School me on Colorado engineering schools

[lambo]

Alright guys, first thing I want to say is this: I am doing my own research. I am just looking for some views from people that have/are going through this.

So...at the moment, I am attending New Mexico State University for Mechanical Engineering as a Freshman and my class schedule is:

Calculus II
Engineering Physics
General Chemistry I
Mechanical Engineering Orientation
Intro to Psychology

^Those last 2 probably aren't important, actually I'm not even sure my schedule is of any use for my questions, just thought I'd throw it out there just in case.

I'm not entirely sure I'd be able to stay down here for 4 years, I just don't know if I could take. I miss the atmosphere of Colorado too much, granted I have already been down here for a month and a bit, but that's not the point. The other issue is, I don't think NMSU has any focus towards anything automotive related. I know it sounds cliche on a car forum, but it is a field I'd like to get into, don't worry, I'm not limiting myself to that. They don't have a FSAE team, which is REALLY disappointing.

I never really looked into CO schools because I wanted to get out of state, but you don't know what you had until you don't have it, so they say.

I have briefly looked at CSU and it seems like it would cater to my wants more than NMSU. CU sounds nice, but CSU is more financially viable for me. I haven't looked at Mines, at all really. So my main focus is CSU.

Any thoughts, advice, info...anything?

Cliffs:
- Not liking it down here
- Want to get into automotive engineering or something similar
- Looking at CSU
- Got info, advice, or thoughts?

[willworkfore30s]

Come to the east coast, NCSU. Solid FSAE team. Lots of other good options as well. I switched from mechanical engineer to Bio and Ag engineering. I'm no farmer but I love this department. My senior design project is building a fully automated brewing set up. Im not part of FSAE but I am on the ASABE tractor team. Similar to FSAE except we build a 1/4 scale tractor from the ground up and take it to competitions.

Also, your e30 will run better down here closer to sea level.

[lambo]

CSU has a pretty decent looking FSAE team. Plus, I'd like to stay in CO.

[Bimmerman325i]

If FSAE is what you want, CSU is where you should go in Colorado. I'll warn you that FSAE completely takes over your life if you get involved. Plan on 40+ hrs/wk of FSAE specific stuff. Add classes, homework, job, and girlfriend, and you will never sleep. Trust me on this one, it's rough but totally worth it.

That said...I am willing to bet you're having "grass is greener" syndrome and are homesick. This is probably the first time you've lived away from everyone you know in a location you haven't ever been to before, right? Give it another year before you fully decide to transfer. Join the car club. Start a car club. Yadda yadda.

I'd also caution you on going into the automotive business. I've worked in a big auto engineering company (BMW) and while it is fun, you are NOT surrounded by car people all day long. Furthermore, you are one engineer of 3000 others, and your chances for promotion and being noticed are understandably low. Salary potential is also low, even in F1 (I know folks).

Auto engineering is super fun as a hobby, but for a career...I had to turn away from it since I don't want to ever live in the midwest. I want my hobby to be a hobby unless I'm being paid for a race engineer position.

Think about it, explore other areas too (mechatronics/bioengineering/design/etc). If you'd have asked me freshman year what I wanted to do, the answer was auto engineering. If you ask me now, it's a much more complicated answer; there is soooo much cool stuff to do in mechanical engineering that going through school with blinders on focused solely on one career field (aerospace/automotive/bio/etc) is foolish. Take a bunch of classes in many different areas so that you find out what you are interested in.


"Don't be Hasty" -- Treebeard. Oh yes. LOTR quotes up in this bitch.

[lambo]

text text and more text

I appreciate the honesty.

Yes, this is the first time I have lived a decent distance from home and I don't plan on transferring before the year ends. You're right, it might just be a period of home-sickness, that is why I am gonna take it slow and do my research.

FSAE isn't a critical thing for me, I just would like something to do. One FSAE specific question: what year of ME student is it more directed towards?

Like I said, I'm not limiting my self to automotive engineering, but it is nice to get some firsthand information about it. I would just like something similar. Possibly something more hands on and not just sitting at a computer all day...

I completely understand what you're saying, but I find it hard to find/fit into these little niches at such an early level of college. So I guess I'll see, but that's what college is all about.

[iamsam]

win for quoting LOTR

[Bimmerman325i]

I appreciate the honesty.

Yes, this is the first time I have lived a decent distance from home and I don't plan on transferring before the year ends. You're right, it might just be a period of home-sickness, that is why I am gonna take it slow and do my research.

FSAE isn't a critical thing for me, I just would like something to do. One FSAE specific question: what year of ME student is it more directed towards?

Like I said, I'm not limiting my self to automotive engineering, but it is nice to get some firsthand information about it. I would just like something similar. Possibly something more hands on and not just sitting at a computer all day...

I completely understand what you're saying, but I find it hard to find/fit into these little niches at such an early level of college. So I guess I'll see, but that's what college is all about.

No problem, I'm happy to help folks hopefully avoid my own missteps.

FSAE is geared towards seniors, but you will be far better served to start early. I started third week of freshman year. You become a much better engineer the earlier you start figuring things out, especially things you haven't seen in classes yet. What starting early also does is gives you time to develop the necessary fabrication (welding/machining/etc), mechanical, electrical, and vehicle diagnostic skills that you will not have time to develop your senior year when your time is all spent on design design design buildbuildbuildOHSHITCOMP!!! Because Racecar fuckyea.jpg.

Other good FSAE like groups (which CU does have fwiw) is Shell Ecomarathon. Much lower workload because it is a simpler vehicle. The project ultimately is not about building a racecar or a super low consumption vehicle, it is about applying your engineering knowledge to a real-world problem. I can't tell you how many times I've talked up FSAE experiences in an interview. It helps immensely to get jobs, as I'm sure Erik will chime in on eventually. Keep in mind that FSAE is no better at these kinds of experiences than Ecomarathon or a good senior design project (FSAE/Eco are sr d projects), the key is to find a project that will allow you to apply engineering knowledge to reality. My senior design project sadly was not one of those, but I'd done FSAE for three years until I went to Germany, so it worked out.

That brings up another point: DO INTERNSHIPS EVERY SUMMER. Everyone I know who graduated and now is working as an engineer with high salary did internships during undergrad summers and during the school year. Those who were didn't do an engineering-related side job (aka relevant work experience) still don't have jobs, including people I know who graduated in 08. Aggressively pursue internships/co-ops and engineering part time work during the school year, or you will be FAR less employable than your peers. I can't emphasize this enough: in this economy, you will not get hired without already having accrued significant engineering-relevant work experience before you graduate.

I understand the goal of trying to not be behind a computer all day. Guess what engineers do at a car company? Yup, 95% of the time it's computer staring. That goes for most companies in most industries, there is no getting around it. Most engineering jobs are heavily computerized. The jobs that aren't are heavily field- or factory-oriented. Sucks, but it's true. MS and PhDs tend to spend more time testing/researching and less doing mind numbing CAD work, but again....there's no getting away from it.

You won't really have much opportunity to explore different facets of engineering through coursework until your senior year electives. The best way to explore, then, is through internships/co-ops, student clubs/teams like FSAE, EcoMarathon, or through working in a professor's research lab as an hourly student. Keep in mind that professors don't pay well at all, but grad schools love to see prior research experience....but that's another topic.

My best advice is to keep a long view on what you want to accomplish in 5,10,15 years, and plan for that. Ex: My junior year in high school, one of my best friends told me CU had a program where you take german for a few years and then you have a chance to do an internship with Audi/BMW/Siemens/etc. This sounded awesome, so I tailored my remaining high school years and undergrad to do exactly that. I wanted to do an internship at BMW, being a BMW guy already, so my senior year of high school I started taking german, took more as an undergrad, got a job doing engineering work freshman summer, did FSAE, and networked and worked my ass off to get hired as an intern at BMW in Munich 4 years later. Same idea goes for grad school, for fellowships, for jobs, for pretty much anything. Don't be shortsighted. Always have a long-term plan, and work diligently towards it.

If your school right now isn't providing what you are looking for, look for other opportunities. Student clubs, interesting professor research, internships/co-ops, etc. College is really what YOU make of it. Just doing courses is a very small part of the experience.

[fsmtnbiker]

In response to David's long posts (which I did not thoroughly read):

CSU rocks. The FSAE team is accessible to any student, and we have LOTS of projects to accomplish - even as a freshman you would quickly be put to work.

Fort Collins also rocks. Lots of extremely good beer, huge bicycling and outdoors crowd, and it's a pretty nice place to live too. Also, no hippies.

[Bimmerman325i]

CSU's auto and motorsport engineering programs impressed the hell out of me when I went and visited during Claude's racecar engineering seminar. CU just doesn't have the facilities and knowledge of the CSU folks in that area.



Chris, you doing FSAE at CSU?

I've got a nasty idea for building an FSAE-esque car once I get back to CO. Would be fun to put a group of ex-FSAE and car guys together and build an FSAE car unaffiliated with any school as a kind of victory lap. I'm thinking it'd be a riot to build a car based on 'lessons learned' the first few times around.

[Bishop]

David you write a lot. I didn't even bother with the second post ;)

I like CSU a lot... I'm not involved in FSAE or Mech E at all, but I have heard it's not too shabby at all.... I've spent a good deal of time wandering around Boulder while I grew up and CU's campus with various friends or jobs at various times of year and days..... Honestly, it just seems like CSU is a friendlier place (now don't go getting butthurt, it's an opinion and honestly I'd feel the same if I WENT to CU). I like CU and CSU's campus' but I like Fort Collins more, mostly for what Chris was mentioning... I've said it more than once that if I could have taken the people from Fort Collins and stuck em in Boulder, I woulda probably gone to CU. School's these days will for the most part teach you all the same stuff, so it's important I'd think to look at the atmosphere and town.

If Eric chimes in he can help too I'm sure (bluefox). If I remember right, he did electric engineering up here and FSAE.


If this helps cool, if not... it provided some distraction for my early morning rising

[blefevre]

I'm too lazy to read Davids posts right now.

Basically, both CSU and CU will be fine. However, in this job economy and more and more people doing engineering you HAVE to set yourself apart somehow. FSAE is one way to do that if you take on a leadership role and design a system. One comment, all the hate I have for CU I would still recommend it just for the potential you have to make yourself different. The class projects that CU gives you (Systems D, Senior Design) really give you a chance to show your worth something. I still know classmates that don't have jobs in over a year after graduating while I had a better then average paying job before I graduated. Try hard, pick the location you want. Don't pick a "focus".

I'd pick CU just because you can hike/bike/climb the foothills in 20 minutes after class is out.

[iamsam]

Fort Collins also has good food and they charge more humane prices for it, too. If i had the choice, I would change Boulder into Fort Collins.

[Bishop]

I also live close to campus in a nice 6 bedroom house and pay $280 a month plus bills. Comes to just about $350 a month total, said and done. Big house, big room, nice amenities and I can ride my bike to campus. Alcohol prices, cost of living, etc. is notably cheaper up here compared to Boulder... I remember noticing that the first time I bought a case of Corona up here.... $11 for a case, and my friend's in boulder live in a very small, shit hole house, 3 bedroom and their paying more than double what I am.

Also Brad, the mountains, reservoir, etc are a stones throw from town, like Boulder.

[iamsam]

yes. Boulder is ridiculously expensive, Fort Collins is hilariously cheaper.

[fsmtnbiker]

Another datapoint: I have always paid between $370 and $450/mo, total rent w/ utilities to live in Fort Collins.