I was accepted into both purdue and penn state engineering. Money is not a problem and I love both schools pretty equally. I want to know if there is a big difference in the engineering programs at both schools. I heard that Purdue is better( ranked better) but if someone could give me reasons why one is definitively better would be awesome.
Have your parents said that they will pay the full OOS cost for any school (probably $50k per year or more)
Both are fine…go to the one you like better.
Is one in-state for you? Do you have a direct admit to both engineering programs?
Both out of state and I love both equally it’s pretty much which one is better at this point
They are close, but I would pick Purdue for the simple reason that at Penn State, because there are so many satellite campuses that feed students into University Park, much of the engineering curriculum is delayed until the 3rd year and beyond. I don’t think that’s the case at Purdue, but you should check.
For whichever kind of engineering you are interested in, you can look at the course roadmap for each and see which one gets you going sooner. The advantage to getting going sooner is that a) it won’t be as hard at the end, and b) you will have more capabilities by the end of sophomore year so that you can be productive in an internship.
Both are good schools though and produce a lot of great engineers.
Thank you very much @ClassicRockerDad
They are both really fine schools for engineering. Purdue is ranked a bit higher but both schools are accredited and are very well respected for engineering. And I think @ClassicRockerDad has a valid point about the satellite campuses at Penn State.
People typically flourish in the environment they prefer so I’d consider any preference you have towards one school versus the other. From what I understand Purdue has more of a STEM orientation so think about if that suits you. Other than than go with your gut.
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at Penn State, because there are so many satellite campuses that feed students into University Park, much of the engineering curriculum is delayed until the 3rd year and beyond
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Is that really true? don’t the satellite campuses offer any sort of eng’g courses like a CC would? Or are the first two years simply…Calc I, II, III, DifEQ, Physics I and II, Gen Chem…and the variety of GenEd (frosh comp, history, etc)?
No in-state option that would be good?
They all offer the intro courses. However, University Park can’t let their own students get too far ahead or the whole system would break down. Other schools are getting pretty serious by 4th semester. It just makes it more constrained later, IMHO.
I understand. But don’t all state schools face this? Even the UCs allow eng’g transfers from CCs. What happens to the CC eng’g transfer that goes to UCLA or UCB?
I don’t think that’s true - while engineering at UP is more rigorous, engineering majors take engineering classes whether at Altoona or Erie (they can even complete their major there - they have colleges of engineering, even if they don’t offer all the majors ). Same thing with UC’s - cc 's don’t have all the classes but they do offer the Regular pre-reqs. The curriculum hasn’t been changed to accommodate third year transfers.
To get back to OP 's question :
Purdue is a stem -focused university. Your classmates will thus be more ‘in sync’ with stem interests. Penn State will have a variety of majors. Purdue has a reputation for weed out first year classes but that doesn’t mean Penn State 's classes aren’t. Both have very strong national presence and alumni networks but their respective area of strongest influence is different (broader Midwest for Purdue, northeast and midatlantic for Penn State.) The honors college at Purdue is easier to get into than the one at Penn State So if that pales a difference for you, wait till honors decisions.
@mom2collegekids, I mentioned this about Penn State because I thought it was unusual. My D2 who is a ChemE was looking for schools and had a bit of AP credit. She is also a kid that needs to avoid overload. Penn State seemed like it would be a poor match for her because she couldn’t get any tailwind. Penn State even recommended doing the BS over 5 years if affordable. It’s not a mark against Penn State, but I’m just pointing out something I noticed that might be relevant to the OP.
I can’t speak to the differences but I will say that I believe Purdue to be more engineering centric than Penn State or most of the other large state flagships. Around a quarter of Purdue’s incoming freshmen will be engineering majors of some sort. A much larger portion are stem majors. Purdue is proud of that fact and it’s identity is that of a STEM centric university. Indiana has two state flagships with Indiana University being much more concentrated in the arts, business arts and science etc… I don’t think it necessarily means Purdue is a “better” engineering school than Penn St. They are both ABET accredited and on the whole I think Penn State students will have a slightly higher avg. grades and test scores (although I would guess engineering may be the exception to that).
My D13 is a Chem E at Purdue. Purdue has a First Year Engineering Program which requires that you complete Calc 1 and 2, your engineering Physics sequence and I believe Chemistry, and FYE 1 and 2. The FYE courses are designed to get you to collaborate to solve problems and learn basic programming coding etc. The FYE courses are not necessarily difficult to get good grades in but they require ALOT of time. Add in the difficulty of the basic science courses and FYE is challenging for most. When you apply you state your intended major but you don’t officially apply to your major until spring of your freshmen year. You state your first three choices then base on your FYE gpa you will get placed. Some majors are limited and gpa becomes important in those majors. I believe you must have either a 2.5 or a 2.75 to move beyond FYE.
I would say most would say State College is generally considered to be a nicer campus town than W. Lafayette. W. Lafayette is considered a pretty safe community. Penn State has the greater success in men’s athletics, though Purdues basketball team is usually very competitive. One other thing to note. Purdue has not raised it’s tuition, room or board since 2012. I’ll be curious to see how much longer that lasts. Instate it is one of the best bargains in the country. OOS it is a good bargain compared to other OOS options scholarships not withstanding. Other schools may be better for scholarships.
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I believe Purdue to be more engineering centric than Penn State or most of the other large state flagships. Around a quarter of Purdue’s incoming freshmen will be engineering majors of some sort.
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Probably true. Many non-STEM go to IU instead. Purdue is like GT, the engineering school for the state. Penn State doesn’t seem to have that distinction.
Purdue also has very good support for their coop program. Two of friends Ds attended and got good jobs after school through those coops.