Tennessee Tech University (Johnson City, Cookeville: schools, live in, versus)

[JMT]

Originally Posted by yarddawg

Too funny. If you go by campus about 9am during the semester you'll find all the lots full and a few cars parked on the sidewalks and in the grass due to the shortage of commuter parking. I don't have to fight it this semester but I suspect it's worse this year than last. There was overflow parking last year where they're building the new Nursing building.

There is a parking garage in the long term plans but a couple-three other buildings are going up first so it'll get worse before it gets better.

Sorry, can't give any details about engineering. All of my degrees are under Arts & Sciences.

I've seen those long-range plans for Tech, and they really do look good. Once the hospital addition and the new nursing school are done, the city will improve 7th Street and make it a grand entrance to the hospital and university. That should get started within a year. I believe the new STAR center and the new visitors center will go up on 7th near where the old nursing school was located.

With 600 additional students this year at Tech, I've heard that parking this semester is a nightmare. Then again, I also know a lot of people who live within easy walking distance of campus but still insist on driving. It might be time for Tech to institute a shuttle bus serving Tech Village and the neighborhoods north of 12th Street.

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by alleycat

Tech grads have a good reputation in the engineering fields related to construction. Of course, in Nashville, nothing beats a Vandy degree for the connections made, but those with TTU degrees are looked upon in a favorable light.

Thanks, alleycat. Our son is anxious to finish school, but does not want to stay here in GA once we move to TN.

He does want to complete his degree as soon as possible and hopes that many classes transfer. (And, believe me, we are right along with him on that! Been paying college tuitions for 16 years now for 4 sons. Leave something for us and our old age, please.)

I know that it is difficult transferring engineering classes from one university to another, so we'll see how this all plays out. (One of our sons transferred from the Univ. of MI, Dearborn campus to the Ann Arbor main campus and had 3 of his engineering classes not transfer between campuses! That was a real kick in the teeth - all 4.0s, but the argument was that Dearborn stressed mechanical engineering as it applied to the auto industry and the Ann Arbor Eng. Sch. was broader based. Hmmmm.)

Thanks for the info, alleycat.

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by gemthornton

Thanks, alleycat. Our son is anxious to finish school, but does not want to stay here in GA once we move to TN.

He does want to complete his degree as soon as possible and hopes that many classes transfer. (And, believe me, we are right along with him on that! Been paying college tuitions for 16 years now for 4 sons. Leave something for us and our old age, please.)

I know that it is difficult transferring engineering classes from one university to another, so we'll see how this all plays out. (One of our sons transferred from the Univ. of MI, Dearborn campus to the Ann Arbor main campus and had 3 of his engineering classes not transfer between campuses! That was a real kick in the teeth - all 4.0s, but the argument was that Dearborn stressed mechanical engineering as it applied to the auto industry and the Ann Arbor Eng. Sch. was broader based. Hmmmm.)

Thanks for the info, alleycat.

What type of engineering is your son interested in? Mechanical in the auto industry or construction?

[gemkeeper]

This last son, #4 as I affectionately call him, is interested in mechanical as of now, but has been considered architecture, also. He is in his second year and still pondering the possibilites. He does not want to follow sons #1 and #2 into the auto industry. Our oldest son has a mechanical eng. degree, our second an electrical/computer dual eng. degree, but his Master's is in Bus. Admin. and Spanish. Don't ask. Son #3 is in mechanical, but works outside the auto industry. So, the youngest has been exposed to many other possibilities and is still unsure of his final outcome.

Do you have any suggestions for him, alleycat? Any insight would be appreciated.

[JMT]

Originally Posted by gemthornton

This last son, #4 as I affectionately call him, is interested in mechanical as of now, but has been considered architecture, also. He is in his second year and still pondering the possibilites. He does not want to follow sons #1 and #2 into the auto industry. Our oldest son has a mechanical eng. degree, our second an electrical/computer dual eng. degree, but his Master's is in Bus. Admin. and Spanish. Don't ask. Son #3 is in mechanical, but works outside the auto industry. So, the youngest has been exposed to many other possibilities and is still unsure of his final outcome.

Do you have any suggestions for him, alleycat? Any insight would be appreciated.

TTU has a great mechanical engineering department. My brother got his degree in ME and is now designing airplane seats for a company in NC. He flies all over the world working with all kinds of different airlines.

By the way, TTU's Mini Baja team routinely wins the Mini Baja-East competition, sponsored, by the Society of Automotive Engineers, beating other prestigious engineering schools such as Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Carnegie Mellon, Auburn, and Rochester Institute of Technology. And you don't have to be a student in automotive engineering to participate. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Speaking of which, a mechanical engineering graduate of TTU is a VP at General Mills, and he had TTU's mini baja team put on the Wheaties box back in May of this year.

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by JMT

TTU has a great mechanical engineering department. My brother got his degree in ME and is now designing airplane seats for a company in NC. He flies all over the world working with all kinds of different airlines.

By the way, TTU's Mini Baja team routinely wins the Mini Baja-East competition, sponsored, by the Society of Automotive Engineers, beating other prestigious engineering schools such as Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Carnegie Mellon, Auburn, and Rochester Institute of Technology. And you don't have to be a student in automotive engineering to participate. Doesn't that sound like fun?

Speaking of which, a mechanical engineering graduate of TTU is a VP at General Mills, and he had TTU's mini baja team put on the Wheaties box back in May of this year.

Thanks for that, JMT. It is great to know that TN Tech is such a fine engineering school and with your brother being a successful graduate, you have first-hand experience with their program. Zach, #4, had told us that he did some researching on the internet and felt pretty confident that it would be a good move for him. I will pass this info on to him. I would love to see him get involved with the mini-Baja team.

It is so ironic that you mention the Mini-Baja competition. That is fantastic that they are so successfully involved in such a prestigious program. My oldest son was on the U-MI Australian solar powered auto competition when he was a student. I think there were 6 students chosen for the team each year and although he took it extremely seriously and had a wonderful experience with it, MI was not a winner that year. I know that he would have liked to have another chance and would jump at the mini-Baja. Now, he is involved with his own form of the Baja in Nevada with his auto engineering team test running in the desert in the hottest of summers, and up near the Artic Circle in the winter. Hope I'm not giving anything away to the competition!

It is great to know that TTU keeps such good company with some great schools. I am sure that our son will really be challenged. I am so sorry now that I haven't bought Wheaties for quite a while. I would love to have seen the box - maybe there are some still on the shelf. Interesting switch the for the TTU grad - not unlike our second son, who is now in management with Lear engineering.

We, too, have a friend in MI whose father served as a VP with General Mills quite a few years ago. What an amazing company that is. He worked in Panama for several yrs while with Gen. Mills helping Panamanians develop farming methods that would preserve their native environment. Very impressive.

Thanks for the encouragement.

[alleycat]

Originally Posted by gemthornton

This last son, #4 as I affectionately call him, is interested in mechanical as of now, but has been considered architecture, also. He is in his second year and still pondering the possibilites. He does not want to follow sons #1 and #2 into the auto industry. Our oldest son has a mechanical eng. degree, our second an electrical/computer dual eng. degree, but his Master's is in Bus. Admin. and Spanish. Don't ask. Son #3 is in mechanical, but works outside the auto industry. So, the youngest has been exposed to many other possibilities and is still unsure of his final outcome.

Do you have any suggestions for him, alleycat? Any insight would be appreciated.

He would probably need to make a decision soon. Because of the "design program" someone can't go to a liberal arts college for three years, then finish up in an architectural program in another two (architectural programs are generally either five or six years). TTU does not have an architectural school as far as I know. Architectural schools are also hard to get into (I was in the program at Auburn). But the main thing is the personality of the person . . . some people are more naturally suited for engineering, and others are more suited to be architects.

The mechanical engineers that work in building design do fairly well in Nashville. Because of the medical specialty of some of the firms in Nashville, there is a strong demand for engineers of all sorts. I work for a structural engineering firm and we do work all over the country. Some firms have summer intern programs for college students. Your son might try that next summer and see if he likes the work. That would still give him time to change his mind if he decided that it wasn't for him. My best friend's son is in the mechanical engineering program at UT (a co-op student) and he seems to be doing well working in the industrial sector.

[gemkeeper]

Thanks for the tips, alleycat. I have passed this on to Zach. He has already applied to several architectural firms here in our area for internships, and they (3) have said that they haven't had students intern before, but that they would consider it. That would probably tip the balance for my son.

I DO know what you mean about the engineering personality quirk! Is it fore ordained or what?! Our mechanical engineer is a mechanical eng. in every facet of his life. LOL. Our other three guys are a little more flexible and keep life interesting. Something good to be said for all types; it is laughable, I must agree.

[alleycat]

If he's interested in internships in either architecture or engineering in Nashville, let me know and I'll give you a few names of firm he can apply at (by best friend just happens to be a partner in the second largest architectural firm in town).

[gemkeeper]

Originally Posted by alleycat

If he's interested in internships in either architecture or engineering in Nashville, let me know and I'll give you a few names of firm he can apply at (by best friend just happens to be a partner in the second largest architectural firm in town).

Thanks so much, alleycat. We'll discuss it and see what he plans on doing. That would be wonderful if he could get an interview for a possible internship. That is very kind of you to suggest that possibility.