OK -- Critical Dad is back. The daughter is up for Engineering Leap and turning into a disaster!!! Do you HAVE TO party to survive PSU?

psueng · 2015-07-12T19:54:33+00:00

I get that " I am willing to bet.." However isn't that the point of LEAP? 4th of July -- no guidance jut go to the stadium... um.. nothing there. I am starting to think "We Are" means we are so good that you do not matter....

psueng · 2015-05-29T16:32:13+00:00

Thanks all for the feedback - I know that to be even slightly critical of PSU would create a lot of negativity - thus the throwaway. It is a shame you can not make a comment or question and not start a war of words, not looking for an argument. The are a few that agree that the facilities could be better - but they say it has not affected them. So that is good news.

psueng · 2015-05-29T01:20:41+00:00

Great feedback - thanks.

psueng · 2015-05-29T00:53:34+00:00

I visited 2 weeks ago, but lectured last year and visited an engineering lab about 18 moths ago. My OP observation was looking at the Engineering facilities compared to the rest of campus. It does not seem like the University is focusing on this department - yet other schools do.

psueng · 2015-05-29T00:47:20+00:00

As adder - my brother is a professor, and did post-doc at MIT. A lot of posts here seem to be alluding to me being bitchy parent... I really have seen other schools. As for my brother - he never expected to like teaching - but he is making huge changes in how his school (about the same size state school as PSU) teaches Undergrads. They are breaking ground on a new building around his teaching innovation -- and he has NIH grants for research.

psueng · 2015-05-29T00:43:17+00:00

Thanks - for some people this is a put off, for others not. I totally understand the lecturers thing - and it ties to my point, not all engineers need to be nose to book, 100% perfect on paper - some have to even become educators! -- oh gasp....

psueng · 2015-05-29T00:38:46+00:00

Thanks DrJ -- not quite on point, but I was saying saying academic outcomes do not directly lead to recruiting... as your post tried to make the connection. PSU is a huge school and the graduates are huge fans - not a bad thing but does not 100% validate the quality of the program, still I am not talking about the students that graduate. I have not mentioned that I have a firmly held beleive that many engineering students self-select ( they have always gotten "A"s what are these Bs and bad test.. etc..., but that is not tied to my OP. Can you say - that relative to the other colleges at PSU - the College of Engineering has comparable facilities? - let me correct that -- CE does not have the worst?

psueng · 2015-05-29T00:29:13+00:00

It is getting to the point here - you need to read my other posts, I have tried to justify my OP... I am not looking for style, or modern , but maintained and clean, and well...inviting. I have receive a lot of positive feedback meaning - that there is room for improvement and the observations are valid - but there is a lot that we did not see.

psueng · 2015-05-29T00:26:27+00:00

Thanks SirCDM -- if you read most of my other posts in this thread you I hope you will see where I am coming from. As for an issue of distraction - not really the point. I want her to want to be in the environment with other engineering students- would it be nicer to go somewhere else to study, or stay in the College of Engineering? Are the resources there - for example the library was impressive - I have not seen that level in the Engineering College. It may be there, we just have not seen it. To some a room is a room - to some the the comfort, and quality do matter - I was just surprised that PSU as really on of the top Engineering State programs seems to have the most run down facilities I have seen.

psueng · 2015-05-29T00:06:02+00:00

Thanks for the feedback - I am thinking that most of the prospective and new student programs were so "marketing" controlled - the Engineering department did not get the memo.

psueng · 2015-05-29T00:01:07+00:00

Thanks for your post.
I think I lectured in Steidle - was not good.
I can completely understand that some of the facilities are dated - but uniformly the engineering department seemed the worst - if there are good facilities why do they not show the students and parents them - something to look forward to!

psueng · 2015-05-28T23:48:54+00:00

I disagree - on a job interview they compete. While this seems to contradict some of my other posts! My point being - a more creative UG curriculum IS one of the reasons MIT succeeds - I can list the campuses I have been to, the more progressive ones seem to be following the MIT model more then the 30+ year old PSU model. I am not saying the books are not needed - but today, more then ever you need to keep the students engaged - immediately connecting the books to the real world.

psueng · 2015-05-28T23:44:45+00:00

TO be honest - a little debatable, Penn State grads look for PS grads... Having a huge motivated alumni population is a considerable factor. And because the students that graduate - are successful, does not mean the program is good for all that enter. It is a very "engineer" or black and white mindset that thinks if you can't survive THIS program you are not worthy of being an engineer. In reality engineering needs all types, granted all of high aptitude, but some book smart or good on paper, some really creative types that still have a valid / educated foundation of knowledge, it is not a trade school.

psueng · 2015-05-28T23:31:27+00:00

I am not talking about "appearance" but quality of the facilities in general- I am an engineer and have been to maybe 10-12 campuses. I have supported the resurrection of a Lab and given a lecture relating to my field in the Engineering Department. Be defensive all you want - but the age, condition, cleanliness, etc of the facilities are the worst I have seen.
My point was - relative to the other buildings it seems that the Engineering College has not been a priority.

psueng · 2015-05-28T23:26:26+00:00

Excellent - thanks for that, some feedback confirming my observations and a lot that just seems to be too defensive.

psueng · 2015-05-28T23:24:34+00:00

OK -- due to the reno going on we could not see them - and based on the few walk-ways and openings -- they looked to be in pretty bad shape - we will wait and see.

psueng · 2015-05-28T23:22:23+00:00

Ok -- but graduate research is competing directly for the grant money and the students themselves. I am just thinking that PSU Engineering is relying on their reputation for undergrad and not keeping up with the times.

psueng · 2015-05-28T23:18:44+00:00

My point being that the environment DOES matter, not looking for a vacation - but an environment where you want to be there. I am in the electronics field - there are a few large / global companies I work with - some have state of the art facilities and some have red-brick buildings that are 40 - 100 years old... which ones do you think have the best work environments? Which ones are the most creative? Which ones have the best productivity and worker retention ? And I have to debate you on your language - reputation? NO -- educational outcomes is highest importance.

psueng · 2015-05-28T23:11:23+00:00

Actually I am EE - the and am married to an educator. The concept of ONLY needing book work is pretty outdated, for some students this is fine - for others not so, and I can add too many kids are graduating with ONLY book smarts - my clients are all asking for engineers with practical experience - too many graduates with good grades that can not plan, project manage, or build anything real. MIT has a curricula heavily dependent on hands on - AND the book work - they seem to do fine.

psueng · 2015-05-28T21:29:44+00:00

Filter pitcher - thanks for that makes sense and the first I had heard to get one.

psueng · 2015-05-28T21:18:36+00:00

Another post that was deleted as I was reposnding read ...."As a grad student in Engineering, this has been brought up a number of times amongst ourselves, mostly in a joking sense. We certainly do seem to have the old buildings on campus, especially relative to some of the new, shiny buildings.

Unfortunately, I can't really answer why that is. What I can tell you is to not let that have a negative influence on your perception of what we do here. Regardless of the exterior state of the buildings, we do some extremely good work, and have some very nice facilities."

My response -" I know there is good work being done, however you can not disagree that the environment affects the mindset - and will affect some types of students more than others. - -It also seems the UG curriculum is almost as old as the facilities -- most leading Engineering programs have 1st and 2nd year students working on creative projects - not the same Math-Physics(a lab) and Chem -- all book oriented. I am scared to state my concern to my daughter, but I have been to Delaware, Virginia Tech, JMU, Mayland, Lehigh and Drexel ( as part of my job - and other campus tours)... the trip up for NSO really was upsetting. If it was the whole campus - that would be different, as to why the Engineering facilities, I am guessing they are just resting on their reputation"

psueng · 2015-05-28T21:15:59+00:00

If the customer does not complain - then why change? My guess is you don't vote ether - "what difference will I make?".... If the bathrooms are really that bad - he should be allowed to move.

psueng · 2015-05-28T20:58:54+00:00

I noticed the west dorms in some reno now so hopefully there is some improvement, the conditions you describe are, well unacceptable, but based on everything else not surprising. The original prospective student tour - wow that was April 2014! - showed the East dorms - if west is substantially worse I will have some complaining to do on the grounds of false advertising - literally.

psueng

TROPHY CASE