any mechanical engineers?

[Gregory]

I personally love the program, but A LOT of people get shafted and drop out or change majors because it's "too hard." The co-op program will help you get ahead, and there aren't a lot of better schools for engineering than Drexel, so if that's what you're looking into, go for it. And I assume you know it is in the city.

[i like rice]

I'm not an engineer but I work with a bunch (electrical, design, mechanical, chemical, process, etc). I manage the procurement for a local manufacturing firm (instrumentation/gauges), so I take over once the product is moved from the design phase to production. This general area has numerous companies that are automotive related (direct or indirect), so it's a matter of choosing a specific type of market that you want to narrow it down to.

We design and build the instrumentation for companies such as Harley Davidson, CAT, Case, Volvo, Ingersoll Rand, etc. Harley just dropped off two new models (for 2009) last Thursday for 'testing.' It's nice to be in this field since we can see some of the new models 8-12 months before the public does.

[Cardriverx]

Yeah, I know where drexel is. Its just that between WVU, drexel, temple, and maybe penn state, I dunno what to choose.

[i like rice]

Villanova has a great engineering program, though it's not cheap.

[supraghost]

im at penn state. only complaint is that all the engineering profs are foreign. so until you figure out how to understand them, you pretty much read the books and teach it too yourself. in highschool i had a 4.0 and now i have 3.2

i actually have to pay attention in class now

[sean3]

I'm in the same boat. Graduating high school this year and want to go into mechanical engineering. Got into Drexel but it's $$$, so I'll probably end up going to Rutgers. What do you guys think? Is the co op program really that good? I don't seem to be getting any financial aid or scholarships so going to Drexel would mean all the co op money + possibly loans going towards tuition where as Rutgers would be 100% covered by my parents.

[dickerdieter]

im a 2nd year in ME at virginia tech and its tough but I still party like a business major and I'm still pulling a 3.4, im gonna enjoy live before it gets too hard haha. Its def a great choice as long as you can make the commitment to do the work.

my work of advice, go to a school with semesters, not quarters like drexel(i believe they are on the quarter system, correct me if im wrong) or R.I.T., I went to RIT last year and sure the coop program is nice, but the quarters are just too short and you have SO much less time to enjoy college. As long as you are willing to do the legwork you will still be able to find plenty of coops or summer internships while at other universities.

[lawdogg]

I am a Class of '06 BSME from Lafayette College in Easton - if you do go MechE, be prepared to give it your all. Be ready to work hard if you want to play hard in college. It's a hell of an undergrad degree but worth it in many respects. I am making almost double the average salary for my area and just doing design work at the moment. I highly recommend taking care of your EIT / FE exam while in school, and becoming very well versed in CAD (namely Solidoworks / Inventor). Have fun with it!

[Njsurfrgurl]

yo redg2...dl the trial verison of 08 autocad off the autodesk website then im me later on...i'll shoot you the crack. And if anyone else wants it let me know.

[scutzi128]

Well Im not in Mechanical, but Im in electrical @ drexel and I really do like it but as said before be prepared to work.

[bjc26]

I graduated Drexel in '04 with two bachelors degrees (Civil and Architectural). They'll definitely work you hard and try to whittle out those people who aren't dedicated in the first two years. The co-op program is worth the tuition in itself, the experience and contacts you make during those years will help you after you graduate. I am in charge of hiring the co-ops for my current employer and I have a chance to interview from Drexel, Rowan, and on occasion Villanova. Pre and post grad the Drexel students seem to do much better and have a better grasp on what is going on out in the real world. I applied and visited Penn State, Virginia Tech, Rutgers, RIT and obviously Drexel. Get out and visit some campuses, try to attend some career fairs or engineering days.

I definitely agree with the advice of taking your EIT/FE exam junior year while everything is still fresh in your mind. As far as the quarters being too short and not being able to "enjoy" college at Drexel, it's a toss up. Honestly you are at college to get an education, if you just want to party don't go to Drexel. Don't get me wrong I did my fair share but it is by no means a "party school". Also make sure you like the city environment, it is a far stretch from a rural setting like VA tech.

Just my biased opinion. Feel free to PM me if you have any questions, some of my best friends are Mech Engineers.

[jdm free]

Originally Posted by Gregory

but A LOT of people get shafted and drop out or change majors because it's "too hard."

so many of my friends at school did the same thing...im giving it a try but the workload is a bitch..oh im at virginia tech too

[Nick 95 6sp]

I'm quite a bit older than most guys here, graduated from Villanova with BSME many years ago; I always thought I wanted to be an engineer so that's what I went after; it is a tough curriculum but if you're interested in that kind of technical work, it's worth it. I always very much enjoyed the engineering jobs I had over the years, and they always paid well above average salary. I happened to gravitate toward manufacturing of small valve type devices throughout my career; so that involves design, developement, manufacturing; since I prefer smaller companies it also involves the technical knowledge of where and how to use the products, so you end up doing sales technical support activities, which I also enjoy though I do less of that now. After several years in my first job, I moved up to "head of mechanical engineering" then eventually director of engineering; more recently and currently I'm vice president of engineering; salary is pretty decent, deep into six figures now, and I still enjoy what I do and like going to work each day to have some more fun. And of course since I've been a car nut for over 50 years, that also involves engineering related technical matters that make playing with cars more fun than if you know nothing about that side of it.

If you want to see what our place does in Warminster, drop me a PM and I'll show you around.

[marshallpre1]

As for the grades issue, I had a 3.2 ish after my second year. I was lazy the first two years- didn't study much, and I thought a 3.0 was good enough. However, during the next (hardest) two years, I worked really hard and received 3.9 avg the next four semesters. Yes, I didn't party that much during those two years, but I guess I matured and figured out what mattered. So I graduated with honors and was the president of the mech eng honor society (what a nerd, I know) but my advice is to really start working hard the first two years, so you don't end up trying to catch up like I did. Pad that GPA when it's easy(ier) so when it does become difficult, it won't be as bad.

And Nick, can I work for you?

[redg2]

Originally Posted by Nick 95 6sp

I'm quite a bit older than most guys here, graduated from Villanova with BSME many years ago; I always thought I wanted to be an engineer so that's what I went after; it is a tough curriculum but if you're interested in that kind of technical work, it's worth it. I always very much enjoyed the engineering jobs I had over the years, and they always paid well above average salary. I happened to gravitate toward manufacturing of small valve type devices throughout my career; so that involves design, developement, manufacturing; since I prefer smaller companies it also involves the technical knowledge of where and how to use the products, so you end up doing sales technical support activities, which I also enjoy though I do less of that now. After several years in my first job, I moved up to "head of mechanical engineering" then eventually director of engineering; more recently and currently I'm vice president of engineering; salary is pretty decent, deep into six figures now, and I still enjoy what I do and like going to work each day to have some more fun. And of course since I've been a car nut for over 50 years, that also involves engineering related technical matters that make playing with cars more fun than if you know nothing about that side of it.

If you want to see what our place does in Warminster, drop me a PM and I'll show you around.

thanks for the repy's guys yea im grades are preety good as of now and id def be intrested in coming to check out your place sometime over springbreak or so..

[Nick 95 6sp]

Originally Posted by marshallpre1

...And Nick, can I work for you?

Sure ...do you make house calls to detail Supras? Mine could use some TLC

...j/k. If/when we look for another engineer to hire, all options are open. In my whole career I've only interviewed one other Supra owner; this guy showed up here last year driving a MkIII; so I walk into the conference room to interview him and say "is that your mkiii outside?" he says yes, I say "sorry then, we don't hire anybody that would drive that kind of car" ...he's shocked thinking I'm serious, then I spill the beans and tell him I have a MkIV etc. But we didn't hire him for the QA inspector/engineer anyway, another guy we preferred got that job and he's worked out extremely well, though he drives a Hundai.

[Gregory]

Originally Posted by Cardriverx

Yeah, I know where drexel is. Its just that between WVU, drexel, temple, and maybe penn state, I dunno what to choose.

Drexel easily has the better engineering program out of those. I applied to Penn State main, and Drexel, and got into both. Went with Drexel.

Originally Posted by supraghost

im at penn state. only complaint is that all the engineering profs are foreign. so until you figure out how to understand them, you pretty much read the books and teach it too yourself. in highschool i had a 4.0 and now i have 3.2

i actually have to pay attention in class now

Yea, all the professors are foreign at Drexel too. Well, 2 in 3 are.

Originally Posted by sean3

I'm in the same boat. Graduating high school this year and want to go into mechanical engineering. Got into Drexel but it's $$$, so I'll probably end up going to Rutgers. What do you guys think? Is the co op program really that good? I don't seem to be getting any financial aid or scholarships so going to Drexel would mean all the co op money + possibly loans going towards tuition where as Rutgers would be 100% covered by my parents.

Well, I was in the same boat as you for a while, but I called up Drexel and told them I would not be going there unless I got some sort of financial aid. They BSed around for a while and only a few days before I had to declare whether I was going there or not, I got a $5,000 grant, and the next day after, I got a $50,000 scholarship. So Within a week before I had to let them know they sent me $55,000. Needless to say, that helped a lot. So let them know where you stand (that you won't go unless you get some $$). They wait so long to give out scholarships because they want you to accept at full tuition costs before they give you any money.