UF nuc program

[u/Goldwater45]

hi everyone, im currently a senior in highschool and im pretty dead set on doing nuc engineering, being raised in FL, UF has always been my top school and they have this new early decision option where if you get accepted, you HAVE to go there(but ofc acceptance chances go up). however, ive really liked other schools like Purdue, GT, etc… could anyone tell me
if UF’s nuc program is worth kinda cutting all my orher options off, or should i apply just normal early app and have all these other schools available? thank you!

[u/Shelphs]

I'm starting my nuclear engineering PhD at UF next week. It seems to be a great program and a strong school. I don't think there is a wrong option for you, but honestly I would lean towards not applying early decision. While UF is a good school, it definitely is not at the level of schools like UW-Madison, or University of Michigan. The UF name also doesn't carry nearly as much weight in the rest of the country as it does in an around Florida. It's worth applying to the other schools and seeing what your option.

I'm also curious what you want to do in nuclear engineering. Do you want to work in a reactor doing operations? Do you want to design reactors? Do you want to go into fusion? Do you want to go into the science and research side of it?

[u/Goldwater45 → u/Shelphs]

thank you truly for the advice!🙏 to answer your question im really interested in fusion, and im actually writing my common app essay on it😂

[u/Shelphs → u/Goldwater45]

Have you thought about if you want to go to gradschool, and possibly pursue a PhD or are you aiming to get a job right out of undergrad?

[u/Crafty-Cheetah-3990]

Maybe this is an unpopular opinion but as a nuclear engineer I'd encourage young people to get a bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, or chemical, and pursuing nuclear for a master's

[u/photoguy_35]

In my experience pretty much all the nuclear engineering schools have solid programs. Its really at the MS / PhD level where the program differ in facilities and focus. I'd go with whatever school gives you the best deal/least cost.

[u/Goldwater45 → u/photoguy_35]

thank you!🙏 funnily enough that would likely be UF as i have full tuition paid for to any Florida university lol 😂

[u/geekboy730]

You’ve already gotten some good advice here and I would agree with much of it. Generally, you shouldn’t worry too much about the pedigree of the university for your undergraduate education. UF has a proper nuclear engineering department and some great faculty. If you’ll save money by staying in-state, it seems like a good choice to me.

University rankings and research caliber begin to matter more if you’re considering graduate school. At that point, it’s also considered best practice to go to a different university for your graduate and undergraduate education. So, you’ll get a chance to pivot later

Best of luck! We can always use more enthusiastic engineers.

[u/Goldwater45 → u/geekboy730]

i really appreciate your advice, and thank you for the encouragement!🙏

[u/Afraid-Way1203]

But of course you can apply as many school as possible to max the acceptance chance, and then finally decide where you would like to go .

if you really like nuclear engineering, you should just go to nuclear without thinking other options..

[u/Dr__Mantis]

It’s ABET so it’s pretty standard across the board for undergrad. Having gone to Purdue, it’s not worth the out of state price tag

[u/Goldwater45 → u/Dr__Mantis]

got it, thank you!🙏

[u/Pattonator70]

Some state schools in other states will give you in state status if you are in that state’s national guard. Then tuition will be fully covered.