Penn state Engineering vs Purdue Engineering

Hi, I’m an international student from S.Korea. I’ve got admissions from the two schools as transfer student. I thought of pros and cons

Purdue’s advantages:
1.higher ranking
2.closer to major cities(Chicago,Indianapolis)
3.relatively cheaper tuition

Purdue’s disadvantages:
1.students are dying from school work.
2.i got tired of corn fields since I currently live in Illinois. The city seems boring.

Penn state’s advantages:

  1. Higher students’ satisfaction
    2.beautiful campus

Penn state’s disadvantages:

  1. More expensive tuition
  2. Lower ranking

I know both schools have really wonderful engineering program. I’m honestly more into Penn state. Study is important. However, I don’t want to spend my rest of college life studying all the time.
My ultimate goal is to get a job in the United States. Ranking really matters when it comes to getting a job? If ranking doesn’t matter that much, I would choose Penn state. Considering every factors, which school is better choice for me?

Thank you!

What’s your intended major? If it’s engineering or CS, Purdue hands down, especially at a lower price!

I would say it’s not necessarily the ranking that matters but the career center at Purdue is second to none. Internship/-co-op opportunities are plentiful and the support from Purdue is tremendous.

Purdue is a city unto itself. My DD only goes into W. Lafayette on a rare occasion since there is so much happening on campus. It’s very vibrant!

DD is also not “dying from school work.” Of course she works hard but she has time for her theater club, sporting events, concerts, hiking, etc… It’s definitely NOT all work, no play.

Full disclosure with my bias- my name really should be momofpurdueeng1 but I didn’t think I’d be staying on CC after DD graduated HS and didn’t know she’d be going there ; )

I would say the opposite. If it only reason you would go to Purdue is their ranking, choose Penn State. Honestly there’s no guarantee you’ll make it through engineering; many students change majors after a year or two. Choosing the school solely because your hypothetical major has a higher ranked dept when another school offers the environment you want seems like a guarantee for unhappiness. I too have a very happy Purdue student but she liked the school to begin with. She wanted the Big Ten atmosphere, she was okay with living in West Lafayette and she loved the campus and the opportunities open to students there.

@momofsenior1 can an average student thrive at purdue and get CSE major of their choice at purdue. Is it easy to switch from CSE to CS?

If you are accepted into FYE, that means Purdue thinks you will succeed.

It is not easy switching into CS. At this point, Purdue says that even if you are above the GPA threshold, they can’t guarantee that you can transition because of space constraints.

@momofsenior1 I’m will be transferring as junior. My major is EE.

@CaMom13 I forgot to mention that I’ve been accepted as EE. No way I will be able to change the major.

Thanks!

Oh - well that’s different. If you’re already an upperclassman and you’re assured of your major then yes, I might bite the bullet and go for the higher ranked program. Why are you worried about “dying from the work” then? Is your current school not rigorous?

@CaMom13 I honestly want balanced life between my leisure and study. If Purdue engineering is way more preferred by recruiters, I would go to Purdue. However, if it is not, I would choose Penn state.

For engineering students, “life between leisure and study” is definitely NOT balanced, no matter which school you choose. You will study more than you ever have before.

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If you’re looking for a school that is “way more preferred by recruiters”, yes that would be Purdue, IME. If you’re looking for somewhere that won’t be rigorous and provides you lots of time for leisure and fun, you may want to find another major.

You need to assiduously inspect the career counseling services offered by both schools because you may find difficulty in finding a summer internship or permanent employer that will sponsor an international student.