Hello, I have been wrestling with this choice for over a year now, and cannot seem to find a clear winner. I now have been accepted to both IU’s SPEA and Purdue’s College of Science for undergrad. But I still don’t know what college would fit my needs better. I know for a fact I want to do environmental science with a focus on marine areas. IU is ranked 1st in the country for SPEA, which is where my environmental science degree is through, but is more known as a humanitarian school, and I want to do more research and science based. Purdue is strong in all STEM categories, but I worry that I am missing out on more opportunities if I go to Purdue over IU. Please help me to weigh my options!!!
What is the difference in cost? And can I ask, if your emphasis is on marine areas, would you be better off going to a university that is located in a marine area?
Indiana is fantastic for environmental science, and it’s every bit as strong in the sciences as Purdue. Additonally, the campus is very nice, and Bloomington is a great college town. What’s not to like?
We are in-state in Indiana, and know many science students who are thrilled with the research opportunities at IU. As IU has that strong a program in your field of interest, I wouldn’t hesitate to go to Bloomington over Purdue. For engineering in Indiana, there is one “best” school, and that is Purdue. But for many science departments, such as Bio etc., the opportunities at IU can be every bit as good or better than at Purdue. Congrats on your acceptances!
I think for environmental science they are pretty equally matched. ( As the parent of a Boilermaker I would say Boiler UP!) However, maybe the better way to approach it would be to decide which campus fits you better.
I think at either universities the opportunities available will be the ones you seek. Both are large universities and will have plenty of opportunities but neither will do the leg work for you to be involved in them. I can’t speak to your specific program but I’m willing to think that the quality of the programs will not be significantly different.
I really think your decision should revolve around where you feel most comfortable. Indiana is the larger school and will have a greater variety of students with more varying interests. Obviously they won’t have much of an engineering presence but that may not be important to you. Purdue while having a fine Business School will be much more STEM centric. It is noticeable. The architecture is different with many liking Indiana’s limestone buildings and park like atmosphere, most would consider Bloomington more vibrant than W. Lafayette. Indiana will have a stronger Greek presence and their M/F ration will be slightly skewed towards having more women while Purdue will have more men. Purdue may be slightly cheaper for an instate student and they have a history of not raising their TRB.
In the for what it’s worth catagory both my Ds applied to Purdue and chose not to apply to Indiana. The oldest was obvious as she is just completing a degree in Chemical Engineering at Purdue. The youngest just felt more comfortable at Purdue and preferred the feel of the campus to that of Indiana. She ended up at a different school. Good luck. You have two good choices.
Indiana s excellent for science (Purdue wins hands down for engineering, but science encompasses different fields than engineering). Since Indiana is highly ranked in your field of interest, I really can’t think of a reason why you wouldn’t pick it.