Iowa vs. Purdue

<p>I'm having trouble deciding where to go to college for engineering. I'm between University of Iowa and Purdue.
Purdue has a better program for engineering and I'd be better challenged there then at Iowa, but it is also about 10,000/yr more expensive for me then Iowa.
Iowa doesn't have as good of an engineering program but it seems like I would have a better quality of life there because Purdue's atmosphere seemed a little more...dull perhaps and even depressing in the winter. </p>

<p>I'm leaning Purdue but any advice would be very much appreciated!!</p>

<p>Well, hirschy, if the prospect of paying an additional 40-50k for your education at Purdue isn’t a major problem for you I congratulate you on your extraordinary good fortune. Please note that I round up to 50 because you will graduate Iowa’s engineering programs in 4 years only if you take a consistent course load of 18 credits + for all four years.</p>

<p>I went to Purdue 30 years ago as a freshman and left as soon as I could. It’s a very conservative ag school in the middle of Bible Belt Indiana. The social scene is dominated by the Greek system. And while its engineering school has a better rep, it may not be better for you. In terms of challenge, have you looked at your prospective Iowa curriculum? Do you imagine that you’ll be bored by their classes? That deformable bodies will be a cakewalk? I know and have gone to school with many engineers and I’ve never heard anyone complain about lack of challenge, regardless of their ability or choice of school. My first suggestion is that you dispense with the idea that Iowa won’t challenge you.</p>

<p>My second suggestion is that you visit both, if you haven’t already. I believe Iowa is much more engaging, friendly atmosphere. More fun. Iowa City’s a great town. West Lafayette is desolate.</p>

<p>Also compare your opportunities to do co-op jobs or get research gigs on campus. It’s become essential for engineering grads to have real-world experience before they begin recruiting as seniors. Iowa does an awesome job of this - 70% of students get such experience. My son is finishing his second year and landed a great job in a large research lab at Iowa. He’s a grunt, but the experience will be awesome and will help him land a co-op assignment next year. Check out whether this is common at Purdue. Engineering schools differ greatly in this regard.</p>

<p>Best of luck, and let us know where you land.</p>

<p>Beastman, Congrats on your son’s research job! My daughter is still working in her lab and loves it. She’s doing things that she never thought she’d be able to do because she’s an undergrad. I’m sure he’s going to love it. </p>

<p>Hirschy, my daughter and I visited Purdue when she was a junior. I completely agree with what Beastman said. Purdue is a sleepy little campus, there isn’t much to do there. It was the longest 24 hour visit of our lives! She chose Iowa over many of the Big 10 schools. Iowa is underrated, especially in the STEM majors. It may be “easy” to get in but it is NOT easy to stay. </p>

<p>The campus is beautiful, the town is vibrant, the sports scene is amazing, and the school spirit is beyond comparison. I’ve yet to meet an Iowa student or Alum that hasn’t LOVED their time at the school. </p>

<p>Yes, Purdue is known as an engineering school, however, the engineers I know will tell you that it doesn’t matter where you get your degree, it’s how well you did while you were in school. The engineering programs don’t vary much from school to school. Choose the school where you feel most at home, one that will fill your needs both academically and socially.</p>

<p>I am also trying to choose between Iowa and Purdue, but not for engineering. I am interest in accounting. Question for me comes down which school will have the best return on the cost of attendance? I received my aid award package and the final net pay is within $12k for both me and my parents for both schools.</p>

<p>2bnoir, I think lovemykids2 will agree with me when I say that what young people really need to get past in choosing a college is this hyper-analytical idea that their job prospects or future income potential can be indexed to their choice of college or program. It’s not your fault - the relentless emphasis on US News and World Report rankings, and our cultural dependence on the internet and data at our disposal really makes us believe we can chart our career trajectories based on numbers. I went to a better engineering school than my son (well, two actually, Wisc and Purdue) but I guarantee that his experiences, starting with his lowly job as beaker-cleaner at the Davidson Lab has already set him on a higher trajectory than my own, which was characterized by dutiful hard work and good grades. The reality is that companies do not hire USNWR rankings, or GPAs. They hire people, and and people are comprised of experiences. You need to go where you will have meaningful experiences, not just in the classroom but outside. The beauty of Iowa in the technical and health sciences, at least, is that they really make meaningful experiences for undergrads. </p>

<p>Talk to the administrators about your opportunities to do work as an undergrad. Internships, research on campus, whatever. Stop wasting your time parsing these bits of data in hopes that your future can be predicted based on them.</p>

<p>Oh, and by all means: go to a school that you will enjoy. Within 1 year after your graduation your resume will be about your job experience, and your undergrad alma mater will mean virtually nothing.</p>

<p>Beastman I defiantly agree. As a junior in high school its getting to the point where everyone is starting to obsess over college, GPA, class rank, and most of all - ACT. Everyone wants to make a lot of money and I feel kids in high school start worrying about that right about now and to make them feel better they focus on getting into the best “name” university they can at this moment in time instead of looking at the big picture. It gets extremely competitive, mostly with the kids in the top 30% of the class. Most of them only focus on school and may have a lot of ECs but only do them to put them on college apps then. Make up essays that are always not true and only know how to do school work and not really create things like engineers do. </p>

<p>Sorry if this sounds pessamistic but I have been thinking a lot about this topic the participle of days and have been confused.</p>

<p>*past couple days</p>

<p>You live in crazy times, pabjumba. Any of us over 40 will attest to how much easier it was to choose and be accepted to college “back in the day.” Stick to your guns and do not follow the herd, particularly if it takes you to a big-name school that leaves you well in debt. That debt will follow you many years beyond the day employers stop looking at that line on your resume! This is not an argument to go to a no-name school, but a common-sense plea to balance prestige of the school wiht the cost. And remember that being a desirable candidate at a second-tier school will get you more merit aid and a much less stressful, competitive experience than being a bottom-rung applicant to the big name school! </p>

<p>Also, rather than look at the rep of the university overall, look at the quality of your specific program. It is not uncommon for a so-so sounding school to have a great speciality which might be your major.</p>

<p>My son also has been accepted to Iowa school of Engineering, as well as Miami. He was accepted to U of Illinois, but not engineering, general studies. He looked at 3/2 programs at Butler and Beloit. Currently all of these schools are in the running except Miami of Ohio, his top choice! Why? Because they want 10 - 15 thousand more a year for tuition! This after the head of the engineering program promised there would be some sort of financial aid in scholarships as well as loans. What a pipe dream! We went to Iowa and visited again, and i think it’s his top choice right now. Iowa gave him an incredibly generous financial aid package that makes it significantly less than instate tuition at U of I and includes work study, which helps cut down even more on our costs. He’s still considering Illinois, because he could transfer into mechanical engineering through gen studies program, although this is very difficult! I say go Iowa! I am holding my breath and hoping he takes the leap of faith. He’s in the Men In Engineering Dorm, the honor’s program, and I think it will really keep him focused on success to be in that kind of nurturing academic environment. Beloit is still an option because he’s a soccer player and the lure of college athletics is pretty strong. Also their 3/2 program ends up at U of I so we would get instate tuition with my tuition waiver as a university instructor in Illinois. So many decisions! Good luck everyone. I had no idea this part of the process would be so difficult! vocemom</p>

<p>Vocemom, I can’t tell you how many IL parents I’ve met at Iowa with the same story - my son can attend Iowa for much less than Illinois. Suburban Chicago kids are numerous at Iowa! And from what I understand the gigantic campus and Greek dominance at Illinois is not for everyone. Has he been to Beloit? Uber-liberal, i believe. Best of luck!</p>

<p>@hirschy. Our son is also deciding on Purdue vs, Iowa. We visited both schools again last week and I dont think you can make a bad choice. I did have an interesting conversation last week with an Iowa student. She actually transferred from Purdue because she wanted to study biomedical engineering and it is very competitive to get one of those spots. At Iowa there are no set number of students who can study in each field(but obviously you still have to work hard!). Good luck with your decision. We are hoping our son decides soon too!</p>

<p>Beastman, I completely agree with you. Kids, and parents, put way too much stock in USNWR’s rankings. I truly believe that it’s not so much about where a student goes to school but what that student does once they’re there. </p>

<p>I live in a community that is steeping with CEOs of Fortune 500 companies as well as owners of small, successful businesses. Many of the kids at our public high school go to top 20 LACs and they get so wrapped up in rankings. Funny enough, several of the CEOs got their undergrad degrees at state flagships. A family friend of ours told us that he usually avoids hiring kids from Ivy or top 20 schools because he has learned that they have a sense of entitlement. He said that the kids who have to learn to compete against 20,000 or more students at a large school generally have a better work ethic and all around attitude. </p>

<p>Beastman’s son and my daughter are thriving at Iowa, both academically and socially. They have been given opportunities (research work, volunteering at home and abroad, and other things) that will make them stand out when they apply to grad school. And, even though Iowa is a large school, my daughter has had excellent advisers who have been there for her from day one.</p>

<p>Thank you for all the great advice. It is hard to go through the college process without advice from others who have gone through it too. There is so much pressure put on students to go to the best school they got into even though it may not be the best school for them. It is easy to assume companies hire students from the most well known schools even though it is not the case. It is also easy to discredit schools without doing enough research. Engineering at any school will be hard and the success of the students is determined based off of their commitment to their work not based off of USNWR. I visited both schools and I think I want to go to Iowa because I think I will be happier there and probably more successful. I also like how I don’t have to compete for a spot in the major like I would have to at Purdue.</p>

<p>Best of luck to you and congratulations on becoming a Hawkeye!!</p>

<p>Just wanted to let you know that my son chose Iowa over Illinois, Miami, Beloit and Butler. Those were the schools who were anywhere near the scholarships he was offered at Iowa. So happy he made the right choice and I hope you meet him one day to all those future students who never thought it was possible!</p>

<p>Congrats to you and your son Vocemom! Go Hawkeyes!!!</p>

<p>Congratulations, vocemom! He’s made an excellent choice, as we’ve intimated ad nauseum on this forum! What a relief it must be for your family to have this nailed down.</p>

<p>A number of us on this forum have kids in engineering and STEM majors. Let us know what sage advice we can offer.</p>

<p>Vocemom, I too would like to say congratulations on your son’s decision to attend University of Iowa. I would like to know if anyone here on the forum had a son or daughter attended Tippie College of Business.</p>

<p>Congrats to your son on deciding on Iowa! It would be interesting if I met him on campus.</p>

<p>hirschy! If you go to SAE club he’ll probably be there working on building a car for Baja race! Or at gym lifting weights or playing club soccer!</p>