<p>D will be applying to colleges in October and we are trying to get ready. One of the universities we are looking at is Purdue University, which has its main campus at West Lafayette, Indiana. It is ranked #62 among the National Universities. It is quite well known for Engineering departments. I was also looking at the rankings of Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne. It seem to be much lower than Purdue's ranking. Is there a difference in the BS diploma from IPFW in, say Biology, and a BS diploma from Purdue main campus ( at West Lafayette ) in the same subject? Is a degree from the main campus superior to the one from the regional campus at FW? How about difference in academic rigor between them?</p>
<p>( PS: I tried to ask the same questions in Purdue University forum to no avail. )</p>
<p>From the questions you are asking, I am assuming you are not from the Midwest.(If I’m wrong about that, I’d encourage you to visit the various campuses because they each have a very different “feel”.)Purdue’s main campus definitely has the better reputation for engineering than the other campuses you mentioned. As far as something like biology and how the degrees from the different campuses compare, it may be beneficial to look at the individual programs at each campus, looking specifically at the courses required to complete the degree, the number of elective courses in the major, what kind of research opportunities are available for undergraduates, and any type of relationships the departments have with industry for potential internships. Those are the types of questions one student I know who was majoring in chemistry looked into before he selected a school.</p>
<p>Thanks Hoosiermom. I am not from the midwest. Would it make sense for D to attend IPFW for 2 or 3 years if there is some good merit scholarship, and transfer to the main campus for the final year? What do you think?</p>
<p>If your D is not from the area, it’s likely she wouldn’t like a regional Purdue campus. Those students will be largely commuter/suitcase. Schools like that don’t offer much on weekends to keep students on campus…so OOS kids get lonely really quick. </p>
<p>As for attending a regional Purdue for 3 years and then transferring for the last year…you’d have to see if that’s permitted. Purdue may require that a certain number of eng’g credits be from that campus. To get enough eng’g credits at Purdue (in sequence), your D might have to attend there for at least 2 years…which at an OOS rate would be quite high…about $40k per year.</p>
<p>Again, I wouldn’t send my child to an OOS public that was commuter/suitcase. The results could be disastrous if your D quickly wanted to leave/transfer as her merit opportunites at other schools would be lost.</p>
<p>This is what it says on Collegeboard:</p>
<p>This coed college is located in a large city in an urban setting and is primarily a commuter campus.</p>
<p>96% instate! Yikes.</p>
<p>IUPFW is very much a commuter campus. Even IUPUI has better options for residential living and community. I can tell you that at some of the other regional campuses, engineering students do quite well. Anectdotally of course, of the students that our loca hs send to Purdue Cal versus Purdue Lafayette, we have far more students that graduate in enginnering from the regional campuses. Seems the weed out classes don’t weed out as many at the regional campuses. However, many of the students at all these campuses are nontraditional students and that is a major adjustment. Living at home and going to a regional school is a great option in our area, primarily for finances, not one that I would pay for if not in the state.</p>