As educators at
a leading private university - and as parents - we think it's
smart to consider a private college or university for your
undergraduate experience. For starters . . .
- Private institutions
offer dynamic interdisciplinary collaborations, excellence
in teaching, dedicated mentors, and student selectivity.
You can also take a fresh approach to your scientific and
technical interests through unparalleled research opportunities.
- Private colleges
and universities focus on undergraduates. We seek special,
well-qualified students who can contribute to classroom
and lab efforts and who can inspire others to work hard,
smart, and creatively. We are committed to creating diversity
in our student populations and a degree of competitiveness
that will encourage you to reach for - and to reach - your
goals.
- We combine these
commitments in a holistic approach to education that is
well-rounded and well-grounded, providing a variety of education
experiences, internships, and research opportunities that
prepare you for a career of continuing education.
Sound like a lot
to offer? It is, so let's explore some of the specific advantages
at a private college or university.
You will learn from the best teachers
Research and teaching together. Research and education don't
compete with one another at private colleges and universities.
In fact, research faculty gravitate to private institutions
because they want to teach undergraduate students and do cutting-edge
research.
At institutions like Case Western Reserve University, Cornell
University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and many
other places, faculty bring their excitement for scientific
research to their interactions with you, as future scientists,
computer scientists, and engineers.
Student-faculty
involvement. The top 25 colleges in the country are balanced
in terms of being private and public, and all have excellent
faculty. But faculty at private institutions are more intensely
involved with their students. The ratio of faculty to students
is more favorable at private schools, and class sizes are
generally smaller.
At many private institutions, you will take introductory courses
taught by leading faculty mentors. You will find Nobel Laureates
treating students to their foresight, imagination, and knowledge.
At private colleges and universities, you will roll up you
sleeves and work in labs with deans, department heads, and
distinguished professors. These teachers write the textbooks
that you use for physics (and then teach that class, too!),
show you the power of Java programming, and teach introductory
courses in engineering that link complex theories with hands-on
projects and experiments.
Explore
your interests through research
We don't wait for students to show up at our laboratories;
we go out and find you, bring you into that environment, and
actively promote meaningful research as a component of your
education.
The research component
At private colleges and universities, you can participate
in some of the leading centers of research. Look at the research
center at any private college or university and you will see
students and researchers from many disciplines working side-by-side
on state-of-the-art equipment. The same holds true for smaller
labs run by faculty researchers.
At our own Carnegie Mellon University, about 80% - or four
out of five - science and engineering students do original
research with a leading faculty member (see the article Hands-on
in the Lab by Peter Russell in this magazine for more information
on faculty-student collaboration).
Excellent student research programs are part of many institutions,
including Harvey Mudd and California Institute of Technology.
In many cases, your work as a student researcher is supported
through grants, and you will present your results, both on
your campus and at national meetings with fellow scientists
and engineers.
The interdisciplinary
approach
Private colleges and universities bring scientific-technical
disciplines together in creative ways.
Cross-disciplinary work
Today, computer scientists are interacting with all
of the experimental disciplines: interaction is an important
tool for students in pre-medicine and science, psychology,
and multimedia and performance art, for example. In engineering,
design and computer science are meshing to create digital
pens, wearable computers and increasingly small hard drives
for computers.
Course selection
Many private institutions allow you to create self-defined
majors or combine existing majors and minors in creative,
contemporary, and exciting ways that underscore our interdisciplinary
approach to undergraduate education.
Team-building.
At private colleges and universities, interaction
and an interdisciplinary approach to education go beyond social
functions and large survey classes. At our institutions, 'interdisciplinary'
it means actually working together on team projects and conducting
hands-on work with peers and faculty from many different fields.
You'll enjoy interacting with other students who share your
excitement for science, technology, and engineering. Many
students say that this is the first time they've ever been
with a significant number of other students who share their
own excitement for the sciences and engineering.
Your advisors
are advisors for a lifetime
Private colleges provide a supportive atmosphere of guidance
through mentors, advisors, and career counselors.
At most private
institutions, guidance in choosing a major, a relevant humanities
course, an exciting lab job, or even the right graduate or
professional school is provided in an atmosphere of involvement
and concern for you.
Beyond equipping
you with the usual college survival skills set, advising is
a commitment to you and your growth, even well after you've
earned your degree. This commitment - and access to advisors,
deans, and faculty mentors - sets us apart from most public
institutions.
Advising.
In the beginning, there is advising for coursework - to build
that survival set: What courses do you want to take? Where
can you get that research experience or an internship that
will help you to decide on a career path? Where can you get
help to resolve a personal or academic issue?
Mentoring.
Then there is the guidance that comes from one-on-one
work with a faculty member in a science, computer science,
or engineering program that you enjoy and may want to participate
in for your lifetime. This kind of mentoring may involve working
together in the laboratory or gaining practical experience
and advice about the next step in your academic development.
By working one-on-one with faculty members, doing research,
and being involved, you have the direct connection with a
faculty member who gives you advice and then, later, helps
in directing your career, including actual answers to "What
do I do next?" This may involve advice about finding a job
or finding the right graduate or professional school. Your
mentors will step in and help you to understand how to prepare.
Their advice - combined with internships, classwork, research,
and the skills you'll acquire in critical thinking, analysis,
and presentation - now comes into play.
Private
colleges are springboards to strong futures
Private institutions are leaders in taking you to the level
that defines you as a professional in your chosen field of
science, engineering, or technology. When you combine
that preparation with the excellent network of alumni and
friends and contacts with employers, you are another step
ahead. You see, those same people who encouraged you
to take a class, advised you in a lab environment, and wrote
letters of recommendation to a graduate school or for a job
will be there for you in the years to come, too.
These are all parts
of the lifetime education process that begins the day you
choose a private college or university for science or engineering.
Private colleges may provide the best educational environment
for you. We hope that no matter what field you pursue and
no matter what private college or university you choose, you
experience a dynamic education environment that helps you
attain your life and career goals.
Eric Grotzinger
and Susan Henry are, respectively, Associate Dean and Dean
of the Mellon College of Science, Carnegie Mellon University,
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
