Hi! I am a high school senior, and I got admitted to both Ohio State CSE or Purdue CS, I am not sure which one to choose?
Ohio State CSE:
Pros:
In state tuition, cheaper but money is not an issue for me and my family.
Closer to home, more friends.
Cons:
The main problem with OSU is that OSU only admitted me as Pre-CSE (the same for everyone else), meaning that I am not directly admitted to CSE major. I think after one year then I have to apply for admission to major with GPA of 3.2, anybody knows how difficult is it for one gets admitted to CSE major?
Purdue CS:
Pros:
Direct admission to CS in the college of science, this is the biggest advantage, I think.
Better reputation in CS but OSU is very good too, this is not the major issue for me.
Cons:
Out of state tuition, more expensive but money is not an issue
Harder to graduate? I heard one half of the freshman dropped out and switched to other easier majors. Is OSU CSE easier for me to graduate?
I would like to see the suggestions/opinions from every one here.
Thanks you very much in advance for your response!
Seems like Purdue is easier to graduate in CS from (assuming the higher cost does not cause you to run out of money), because you have direct admission instead of having to face a 3.2 GPA weed-out barrier at OSU.
I.e. if you earn a 3.0 GPA frosh year, you can continue in CS at Purdue, but you will be weeded out from the CSE major at OSU if the minimum is 3.2 GPA.
Hello! I follow OSU engineering a lot because I’ve been planning to go to OSU for a while and have a few connections in the engineering department. From what I’ve heard from other students, a 3.2 GPA grantees being admitted into CSE. Otherwise, there is a review process you have to go though. It’s not a hard cut off is what I’ve heard from other students. Check out the OSU subreddit on Reddit for more information to see where I’m getting this from. You can also APPLY MULTIPLE TIMES. If you don’t get in the first time you apply, you can apply again.
Basically, it’s not hard to be admitted to CSE unless you’ve been slacking off. FYI, ALL freshman applicants admitted directly to the college of engineering are put in pre majors. This is to ensure all engineering applicants are exposed to other disciplines before they decide on their own engineering major.
I was also considering applying to Purdue, however I couldn’t because my family doesn’t have the financial means. Yes, Purdue does theoretically have the better engineering. However you’re talking through the science school and not engineering. I’d choose less debt, but if your family has the financial means… you could save this money for after graduation costs, or grad school.
I wouldn’t say that’s most of those Purdue CS majors failed out, maybe because it was direct admit, they realized it wasn’t for them? I do know that Purdue is rigorous. I hope this helps.
You definitely want to manage your gpa at OSU. Don’t skip homework assignments, show up to class, etc. When you are ‘Enrolled in final admission to major courses’ you submit an online form and they process it at the end of the semester when your grades post. Then you are officially in your major, which means you have priority scheduling for the upper division CS courses you will need to complete your major. CSE does not cap enrollment and the department is growing capacity. You do need to meet/exceed the guaranteed admission gpas.
CSE also has a generous policy regarding EPHR gpa calculation - if you repeat a class, only the most recent attempt counts.
You can find the statistical report for engineering and the enrollments and degrees at a glance pdf that shows majors/pre-majors by program here https://engineering.osu.edu/about/report
Ohio State also offers a BS CIS that has the same CS core classes.
“BS CSE and BS CIS
The BS CSE and the BS CIS programs prepare students for a range of careers in Computer Science. The Computer Science portion of these two programs are identical to each other. The main difference between the two is that the BS CSE requires more math, science, and engineering while the BS CIS requires more general education courses including a foreign language.” https://cse.osu.edu/current-students/undergraduate/majors
Why did you apply to CSE at OSU, but CS at Purdue?
There is no CSE at Purdue. In Purdue, it is Computer Science in the college of science, In OSU, it is computer science & engineering in the college of engineering. I think they are equivalent.
I was wondering why not OSU’s College of Arts and Sciences BS in CIS. They cross list all of the CS career services postings. So you get access to CSE listed jobs, but can follow the BS CIS curriculum. It just seems like the classes for the BS CIS at Ohio State and Purdue’s CS would be the comparable programs.
CIS is an interdisciplinary major delivered by both the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering.
Major Details
For more information visit the Engineering’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering website or view the university’s major curriculum sheet.
So, it is basically the same CIS under CSE department:
Computer and information science students can pursue either a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts. The BS involves a more substantial computing component and more of a science focus than the BA. Both degree programs are offered through the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.
Other majors suited for students interested in computing careers:
— Computer science and engineering (CSE) jointly offered in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the College of Engineering: almost identical to the CIS major, with additional math and engineering courses and fewer general education courses
— Electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering: shares several computing courses with the CSE major but is more hardware-oriented in its other courses
Computer Science is offered as a BA or BS, the courses are the same as engineering majors - which is why you don’t see a separate department. The only difference is the arts and sciences gen ed’s vs the engineering department gen ed’s.
Yes, one department manages all of the CS classes. So if you start in (pre) CSE, but don’t like the engineering component you can switch to the BS CIS major. (there is still an admission to major gpa but the required classes are slightly different).
Thanks a lot! This is very useful, I do not like much about the engineering portion, I think CIS suites me more. Is it harder for me to switch to CIS since I am (pre) CSE? or it does not matter as long as I choose the appropriate courses and get a 3.2 gpa I will be able to admit to CIS major?
The first class they list is the freshman ‘survey class’ (ASC 1100.xx) which is an introduction to Ohio State class usually taught by your academic advisor. Since you are a CSE pre-major yours will be in an engineering survey class ENGR 1100.xx. These classes are usually interchangeable, so I think you can take the ENGR version to fulfill that requirement (double check with an advisor). The rest of the pre-major classes are also typical FYE classes: CSE 2221, Math 1151, Physics 1250 (only for BS CIS & CSE, not the BA CIS), English 1110.xx
ENGR 1181 (fundamentals of engineering - very hands on, group projects) isn’t required for admission to major to BS CIS but is for CSE and most engineering students schedule it for their first semester - you might want to schedule it for spring (or never) if there is a possibility you will pursue the CIS and not the CSE. You should email an advisor (or speak to them at orientation when you schedule classes) to ensure that delaying ENGR 1181 until spring won’t add a semester if you end up sticking with CSE. Check with an advisor to be sure.
I don’t know how strong you are in Math, but I would suggest you do not take the Physics 1250 which is calculus based until you have completed Math 1151 or an equivalent successfully. If your Physics section gets ahead of the calculus in Math 1151 it can shift from challenging to incomprehensible.
Thanks again! I actually already completed AP Calculus BC (got a 5 in the AP test) which is equivalent to Math 1151, and I am completing AP Physics I which is equivalent to Physics 1250. I think I will have to take some more advanced classes to fulfill the 15 credit OSU requirement with a GPA of 3.2 or higher before admission to the major, right?
As you can tell by my name, I’m biased towards one of the two schools mentioned. My son was in a similar spot as you 4 years ago. He is a double major in CS and Applied Math at UMD. After much soul searching and agony over picking where he’d go to school for his degree, he chose UMD because of the options, they 1> appeared to be well respected in CS and 2> they offered him a pretty big scholarship. After 3 years of school, he wished he had gone to Purdue. Not for any other reason then he had friends from when he lived in Indiana that went there and after visiting he thought it would have been a better option. He didn’t even apply when he was going through the process because the reputation of Purdue was that they were more well respected for their work in Hardware than in Software, which is where he has interest. He also has a good friend in CS at OSU who also thinks it is the best place.
I think he’d tell you that at the Undergraduate level in CS, the only thing that matters between similar universities is where you feel most comfortable. I have two engineering degrees from Purdue, it’s a great place for me. But at the end of the day, the quality of the education is much more dependent on you than where you go as long as they are all capable. Finally, I would advise you to consider the cost. I know it doesn’t mean that much to you, but if the difference is $18k, I’m sure it does mean something to the people paying.
One more thing to add. @ucbalumnus and I often meet on the same topics. (S)he always brings up the direct admit vs. the apply after you are accepted point. Usually, advising caution about Purdue’s engineering program of Freshman Engineering then apply to the engineering school. This is a case where it is the opposite for Purdue vs. OSU. But, I feel obligated to tell you of the benefit of that type of setup. Again using my son’s experience at UMD, which this year they have changed.
My son as mentioned above is a CS/AM major at UMD. He has been very frustrated at the number of students that UMD accepted into the program. They had an open admit policy. In other words if 100% of the people accepted to UMD wanted to be CS majors, theoretically they could. This led to a situation where there were far too many CS majors for the capacity of the University. He struggled to find the classes he wanted and had to settle for the classes he could get. He constantly found over enrolled classes and labs, he found himself taking classes from researchers who were forced into teaching classes they didn’t want to teach. If you go to a school with an apply to admit program, you have some assurance that the school has capacity for all who they accept.
I don’t like the be afraid of getting into the school advice, because it goes against my very nature of “if you really want something, you’ll figure out how to be successful.” Getting a 3.2 in college isn’t a matter of being smart enough, but it is a question of maturity. You wouldn’t be admitted if you weren’t smart enough. Will you be mature enough to apply yourself at the level to be successful in learning the material is the much bigger question. If you look at people who have low GPAs at the college level, was it because they weren’t very smart or was it more that their priority was social and not academic?
There is a CSE 2221 placement test https://cse.osu.edu/prospective-students/csecis-placement-exam so it is conceivable that you would be able to schedule your ‘final admission to major classes’ your very first semester if you pursue the BS CIS since it seems like you will already have credit for the math and physics and should have no trouble scheduling the english class (or maybe you have AP credit for that, too?). I think you should schedule an admitted student day and see if you can set up an appointment with an advisor in the CS department https://cse.osu.edu/current-students/undergraduate/advising-office to discuss your career objectives.
One strategy might be to apply to the BS CIS to get priority scheduling for the upper level CS classes spring of freshman year (if your placement test result allows you to register for CSE 2221), but remain open to exploring the engineering component depending on your career objectives which may change as you learn more about what interests you. I would be very careful in the scheduling of other classes to make up the total 15 OSU credits you will need if you decide to go that route and an advisor will be able to give you good suggestions for those.
You have a lot of really good questions an advisor should be able to answer, but more importantly they will know the questions to ask you so you can get the most out of OSU.
UMD is (belatedly) making CS a restricted major to keep it from going over-capacity in the future.
Note that Purdue direct-admits many CS majors, but limits the number of others who can change into CS in order to keep CS enrollment within capacity, so that presumably should not be a problem at Purdue.
Thanks again for the info! I scheduled an admitted student day for OSU as well as a visit for Purdue. Right now, I am leaning towards Purdue, but not completely finalized yet.