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On hands-on versus math, how do you approach finding the magic balance? For context: Let's agree that MIT and Olin are both great engineering schools. One form
by dbcurtis 7y ago
On hands-on versus math, how do you approach finding the magic balance?
For context: Let's agree that MIT and Olin are both great engineering schools. One former coworker of mine is a senior Mech E who graduated from MIT, who once said something along the lines: "I've never hired an MIT grad who could not do the math, but sometimes they needed to learn good bench skills on the job. I've never hired an Olin grad who didn't hit the ground running in the lab on day 1, but sometimes they hit resistance with the math." So even with four years and a demanding pace, it is still hard to do both well. What grounds your thinking on this topic?
- DesaiAshu 7y agoGood question! We're definitely leaning stronger on the hands on right now, but are looking to build out more on the math side. Our Dean actually has a PhD in Applied Math rather than CS, so it's in our wheelhouse. It's probably still going to feel closer to Olin than MIT. You're right that it's impossible to do both at sufficient depth. Ideally we offer students flexibility to push in the direction they want to go. Eventually we'll be working with students who want to go deeper in AI/ML, or potentially other computational STEM fields - they may need stronger math. While others may want to stay closer to product development. Either way, it's most important to equip students with the mindset and resources to keep learning. Learning should not stop in college, there's no concrete reason why either the math or bench skills can't be picked up later in life - apart from societal bias that tells us to stop learning.