Help Purdue vs Cal Poly SLO for mechanical engineering

<p>Hi, I am a international student and I got accepted by both these two schools. Since the fee is basically the same for me
so it is not a factor to consider. They are on different ranking system and leave me hard to know which is better academically.
For cal poly,the super low graduation rate actually scares me and a lot of people I know (even people who work in California) do not know this school makes me nervous. But I like their learn by doing thoughts and their small size classes.
For Purdue, it seems much safer(not a risk) since my parents friend's child went there and it does have a big name. However, the fact that west lafayette is kind of in middle of nowhere would block some chances and I have heard that its class are much bigger.</p>

<p>Also, which school would help me on getting into a good graduate school?</p>

<p>Thank you a lot.</p>