Idk if this is the right place to put this, but I’m a high school senior who is having a difficult time deciding what college to attend for engineering. I think I want to either major in aero or mechanical. I got accepted to Purdue for engineering, and also got accepted to CU Boulder for pre-engineering. I’m struggling to decide because I’ve toured both and they both seem like a place where I could see myself at, but I really loved boulder. However I’m already accepted into the engineering school at Purdue and I’m only accepted into pre engineering at CU. Any advice on which one would be better. I know that Purdue is ranked higher in all aspects but like I said I really liked Boulder, and there seems to be a lot more to do than in West Lafayette.
Purdue is amazing, especially for aero but be aware that Purdue admits to a common first year engineering program and you will still need to transition to your intended major after freshman year. Aero is a competitive major and you will need a 3.2 engineering index (basically your STEM GPA).
I’m happy to try to answer any specific questions about Purdue. My D is in her second year.
You need to research the success rate of pre engineering at CU. IIRC only about 25% make it into the engineering school, and the ones that do struggle to make good grades. Imagine you’re in the 75% that don’t make it and you have a 2.5 gpa. Now what?
Does CU really grade so harshly that 75% of pre-engineering students cannot make a 2.7 overall and technical GPA? Or are pre-engineering students mostly from the bottom of the admit class (with the top of the admit class getting direct admission to engineering majors)?
Personally I have pretty good stats 33 ACT with a 36 on science and a 3.9UW gpa. I’m in Calc BC right now and have had an A all year. Idk what the stats of the accepted people were but i found it interesting that I got into Purdue engineering and not CU.
Thank you, is there anything specifically she likes about it? Also, is she planning on studying abroad? Lastly is she able to find things to do outside of academics?
My D has loved everything about her experience at Purdue thus far. She picked Purdue because of that first year engineering curriculum and strong emphasis on career readiness. She also loved the collaborative, supportive vibe.
D is doing a 3 semester co-op so can’t do a semester abroad. That said, she did a “Maymester” abroad in Italy after freshman year. She had an amazing time and earned 6 honors credits in the process. Purdue does a good job of offering all kinds of study abroad durations so that everyone who wants can participate. Here’s the link to the engineering study abroad programs: https://engineering.purdue.edu/GEP/Study-Abroad
Outside of class D is very involved in theater. She is a group that is for non majors. She does a combo of acting and stage managing, and is now on their executive committee. She also is active in SWE and does a lot of leadership stuff in honors college which she really enjoys. She also has a small tutoring job.
Purdue has over 1,000 different clubs and organizations. There truly is something for everyone and even as an engineer, you’ll have time to have fun and get involved.
D20 has a friend who was admitted to CU’s pre-engineering and also heard that the percentage of kids who successfully transition to engineering is relatively low and lots of kids end up picking another major. Prior to the decision date, he received a notification that they were allowing him to go directly into the engineering program, but from what I understand, his courses have been really challenging and he’s not doing that well academically. This might be in part due to the online classes, but it sounds like they also expect to weed out a large number of students. I think you have to go into it knowing that you aren’t going to have your hand held at all–it’s sink or swim.