This is probably the same for nearly every Big 10 school engineering dept., however, Purdue at least accepts you into their First Year Engineering program. After your first semester you choose your top two or three choices. Typically a 3.2 or so will get you your first choice though a couple of the programs such as Biomedical Engineering can more more competitive. Continuing in engineering is also predicated on passing your FYE course with at least a C and I believe you cannot have below a 2.5 to continue as an engineering major.
You probably know this already but Computer Engineering is not Computer Science. At Purdue Computer Science is part of the College of Science and is about programming. Computer engineering is part of the Engineering school and concentrates more on the hardware aspects.
Computer Science also interfaces with Mathematics much more. Some courses are cross listed with math and cover more theory, in fact, a math major can be good for being able to think outside the box in software. Compare it to choosing between Chemistry and Chemical Engineering- two very different fields handling the same subject. Theory versus the physical world sometimes.
As wis75 pointed out, you are not accepted by a specific major at most, if not all, of these schools. Check each school to see what is the requirement for declaring computer engineering major later on and if there is a quota. The last thing you want is enrolled in a school that you cannot get into the major you want. On the other hand, cost would be a major factor for you. UW is pretty bad for aids particularly for OOS. Also, you need to apply for merit scholarships there separately.
I don’t really see any value in being accepted into the honors program. It is quite easy (as long as you maintain your grades) to apply to the honors program later during the year if you wanted to. Personally I think honors program is a waste of time if you are an engineering major. Your GPA will stand for itself and being into the honors program won’t substantiate your credibility much more.
I would suggest you drop the “prestige” thinking. All of these schools are on equal footing. If it were me, I would lick the most affordable one that you like.
If you live in Singapore, how are you instate for Ohio?
As far as school quality goes, for engineering I would think Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Purdue are on pretty equal footing. I would think that Rutgers, is a bit less prestigious. jmho
I would focus on understanding the cost differences, and the difficulty of getting admitted to the major you want. The latter is often overlooked by applicants. Find out the gpa each school requires to be admitted to your major, and also the average freshman student gpa at each school. Grading curves vary from school to school.
@wis75: But I got a decision letter starting like this , "
January 28, 2016
Dear Adwaya:
On behalf of the Committee on Admissions, it is my pleasure to offer you admission to the College of Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Our holistic admissions process is designed to seek out talented individuals like you; students who demonstrate a commitment to academic excellence…blah blah" SO doesn’t this mean I am directly admitted to the College of Engineering?
@Ivvcsf and @wis75: I am interested in Computers as a whole, though Computer Hardware is what I am aiming for…And thanks for your help. Based on what everyone is saying here, I will now be at ease to choose the college which will be cheapest, most probably OSU, bcoz of the merit scholarship they will give… and the CLASSIC FOOTBALL TEAM
@billcsho: Yes I am aware that I have not been admitted to a specific major… Yes, after reading what evryone is saying in this thread, it now seems all I have to decide is which college will be cheapest to attend
@iamjack: Are you sure about your view on the Honors…bcoz as far as I have heard, being in the honors allow you to do undergraduate research, participate in co-ops and interns, and lots of other cool things, like priority scheduling, and last but not the least, a declaration of “with Honors”, in ur degree. Many groups at Purdue dont allow u to join them, unless u r in honors…surely it is worthwhile…though I agree at this point, that Honors shouldn’t be the deciding factor, since I can easily apply later for the Honors, as long as I have got good grades…
I know students at OSU that find Honors to be a definite benefit. Read through the things it offers again and decide if those benefits make the school a better fit for you. It is a huge campus with a lot of students so anything that makes it easier to manage, is a good thing.
Each school does Honors differently. Some are Programs, others are Colleges. You need to look at schools individually. Honors can make a difference from day one. It may mean being able to take certain courses with more material than available in regular courses. Do not expect to do research as a freshman- you need to take some courses and get the needed skills first. You may not need to be in Honors to do the things you list as well. Historically UW’s College of Engineering did not offer honors as they figured the curriculum was rigorous enough without needing more. Now they do offer honors for those multitalented students who can do the work in Liberal Arts as well as Engineering. Focus on the entire list of courses needed and available at each school when evaluating the academic program.
Check with UW regarding the matter of being a direct admit to Engineering- that is new this year I believe and limited to a few students. btw- regardless of whether or not you are admitted to any major you need to get the needed grades to continue. If you struggle it likely is not the major for you.
Regarding football. You may be relegated to watching home games on TV unless you can get tickets. Most (all?) Big Ten schools are filled with tons of school spirit. Fans from other schools could easily argue their team is better et al than OSU. Keep your academics your priority.
You have several excellent choices. Pick one and do not look back.
These schools are all fine for you. I thought you were in state for Ohio. Since that is not the case…look at each school and what it has to offer you that you like. All would be fine for engineering.